Media Planner and Buyer

Cloud Theory; United States; Hybrid; USD 53,000 - 63,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental and vision plans

Mental health support

Flexible spending accounts

Fertility assistance

401(k) plan

Paid time off

Parental and caregiver leave

Employee assistance program

Job summary

Cloud Theory, a remote-based employer, seeks a motivated Media Planner & Buyer to help craft multi-channel plans for client campaigns. You’ll translate briefs into actionable channel strategies and collaborate with Account Managers to justify decisions.

You’ll gain hands-on experience in budgeting, forecasting, pacing, and campaign optimization, with feedback from senior planners, while developing a strong foundation in digital media planning.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, or related field, or equivalent experience preferred.
• Minimum two years in media planning, media buying, ad operations, or digital marketing; internship or agency coordinator experience counts.
• Comfort with budgets and spreadsheets, and a willingness to get confident with planning math: allocation, forecasting, pacing, and reconciliation.
• Exposure to digital media platforms such as search, social, or DSPs (DV360, The Trade Desk); hands-on experience is a plus, and we’ll teach the rest.

Responsibilities

• Build media plans for client campaigns, translating the brief into a channel strategy and budget framework, with guidance from senior planners.
• Support audience strategy by researching targeting approaches, data sources, and segmentation options based on client goals and budget.
• Recommend media mix across paid channels, learning to balance reach, frequency, cost efficiency, and client objectives.
• Create media plans, flowcharts, budgets, and decks that connect audience to channel to budget to KPI in a clear narrative.
• Handle planning math with growing independence, including budget allocation, forecasting, pacing, and reconciliation.
• Conduct research that informs planning decisions, including competitive landscape, audience data, platform capabilities, and market context, and turn it into clear recommendations.
• Partner with Account Managers in client conversations, presenting parts of the plan and building toward explaining the "why" behind channel decisions on your own.
• Support campaign execution and optimization, including insertion orders, trafficking, and reporting, so you see how your plans perform in market.
• Contribute to RFP responses as opportunities come up
• Stay sharp on the media landscape, including new platforms, shifting audience behavior, and pricing trends, and bring what you learn into planning decisions
• Take on more campaigns and greater ownership as your skills grow

Skills

Media planning

Budgeting

Digital marketing

Attention to detail

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in marketing or related field

Equivalent experience

Tools

Bionic

Strata

ComScore

DV360

The Trade Desk

Job description

Strengthening and empowering all of the communities we serve.

Media Planner & Buyer

Remote- based position

As a Media Planner & Buyer with MV Digital Group, you’ll build and run the media plans that bring client campaigns to life, planning across channels and learning the buying and execution side of digital media along the way. You’ll work alongside Account Managers and senior planners, take on more ownership as your skills grow, and learn how to explain why a media plan is built the way it is.

This role is designed for someone early in their media career who wants to increase their skill. You’ll get close partnership, direct feedback, and a manager who’s invested in your craft. We’re looking for someone curious, thoughtful, and eager to learn, with good judgment and a love of figuring things out. You don’t need to have it all mastered; we’ll help you build the skills along the way.

Compensation for this position is comprised of a base salary plus incentive compensation. The base salary range is $48,000 to $58,000 per year. Additional incentives bring total potential compensation to $53,000 to $63,000.

What you'll be doing:

• Build media plans for client campaigns, translating the brief into a channel strategy and budget framework, with guidance from senior planners
• Support audience strategy by researching targeting approaches, data sources, and segmentation options based on client goals and budget
• Recommend media mix across paid channels, learning to balance reach, frequency, cost efficiency, and client objectives
• Create media plans, flowcharts, budgets, and decks that connect audience to channel to budget to KPI in a clear narrative
• Handle planning math with growing independence, including budget allocation, forecasting, pacing, and reconciliation
• Conduct research that informs planning decisions, including competitive landscape, audience data, platform capabilities, and market context, and turn it into clear recommendations
• Partner with Account Managers in client conversations, presenting parts of the plan and building toward explaining the \"why\" behind channel decisions on your own
• Support campaign execution and optimization, including insertion orders, trafficking, and reporting, so you see how your plans perform in market
• Contribute to RFP responses as opportunities come up
• Stay sharp on the media landscape, including new platforms, shifting audience behavior, and pricing trends, and bring what you learn into planning decisions
• Take on more campaigns and greater ownership as your skills grow

The experience you’ll bring:

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, or a related field, or equivalent experience preferred
• Minimum two years in media planning, media buying, ad operations, or digital marketing; internship or agency coordinator experience counts
• Comfort with budgets and spreadsheets, and a willingness to get confident with planning math: allocation, forecasting, pacing, and reconciliation
• Exposure to digital media platforms such as search, social, or DSPs (DV360, The Trade Desk); hands-on experience is a plus, and we’ll teach the rest
• Familiarity with media planning tools (Bionic, Strata, ComScore) or audience data providers (LiveRamp, GWI) is a plus, not a requirement
• Experience building or contributing to a plan, deck, or recommendation, and the curiosity to explain the thinking behind it
• Strong organizational and analytical instincts, and the ability to juggle multiple campaigns on tight timelines without losing the details
• Clear written and verbal communication, and the ability to make complex ideas simple to explain and digest
• Good judgment under ambiguity, and the habit of asking good questions
• Experience in political, advocacy, higher ed, or utilities verticals is a plus

Additional Information

Advance Local Media offers competitive pay and a comprehensive benefits package with affordable options for your healthcare including medical, dental and vision plans, mental health support options, flexible spending accounts, fertility assistance, a competitive 401(k) plan to help plan for your future, generous paid time off, paid parental and caregiver leave and an employee assistance program to support your work/life balance, optional legal assistance, life insurance options, as well as flexible holidays to honor cultural diversity.

Advance Local Media is one of the largest media groups in the United States, which operates the leading news and information companies in more than 20 cities, reaching 52+ million people monthly with our quality, real-time journalism and community engagement. Our company is built upon the values of Integrity, Customer-first, Inclusiveness, Collaboration and Forward-looking. For more information about Advance Local, please visit www.advancelocal.com .

Advance Local Media includes MLive Media Group, Advance Ohio, Alabama Media Group, NJ Advance Media, Advance Media NY, MassLive Media, Oregonian Media Group, Staten Island Media Group, PA Media Group, ZeroSum, Headline Group, Adpearance, Advance Aviation, Advance Healthcare, Advance Education, Advance Originals, Advance Recruitment, Advance Travel & Tourism, BookingsCloud, Catalyst IQ, Cloud Theory, Fox Dealer, Hoot Interactive, Search Optics, Subtext.

Advance Local Media is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, encouraging applications from people of all backgrounds. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, or any other category protected under federal, state or local law.

If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process, please contact Human Resources and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.

Advance Local Media does not provide sponsorship for work visas or employment authorization in the United States. Only candidates who are legally authorized to work in the U.S. will be considered for this position.

Advance Local Media LLC is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics. The Know Your Rights poster is available here.

The pay transparency policy is available here.

Advance Local Media LLC is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities.

If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process, please contact Human Resources, and let us know the nature of your request and contact information.