Manager, Media Planner

Ross Stores, Inc.; Dublin (CA); Hybrid; USD 113,000 - 173,000; Full time

Job summary

Ross Stores, Inc. in Dublin, CA is seeking a Media Manager to lead in-house media strategy across traditional, digital, and paid social channels, partnering with cross-functional teams to translate business goals into data-driven plans that drive brand awareness and store traffic.

You will manage end-to-end campaigns, optimize spend, and collaborate with agencies to ensure strategic recommendations, with a base salary range of $113,200–$172,600.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Advertising, Business, or related field required; advanced degree a plus.
• 4–6 years of experience in brand or agency media planning.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and data analysis for modeling and scenario planning.
• Experience analyzing campaign performance and translating data into insights.
• Familiarity with media measurement tools (platform analytics, MMM, brand lift studies).
• Strong strategic thinking and ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead internal media planning across traditional, digital, and paid social channels.
• Coordinate with brand, creative, and social teams to align content with objectives.
• Manage end-to-end campaign execution, timelines, approvals, and asset readiness.
• Monitor performance and optimize to improve effectiveness and delivery against plans.
• Partner with agencies and internal teams to ensure strategic recommendations, not just execution.

Skills

Advanced Excel

Data analysis

Strategic thinking

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Advertising, Business, or related field

Tools

Platform analytics

MMM

Brand lift studies

Job description

Our values start with our people, join a team that values you!

Bring your talents to Ross, our leading off-price retail chain with over 2,200 stores, and a strong track record of success and growth. Our focus has always been bringing our customers a constant stream of high-quality brands and on-trend merchandise at extraordinary savings. All while providing a fun and exciting treasure hunt experience.

As Part Of Our Team, You Will Experience

• Success. Our winning team pursues excellence while learning and evolving
• Career growth. We develop industry leading talent because Ross grows when our people grow
• Teamwork. We work together to solve the hard problems and find the right solution
• Our commitment to Diversity, Equality & Inclusion, and our community. We celebrate the backgrounds, identities, and ideas of those who work and shop with us because our differences make us stronger. We strive to be a positive force in our community.

Our Corporate headquarters are in Dublin, CA, we have 3 buying offices in key markets in New York City, Los Angeles, and Boston, and 8 distribution centers nationwide. With 2025 revenues of $22.8 billion, we are a Fortune 500 company who is committed to providing an inclusive work environment with continuous learning opportunities and development for our teams.

General Purpose

The Media Manager is responsible for developing and executing integrated media strategies that drive brand awareness, shape brand perception, and increase store traffic for Ross. This role partners closely with internal cross-functional teams and external agency partners to translate business objectives into effective, data-driven media plans across traditional and digital channels. The Manager leverages insights from campaign performance, consumer behavior, and market trends to inform strategic decisions and optimize media investments. This role plays a key part in ensuring campaigns are executed efficiently and effectively, balancing analytical rigor with creative thinking to deliver strong business outcomes.

The base salary range for this role is $113,200 - $172,600. The base salary range is dependent on factors including, but not limited to, experience, skills, qualifications, relevant education, certifications, seniority, and location. The range listed is just one component of the total compensation package for employees. Other rewards vary by position and location.

Essential Functions

In-House Media Leadership

• Build internal media planning capability by serving as a strategic in-house media lead across traditional, digital, and paid social channels.
• Bring hands-on brand-side or retailer-side media experience to improve internal ownership, agency oversight, and cross-functional planning.
• Translate business priorities into clear media briefs, audience strategies, testing plans, and performance expectations.
• Develop channel mix, audience targeting, geographic, and campaign flighting strategies.

Paid Social, Audience & Content Strategy

• Partner with brand, creative, and social teams to align content, messaging, and formats to priority audiences and campaign objectives.
• Support paid social strategy, including audience targeting, content testing, platform learnings, and performance optimization.
• Identify opportunities to improve content-to-audience fit across channels, markets, and campaign types.

Campaign Execution & Optimization

• Oversee end-to-end campaign execution, including timelines, approvals, and asset readiness
• Monitor in-flight performance and implement optimizations to improve effectivenessEnsure delivery against media plans, including managing under-delivery and campaign adjustments
• Manage and optimize large-scale media budgets with strong financial stewardship

Agency & Internal Operating Model

• Serve as primary day-to-day partner to media agencies
• Strengthen the internal media operating model by improving briefing, planning, feedback, optimization, and reporting processes.
• Ensure agencies are delivering strategic recommendations, not just executional plans.
• Proactively identify capability gaps, process improvements, and opportunities to increase media effectiveness.
• Lead regular status meetings and ensure alignment on priorities and performance expectations

Testing, Measurement & Learning Agenda

• In partnership with analytics team; Develop and manage a test-and-learn roadmap across audiences, creative, channels, markets, and media tactics.
• Use campaign results, MMM, brand lift, platform reporting, and other measurement inputs to recommend optimizations and future investment shifts.
• Partner with analytics and agency teams to define hypotheses, success metrics, readouts, and implications for future planning.

Market & Industry Expertise

• Stay current on media trends, consumer behavior, and competitive activity
• Evaluate emerging platforms, technologies, and opportunities to enhance media effectiveness
• Provide thought leadership on implications for Ross media strategy

Competencies

People

• Building Effective Teams (for managers of People and Projects)
• Developing Talent (for managers of people only, N/A for this role/level)
• Collaboration

Self

• Leading by Example
• Communicates Effectively
• Ensures Accountability and Execution
• Manages Conflict

Business

• Business Acumen
• Plans, Aligns and Prioritizes
• Organizational Agility

With Particular Emphasis On The Following Specific Position-related Competencies

• Strategic Thinking
• Analysis and Judgment
• Decision Quality
• Drive for Results

Qualifications And Special Skills Required

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Advertising, Business, or related field; advanced degree a plus
• 4-6 years of experience in brand of agency media planning
• Advanced proficiency in Excel, including data analysis, modeling, and scenario planning (e.g., pivot tables, lookups, large datasets)
• Experience analyzing campaign performance and translating data into insights and recommendations
• Familiarity with media measurement tools (e.g., platform analytics, MMM, brand lift studies)
• Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment
• Effective collaboration and communication skills across cross-functional teams and external partners
• Detail-oriented with strong organizational and execution skills
• Demonstrated ability to balance data-driven decision-making with creative thinking

Physical Requirements/Ada

Job requires ability to work in an office environment, primarily on a computer.

Requires sitting, standing, walking, hearing, talking on the telephone, attending in-person meetings, typing, and working with paper/files, etc.

Consistent timeliness and regular attendance.

Vision requirements: Ability to see information in print and/or electronically.

Travel to agencies and corporate offices required.

This role requires regular in-office presence, including to engage in in-person team interaction, meetings and collaboration, client support, mentoring, coaching, and/or feedback. However, this role can perform duties effectively using a combination of in-office and remote work.

Supervisory Responsibilities

None

DISCLAIMER

This job description is a summary of the primary duties and responsibilities of the job and position. It is not intended to be a comprehensive or all-inclusive listing of duties and responsibilities. Contents are subject to change at management's discretion.

Ross is an equal employment opportunity employer. We consider individuals for employment or promotion according to their skills, abilities and experience. We believe that it is an essential part of the Company's overall commitment to attract, hire and develop a strong, talented and diverse workforce. Ross is committed to complying with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religious creed, age, national origin, ancestry, physical, mental or developmental disability, sex (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding), veteran status, military status, marital or registered domestic partnership status, medical condition (including cancer or genetic characteristics), genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, as well as any other category protected by federal, state or local laws.