Director, Client Media Strategy & Planning

Starcom; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 129,000 - 186,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Adoption assistance

Pet adoption support

Employee assistance programs

Tuition assistance

Flexible working arrangements

Work Your World program

Matching gifts

Job summary

Starcom is seeking a Director to oversee the strategy of all media campaigns across channels and to serve as the day-to-day point of contact for senior-level partners. You will drive education for internal teams and clients, identify new revenue growth opportunities, and manage the team with a focus on delivering strategic insights.

The role requires extensive media experience and strong leadership, with the ability to translate strategies into audience plans and collaborate with analytics and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred in marketing, advertising, communications, business or related field
• 7+ years of media experience
• 5+ years of management experience
• Ability to plan campaigns to achieve brand objectives and KPIs
• Strong analytics to inform planning and strategy
• History of identifying media opportunities and presenting to clients
• Experience monitoring and improving the media planning process
• Ensuring adoption of best-in-class tools and techniques
• Portfolio management of paid media for a large brand
• Excellent written and verbal communication, diplomacy, and relationship-building skills

Responsibilities

• Maintain in-depth knowledge of current media industry news with a focus on upstream initiatives
• Deliver strategic media recommendations aligned with brand objectives
• Lead the team and day-to-day client interaction, and grow client relationships
• Elevate strategic thinking across the portfolio and set learning agenda elements
• Write and deliver strategies and POVs and oversee translation into audience recommendations/plans
• Collaborate with analytics/research and investment teams to apply learnings
• Lead business case development for client audiences
• Foster collaboration and timely project management to ensure timely execution
• Provide vision, direction, and management to ensure alignment with mission and goals
• Demonstrate deep technical understanding and problem solving when needed

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Client relations

Communication

Analytics

Education

Bachelor's degree in marketing/advertising/related field

Job description

Company Description

Starcom is the world's first standalone media agency, a storied innovator that continues to lead the way for many of the world's best brands.

Company Description

Starcom is the world's first standalone media agency, a storied innovator that continues to lead the way for many of the world's best brands.

Starcom has long been the professional birthplace and proving ground for marketing leaders – CEOs, CMOs, sales leaders, and technology pioneers – and we continue to drive the industry with peerless talent and relentless innovation.

From the start, we've known that achieving growth for our clients requires understanding and connecting with real people where they live and work, in ways they value.

In an AI era, we remain "Guided By Humanity," a phrase that describes our foundational belief that human expertise must remain in the driver's seat, supported by the best processes and technology.

With our proprietary capabilities and Publicis Media's industry-leading resources and clout, we create ideas that move people and drive transformative business outcomes for brands.

Overview

The Director oversees the strategy of all media campaigns across channels. This person is a leader who contributes to the brand strategy and builds solid relationships with clients and internal teams across all levels and functions. As the day-to-day point of contact for senior-level partners, the Director facilitates ongoing education for internal teams and clients, identifies new revenue growth opportunities, and provides team management and strategic insight.

Responsibilities

• Maintain an in-depth knowledge of current media industry news and brand business (current and historical perspectives) with a focus on upstream initiatives
• Ensure the team delivers sound strategic media recommendations based on a clear understanding of brand objectives
• Lead the team and day-to-day client interaction and build, maintain, and grow client relationships and client business
• Apply their experience to elevate strategic thinking across the portfolio and set appropriate learning agenda elements
• Write and deliver strategies and POV’s as well as oversee the translation of these strategies into the final audience recommendations/plans
• Work with analytics and research teams to identify/apply learnings and the investment and operations teams to ensure flawless implementation
• Analyze client’s audience strategies and work with internal groups to lead business case development
• Facilitate team building through collaboration, open communication, and focused project management to assure that assignments are executed in a timely manner
• Provide vision, direction, management and support to individuals within the team to ensure their work aligns with our mission and goals
• Demonstrate a deep technical understanding as well as problem solving and intervention when necessary

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred, preferably with a concentration in marketing, advertising, communications, business, sociology, or consumer insights
• 7+ years of media experience
• 5+ years of management experience
• Ability to strategically plan campaigns from audience determination, ability to best flight and execute campaigns to align with client's strategic goals and KPIs
• Strong understanding of analytics to inform and validate planning and strategy
• History of identifying media opportunities, presenting them to clients, and executing
• Experience monitoring and recommending improvements to the entire media planning process
• Ensuring people are adopting the best in class tools, techniques, systems to deliver effective media processes
• Portfolio management of paid media for a large brand
• Excellent communication (written and verbal along with visual storytelling), diplomacy, and relationship building and decision making skills with the ability to think creatively

Additional Information

Starcom is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our employment decisions are made without regard to actual or perceived race, color, ethnicity, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability, medical condition as defined by applicable state law, genetic information, marital status, military service and veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws and ordinances.

Benefits

The Power of One starts with our people! To do powerful things, we offer powerful resources. Our best-in-class wellness and benefits offerings include:

• Paid Family Care for parents and caregivers for 12 weeks or more
• Monetary assistance and support for Adoption, Surrogacy and Fertility
• Monetary assistance and support for pet adoption
• Employee Assistance Programs and Health/Wellness/Comfort reimbursements to help you invest in your future and work/life balance
• Tuition Assistance
• Paid time off that includes Flexible Time off Vacation, Annual Sick Days, Volunteer Days, Holiday and Identity days, and more
• Matching Gifts programs
• Flexible working arrangements
• 'Work Your World’ Program encouraging employees to work from anywhere Publicis Groupe has an office for up to 6 weeks a year (based upon eligibility)
• Business Resource Groups that support multiple affinities and alliances

The benefits offerings listed are available to U.S. based employees, are reviewed on an annual basis, and are governed by the terms of the applicable plan documents.

If you require accommodation or assistance with the application or onboarding process specifically, please contact [e-mail].

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Compensation Range: USD $129,485.00 - USD $186,060.00/Annually. This is the pay range the Company believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on the skills, qualifications, and experience of the applicant along with the requirements of the position, and the Company reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time. Temporary roles may be eligible to participate in our freelancer/temporary employee medical plan through a third-party benefits administration system once certain criteria have been met. For regular roles, the Company will offer medical coverage, dental, vision, disability, 401k, and paid time off. The Company anticipates the application deadline for this job posting will be 11/21/2026.