Manager, Media Planning

Initiative; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Initiative seeks a dynamic Manager, Communications Design to lead a high-performing team in crafting data-rich analyses that inform decisions across multiple Lines of Business. You will manage workstreams with senior leaders and coordinate with stakeholders to deliver innovative media strategies.

This role requires experience in media planning, analytics, and storytelling, with strong communication and presentation skills.

Qualifications

• Experience in Media Planning, Audience Insights, Analytics, Strategy or Communications disciplines.
• Ability to delegate, develop and oversee direct reports.
• Excellent written, verbal communication and presentation skills.
• Strong working knowledge of MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Effortlessly detail-oriented.
• Proactively takes action with limited guidance when deadlines are tight.
• Initiative does not require candidates to have a college degree.

Responsibilities

• Lead a dedicated media team in multi-channel strategies, execution and optimization.
• Use data and analytics to drive strategic media planning and decisions.
• Collaborate across strategy, planning, partnerships, and leadership to build data-rich artifacts.
• Oversee centralized Budget Management with timely, accurate delivery.
• Deliver clear performance reports and competitive analyses with a narrative.
• Stay up to date with industry trends and best practices.
• Foster a collaborative, high-performance team culture.

Skills

Media Planning

Audience Insights

Analytics

Strategy

Communications

Education

College degree not required

Tools

MS Office

Job description

We believe in the power of media to reshape our industry and orchestrate a brand’s entire consumer experience, by balancing both what unites people and what makes them different. When brands unite people in culture, they build Fame, and when brands connect individuals to their unique journeys, they build customer Flow. Initiative builds Fame & Flow for brands like Amazon, Merck, and T‑Mobile. Media responsibility is at the forefront of everything we do, whether it’s creating media plans that reflect the diversity of our communities, promote brand safety, and foster sustainability.

Our agency celebrates diversity in an inclusive environment where all of our 6,000+ strong talent across 90+ markets feel seen, heard, and valued. Our vision is to create not only a better media company, but also a better media industry, and maybe even a better world.

We make a promise to our people that we double down on seeing, celebrating & elevating all the things that make you, uniquely you. And just as we do for our brands and clients, we connect our people to the journeys that matter in building a meaningful career.

There are four I’s in Initiative, and these represent our core values and behaviors:

• INDIVID[YOU]ALITY – you bring your genuine and unique self to and into the work, every day.
• INSTINCT – you’re tuned in and armed with intelligence; you have a bias for action – shit happens when you’re around.
• IMPACT! – you care deeply about the impact you have on our clients, their customers, our community, the media landscape and our world at large.
• IMAGINATION – your ability to imagine and bring to life the ideas, solutions, and the future of Initiative, makes us THE create media agency in the world.

Position Summary

We are seeking a dynamic Manager, Communications Design to lead a high-performing team. As the Manager, Comms Design you will play a pivotal role in crafting context-rich analysis to inform decisions that drive impact across multiple Lines of Business.

You will be responsible for leading workstreams (with the support of your Director and Group Director) that deliver innovative media strategies while ensuring seamless coordination across multiple stakeholders and crafting compelling stories that resonate with executive-level audiences.

This is an excellent opportunity for a media expert who thrives in a fast-paced, collaborative and high exposure environment. If you want to push the standard conventions of media planning, you have come to the right place. We work to shape the future state.

Responsibilities

• Lead a dedicated media team in the development, execution, and optimization of multi-channel media strategies.
• Use data and analytics to drive strategic media planning and decision-making, ensuring connectivity across business goals, media choices and measurable KPIs.
• Collaborate across craft teams (strategy, planning, partnerships, business leadership) and external partners (media vendors, agencies, etc.) to build insightful, data-rich artifacts/presentations that inform big and small business decisions.
• Oversees centralized Budget Management efforts ensuring timely, accurate and consistent delivery on a recurring cadence.
• Deliver clear and concise performance reports and competitive analysis that connect context with results in a compelling narrative.
• Stay up to date with industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices to ensure campaigns remain innovative and effective.
• Foster a collaborative, high-performance team culture focused on delivering excellence, growth, and development for team members.

Required Skills & Experience

• Experience in Media Planning, Audience Insights, Analytics, Strategy or Communications disciplines
• Media planning skills must be sufficient and able to be taught to junior team members
• Ability to delegate, develop and oversee direct reports
• Excellent written, verbal communication and presentation skills
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)
• Effortlessly detail-oriented
• Proactively takes action to support the team with limited guidance when deadlines do not allow for tasks to be specifically broken down
• Initiative does not require candidates to have a college degree

Desired Skills & Experience

• 4+ years relevant experience with 1+ years of experience in managing or developing staff
• Category or audience experience as relevant per assignment
• Strong time-management and organizational skills
• Proven problem-solving ability
• Comfortability organizing data and developing compelling graphs
• Patience and diligence deriving insights from data and craft both simple and complex narratives to fulfill a purpose or decision