Director, Media Strategy (Remote)

Monks; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 118,000 - 139,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent medical, dental and vision保险

PTO & holidays

401k with company contribution

Parental leave

Work-life balance

Career growth in disruptor space

Diversity & inclusion culture

DEI commitments

Job summary

Monks, a digital-first media agency, seeks a Director, Media Strategy to lead senior-level strategy and planning across key accounts. You will drive go-to-market strategies, integrated full-funnel plans, and AI-enabled workflows to connect media choices with measurable outcomes.

You will mentor Associate Directors and Sr Managers, collaborating with cross-functional teams to ensure execution excellence and client impact.

Qualifications

• 9+ years in 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 analytical rigor
• Experience with syndicated planning and insight tools (e.g., Comscore, GWI, MRI-Simmons, Nielsen)
• Ability to craft compelling, data-driven narratives for senior client audiences
• Experience leading and mentoring teams in high-pressure, high-volume environments
• Not afraid to defect from the status quo to aid client and company success
• BA or equivalent with emphasis on marketing, advertising, or business

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of go-to-market strategies and integrated, full-funnel media plans informed by insights.
• 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.
• Analyze data, craft insights and present recommendations at executive-ready level.
• Maintain in-depth knowledge of the client's business, priorities, performance and opportunities.
• Represent the senior media strategy voice in client meetings and planning presentations.
• Partner with Activation, Investment and Data & Measurement teams to ensure strategy execution and performance.
• Build relationships with top platform partners to maximize media value.
• Lead and manage Associate Directors and Sr Managers, setting clear goals and feedback loops.
• Develop process improvements and planning frameworks to raise the department's strategic product.

Skills

Media strategy

Data storytelling

Digital media planning

AI-enabled tools

Client leadership

Mentoring teams

Challenging status quo

Education

BA or equivalent (marketing/advertising/business)

Tools

Comscore

GWI

MRI-Simmons

Nielsen

Job description

Please note that we will never request payment or bank account information at any stage of the recruitment process. As we continue to grow our teams, we urge you to be cautious of fraudulent job postings or recruitment activities that misuse our company name and information. Please protect your personal information during any recruitment process. While Monks may contact potential candidates via LinkedIn, all applications must be submitted through our official website (monks.com/careers).

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.

What We Offer

Benefits

• Excellent, full coverage medical, dental, and vision insurance - more about our coverage here!
• Generous PTO and 15 company-wide holidays
• 401k with company contribution
• Paid parental leave
• Work-life balance with an emphasis on personal well-being
• Career growth in a disruptor space & entrepreneurial opportunities within the Monks network
• A globally diverse & inclusive culture with employee resource groups such as S4 Melanin, Pride.Monks, Cultura.Monks, and more!
• Authentic commitment to DEI efforts and sustainable growth. (Why Sir Martin Sorrell signed The Climate Pledge here!)

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: $118,000 – $139,000 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.