Associate Media Planner

The Planet Group; Irvine (CA); Remote; USD 58,000 - 66,000; Full time

Job summary

The Planet Group is seeking an Associate Media Planner to join one of our well-known global pharmaceutical clients in Irvine, CA. This role offers onsite in Irvine or remote work, with a 1-year duration to start and potential extension or conversion.

You will coordinate media plans, contracts, documentation, and campaign activation, working with cross-functional teams. The ideal candidate has 2–4 years in marketing or media planning, strong organizational and communication skills, and

Qualifications

• 2–4 years of experience in marketing, healthcare, media planning, media buying, campaign operations, or a related field.
• Exceptional organizational skills, attention to detail, sound judgment and ability to manage multiple deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Translate media plans and initiatives into compliant, execution-ready campaigns.
• Coordinate contracting, activation, documentation, and financial tracking.
• Maintain accurate campaign records and stakeholder records across teams.
• Flag risks related to timing, budget, compliance, and resourcing; support optimization.
• Develop and implement media strategies and activation recommendations with the team.
• Own campaign documentation, calendars, trackers, and purchase orders.
• Ensure work complies with regulatory, privacy, procurement, contracting, and media-delivery requirements.
• Track spend, invoices, PO status, and variances; escalate financial risks.

Skills

Organizational skills

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Ability to manage multiple deadlines

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in marketing or related field

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Outlook

Teams

Job description

The Planet Group is seeking an Associate Media Planner to join one of our well-known global pharmaceutical clients.

• Pay: $42.25-$47.81/hr depending on experience (W2 and benefit options)
• Location: Onsite in Irvine, CA or Remote
• Duration: 1 year to start - potential to extend / convert

Associate Media Planner Responsibilities:

• Play a critical role in translating media plans and emerging business initiatives into compliant, execution-ready campaigns
• Work closely with Media Planners, Media Managers, Operations, Finance, Procurement, Legal, Data Privacy, vendors, and account teams
• Coordinate contracting, campaign activation, documentation, financial tracking, and issue resolution
• Help clarify requirements and dependencies, maintain accurate records, flag risks related to timing, budget, compliance, and resourcing, and support continuous optimization across media initiatives
• Support the development and implementation of media strategies, plans, and activation recommendations alongside Media Planners and Media Managers
• Own and maintain campaign documentation, including media calendars, contracting status trackers, finance and invoice trackers, creative trackers, buy authorizations, work orders, insertion orders, and purchase-order records
• Coordinate end-to-end media contracting and change requests, including intake, vendor onboarding, work-order and POCN development, data-privacy requirements, QA, signature routing, SNAPP submission, approvals, and final filing
• Coordinate campaign activation and advertising-material trafficking; confirm specifications and handoffs, monitor launch readiness, verify placements are live, collect proof-of-performance screenshots, and maintain accurate campaign records
• Serve as a day-to-day contact for media vendors and internal partners across Procurement, Legal, Data Privacy, Finance, Operations, and account teams; clarify next steps, required information, owners, and dependencies, and resolve issues promptly
• Track and report campaign spend, budget status, purchase orders, invoices, monthly amounts, savings, and variances; reconcile records and elevate financial risks or discrepancies
• Ensure work complies with pharmaceutical, privacy, procurement, contracting, and media-delivery requirements; proactively flag risks related to timing, budget, resourcing, approvals, and dependencies
• Support reporting, optimization, and planning discussions by gathering launch updates, placement documentation, vendor inputs, and campaign-status information
• Provide day-to-day executional support to Media Planners and Media Managers, help establish efficient intake-driven workflows, and contribute to onboarding or guidance for junior team members and interns as assigned

Associate Media Planner Qualifications:

• 2–4 years of experience in marketing, healthcare, media planning, media buying, campaign operations, or a related field
• Exceptional organizational skills, attention to detail, sound judgment, and the ability to manage multiple deadlines and dependencies
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365, especially Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and shared tracking tools
• Excellent written and verbal communication, vendor-management, and cross-functional relationship-building abilities
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, regulated environment, proactively escalating risks and resolving issues
• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, advertising, communications, or related field