Manager, Planning

Publicis Groupe Holdings B.V; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 73,910 - 101,200; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical coverage

Dental and vision benefits

401K plan

Flexible time off

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

A global media agency is seeking a Manager, Strategy to lead communications planning and oversee project management. You will work directly with clients, guiding media strategies to meet their objectives and develop Associates' skills. With 3+ years of experience in digital media planning and excellent communication skills, you will play a crucial role in integrating plans across various media channels. The position offers a competitive salary and a commitment to diversity and professional development.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years of digital media planning experience.
• Demonstrate capability in training and leadership.
• Ability to prioritize and organize projects for self and others.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end communications planning.
• Oversee and manage Associates and daily operations.
• Act as primary contact for client stewardship requests.
• Research and identify insights to improve media strategies.
• Prepare and present communication plans.

Skills

Digital media planning

Excellent communication skills

Project organization

Media fundamentals understanding

Leadership capability

Job description

Company description

Spark Foundry is a global media agency that exists to bring HEAT – Higher Engagement, Affinity, and Transactions – to brands. By combining flawless media fundamentals with aggressive innovation, Spark inspires consumers to pay more attention, to care more about our clients’ brands, and to buy more products and services from them.

Balancing the nimble spirit of a startup with the powerhouse soul of Publicis Media, Spark Foundry delivers the best of both worlds to a client roster that spans some of the world’s best and most beloved brands and companies. We combine boutique-caliber insights and service with the buying clout and first-look access of a global leader, bringing the heat to challenger brands that want to act like giants, and to giant brands that want to act like challengers.

With a bottom-up culture that celebrates diversity and aims for all voices to be heard, Spark has become a magnet for the industry’s best talent, with one of the best retention rates in the industry. And by applying a whole-person approach to professional and personal development, Spark develops a workforce that is well prepared for today’s challenges, and also poised to create meaningful careers in the years to come.

Because we know that heat arises the intersection of complementary forces, our professionals come from myriad disciplines and backgrounds: data, analytics, and insights, content and creative production, communications and strategy, finance and marketing, and sociology, psychology, and other liberal arts disciplines.

Overview

The Manager, Strategy (Planning) is the primary, day-to-day lead for end-to-end communications planning. They are responsible for translating marketing/digital media objectives into communication plan development action steps and managing the Associate(s) through various projects. The Manager is the primary point of contact for clients on stewardship requests and is responsible for having a firm grasp of both strategic and functional media knowledge. They should be ready/able to step in and handle situations when the Associate Director is not available.

This role offers frequent client contact, ownership of the integrated plan, and the opportunity to lead project management and cross-media integration.

Responsibilities

• Assists Associate Director with all aspects of digital media plan development/recommendations
• Interprets communications/digital media strategy and translates into communication planning action steps
• Oversees/manages Associate(s) and day-to-day operation of all media activity
• Demonstrate initiative by researching and identifying valuable information/insights to improve media product
• Fully embraces Connections that Captivate and uses as guiding principles for all media/communication recommendations
• Determines and supervises the best possible implementation of all approved communication plans and projects
• Acts as primary point of contact for client stewardship requests
• Learns and understands all phases of the clients’ marketing objectives and provides media recommendations to deliver against these objectives
• Understands all proprietary research tools/processes and applies learning during communication planning
• Prepares and presents communication plans, as needed, including objectives, strategy, rationale, and all backup materials
• Establishes strong working relationship with partner agencies (where/when applicable), delivering a seamless communications process
• Demonstrates agility via multitasking multiple brands, strategic development and plan stewardship, management of Associate(s)
• Develops collaborative working relationship with all implementation teams, ensuring they fully understand brand communication objectives/strategies
• Trains and develops Associate(s), including:
  • Effective level of delegation
  • Managing group dynamics/relationships between Associate(s)
  • Establishes and demonstrates strong leadership skills
  • Evaluates performance of Associate(s) via PMP process, including assisting in the establishment of the cascading goals
  • Checks work of Associate(s) to ensure accuracy
  • Identifies opportunities for Associate(s) career development
• Participates in MDS Training offerings

Qualifications

• A minimum of 3 years of digital media planning experience
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to prioritize and organize projects for self and Associate(s)
• Excellent understanding of media fundamentals
• Demonstrates ability in training and leadership capability
• Provides an energy level that brings new and exciting ideas to the planning function

Additional information

Our Publicis Groupe motto “Viva La Différence” means we’re better together, and we believe that our differences make us stronger. It means we honor and celebrate all identities, across all facets of intersectionality, and it underpins all that we do as an organization. We are focused on fostering belonging and creating equitable & inclusive experiences for all talent.

Publicis Groupe provides robust and inclusive benefit programs and policies to support the evolving and diverse needs of our talent and enable every person to grow and thrive. Our benefits package includes medical coverage, dental, vision, disability, 401K, as well as parental and family care leave, family forming assistance, tuition reimbursement, and flexible time off. If you require accommodation or assistance with the application or onboarding process specifically, please contact [e-mail].

Compensation Range: $73,910- $101,200 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. Temporary roles may also qualify for participation in our 401(k) plan after eligibility 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 02/02/2026.

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

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