Director, Media Strategy

Monks; Toronto (OH); Hybrid; USD 167,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Monks is seeking a Director, Media Strategy to lead senior-level media strategy on key accounts. You will craft go-to-market and full-funnel plans, shaping insights and data-driven narratives that drive measurable outcomes.

The role collaborates with Client Strategy, Activation, Investment and Data & Measurement teams to ensure strategic rigor. You will guide Associate Directors and Senior Managers, set frameworks, and keep up with AI-enabled workflows while maintaining awareness of client

Qualifications

• 9+ years of industry experience in media strategy, planning and digital media.
• BA or equivalent with emphasis on marketing, advertising, or business.
• Fluent with data and AI-enabled tools to produce insights and narratives.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of go-to-market strategies and integrated, full-funnel media plans.
• Set standards for strategic deliverables: annual planning, campaign strategy, audience frameworks, budgeting, measurement.
• Collaborate with Client Strategy Lead and cross-functional teams to ensure execution and performance excellence.
• Mentor and manage Associate Directors and Senior Managers; drive process improvements.

Skills

Media strategy

B2B experience

Data-driven storytelling

AI-enabled tools

Education

BA or equivalent (marketing/advertising/business)

Tools

Comscore

GWI

MRI-Simmons

Nielsen

Job description

About the Role

The Media Strategy department is the strategic heart of Monks' media offering: a unified team bringing together deep expertise in media strategy, media planning, and account management. We build integrated, full-funnel media strategies that connect brand storytelling to measurable business outcomes, powered by AI-enabled workflows and analytical rigor.

The Director, Media Strategy is the senior craft lead for media strategy and planning on one or more of Monks' most valuable accounts: accountable for the quality, rigor and ambition of the strategic product. This requires:

• Deep expertise in audience-led, insight-driven media strategy and planning
• Fearless ability to tell data-driven stories and extract key insights for senior-level clients
• Full-funnel command of the media landscape across Social, Search, Programmatic/Digital Investment, Holistic Video, OOH, and Direct Partnerships.
• An exceptional track record of connecting media strategy to measurable business outcomes
• Experience managing and stewarding career growth for mid-level direct reports (Associate Director and Sr Manager levels)

Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership

• Lead the development of go-to-market strategies and integrated, full-funnel media plans informed by rich consumer and industry insights, with a laser focus on connecting strategy to outcomes.
• Set the standard for strategic deliverables: annual planning, campaign strategy, audience frameworks, budget scenarios and measurement approaches.
• Apply AI-enabled tools across insight generation, plan development and reporting, and define where they accelerate the work versus where human strategy adds the most value.
• Analyze data, craft insights and make recommendations internally and externally at an executive-ready level.
• Maintain in-depth knowledge of the client's business, including strategic priorities, historical performance, competitive threats and opportunities.

Client & Cross-Functional Leadership

• Serve as the senior media strategy voice in client meetings, briefings and planning presentations, partnering closely with the Client Strategy Lead.
• Partner with Activation, Investment and Data & Measurement teams to ensure strategies carry through to executional and performance excellence.
• Build relationships with top platform partners to stay current on offerings and maximize media value for clients.

Team Leadership

• Lead and manage Associate Directors and Sr Managers, with oversight of planning output across the account team.
• Develop process improvements, planning frameworks and best practices that raise the department's strategic product.
• Set the team up for success through clear goals, training opportunities and regular constructive feedback.

About You

The essentials:

• 9+ years of industry experience focused on media strategy, planning and digital media.
• B2B experience required.
• Mastery of traditional, digital and social media planning, buying and measurement.
• Fluent in data and AI-enabled tools, with the analytical rigor to separate signal from noise.
• Experienced with syndicated planning and insight tools (e.g., Comscore, GWI, MRI-Simmons, Nielsen) to build audience-driven plans.
• Ability to craft compelling, data-driven narratives for senior client audiences.
• Experience leading and mentoring teams in a high-pressure, high-volume environment.
• Not afraid to defect from the status quo in order to make our clients and company more successful.
• BA or equivalent with emphasis on marketing, advertising, or business.

At Monks, we believe in fostering an environment where a diversity of perspectives can thrive. We proactively work to design hiring processes that promote equity and inclusion while mitigating bias. We celebrate diversity and are committed to building a team that reflects the communities we serve. We welcome and encourage qualified applicants, from all backgrounds, who are excited to contribute to our mission.

#LI-OG1

#LI-Remote

This role is subject to our Return to Office (RTO) policy. If you reside within a commutable distance of one of our office locations, you will be expected to work from the office a set number of days per week. The specific details, including the number of required office days, will be in accordance with the company’s then-current RTO policy, which is subject to change from time to time.

Monks has provided a compensation range that represents its good faith estimate of what Monks may pay for the position at the time of posting. Monks may ultimately pay more or less than the posted compensation range. The salary offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on job-related factors, but not based on a candidate’s sex or any other protected status.

Salary Range: $167,000—$190,000 USD

About Monks

Monks is the global, digital-first, data-driven, unitary operating brand of S4 Capital plc. With a legacy of innovation and specialized expertise, Monks combines an extraordinary range of global Marketing and Technology Services to redefine how brands interact with the world. Through Monks.Flow, its flagship AI ecosystem for marketing orchestration, Monks transforms marketing into a growth engine, collapsing timelines and connecting brands to culture in real time. By deploying bespoke intelligent agents across disciplines and delivering culturally relevant, high-impact creative and digital solutions, Monks solves key critical business challenges across the entire brand enterprise to help brands sustain long-term impact.

Monks was named a Contender in The Forrester Wave™: Global Marketing Services, ranks among Cannes Lions' Top 10 Creative Companies (2022-25) and remains the only partner featured in AdExchanger’s Programmatic Power Players list every year (2020-24). Named Adweek’s first AI Agency of the Year (2023) and The One Show’s inaugural AI Pioneer Organization, Monks was also awarded Business Intelligence Group’s 2025 Excellence in Artificial Intelligence Award in both the Organizational and AI Product categories. As a trusted partner to cutting-edge innovators in tech, Monks earned titles such as Optimizely Experimentation Partner of the Year (2025), runner-up for the Adobe Firefly Partner Award (2024), and Workato’s AI Visionary Customer Impact Award (2024). Additionally, Monks achieved a record-breaking number of FWAs and continues to hold the most of any partner.

We are an equal-opportunity employer committed to building a respectful and empowering work environment for all people to freely express themselves amongst colleagues who embrace diversity in all respects. Including fresh voices and unique points of view in all aspects of our business not only creates an environment where we can all grow and thrive but also increases our potential to produce work that better represents—and resonates with the world around us.