Senior Associate, Media Planning

Starcom; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 54,000 - 72,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Flexible work arrangements

Tuition Assistance

Matching Gifts

Work Your World program

Job summary

Starcom in Chicago seeks a Senior Associate, Planning to help develop and execute multi-channel media plans. You will collaborate with internal teams, vendors, and clients to meet client objectives and provide actionable insights.

You will work with Associates and Supervisors on plan development, cross-team communication, and in-market optimizations, leveraging research and POVs to drive performance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred, with concentration in marketing, advertising, communications, business, sociology, or consumer insights.
• 1-2+ years of media planning experience across media channels.
• Digital media planning experience preferred.
• Strong organizational, communication, time management, and problem-solving skills.
• Attention to detail with ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency in MS Office, especially Excel and PowerPoint.
• Experience with media systems/platforms (Kantar, MOAT, Prisma, ComScore).

Responsibilities

• Help drive day-to-day strategies to meet and exceed client business objectives.
• Provide research for and write media POVs.
• Present media plans and perform plan maintenance.
• Prepare flowcharts and budgets for media plans.
• Assist with optimizing, implementing, and analyzing marketing activities.
• Report on key metrics and deliver findings for optimization.
• Facilitate data sharing among internal teams and client groups.
• Support other projects or responsibilities as assigned.

Skills

Media planning

Digital media planning

Independent work

Organization

Communication

Time management

Problem solving

Excel

PowerPoint

Media analytics platforms

Education

Bachelor’s degree in marketing/advertising/communications

Tools

Kantar

MOAT

Prisma

ComScore

Job description

Company Description

Starcom is the world's first standalone media agency, a storied innovator that continues to lead the way for many of the world's best brands.

Company Description

Starcom is the world's first standalone media agency, a storied innovator that continues to lead the way for many of the world's best brands. Starcom has long been the professional birthplace and proving ground for marketing leaders – CEOs, CMOs, sales leaders, and technology pioneers – and we continue to drive the industry with peerless talent and relentless innovation. From the start, we've known that achieving growth for our clients requires understanding and connecting with real people where they live and work, in ways they value. In an AI era, we remain ""Guided By Humanity,"" a phrase that describes our foundational belief that human expertise must remain in the driver's seat, supported by the best processes and technology. With our proprietary capabilities and Publicis Media's industry-leading resources and clout, we create ideas that move people and drive transformative business outcomes for brands.

Overview

The Sr. Associate, Planning works cross-functionally with internal teams, vendors, and clients to develop and execute multi-channel media plans. They will help to develop innovative strategies to meet and exceed client business objectives and provide actionable insights and recommendations.

The Senior Associate will be working closely with Associates and Supervisors, who as a team will be responsible for managing plan development, cross-team communication, and in-market optimizations.

Responsibilities

• Help drive day-to-day strategies to meet and exceed client business objectives
• Provide research for and write media Point-Of-Views (POVs)
• Present media plans and provide plan maintenance including objectives/strategies and updates
• Prepare flowcharts and budgets for media plans
• Assist with optimizing, implementing, and analyzing marketing activities
• Report on key metrics for campaign effectiveness and develop key findings for optimization
• Facilitate the sharing of data and insights among relevant internal parties to inform future strategies
• Foster strong relationships with internal teams and client groups
• Assist with other projects or responsibilities as assigned

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred, preferably with a concentration in marketing, advertising, communications, business, sociology, or consumer insights
• 1-2+ years of experience in media planning experience across media channels
• Digital media planning experience preferred
• Ability to work independently as well as in a team setting
• Strong organizational, communication, time management, and problem-solving skills
• Detail-oriented with the ability to multi-task and manage priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Willingness and eagerness to learn, adopt new technologies and solutions, and take on new opportunities
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite with strong understanding of Excel and PowerPoint
• Experience working within media systems/platforms (Kantar, MOAT, Prisma, ComScore etc.

Additional Information

Starcom is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our employment decisions are made without regard to actual or perceived race, color, ethnicity, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability, medical condition as defined by applicable state law, genetic information, marital status, military service and veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws and ordinances.

Benefits

The Power of One starts with our people! To do powerful things, we offer powerful resources. Our best-in-class wellness and benefits offerings include:

• Paid Family Care for parents and caregivers for 12 weeks or more
• Monetary assistance and support for Adoption, Surrogacy and Fertility
• Monetary assistance and support for pet adoption
• Employee Assistance Programs and Health/Wellness/Comfort reimbursements to help you invest in your future and work/life balance
• Tuition Assistance
• Paid time off that includes Flexible Time off Vacation, Annual Sick Days, Volunteer Days, Holiday and Identity days, and more
• Matching Gifts programs
• Flexible working arrangements
• 'Work Your World’ Program encouraging employees to work from anywhere Publicis Groupe has an office for up to 6 weeks a year (based upon eligibility)
• Business Resource Groups that support multiple affinities and alliances

The benefits offerings listed are available to U.S. based employees, are reviewed on an annual basis, and are governed by the terms of the applicable plan documents.

If you require accommodation or assistance with the application or onboarding process specifically, please contact [e-mail].

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

Compensation Range: USD $53,960.00 - USD $71,610.00/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. 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 11/16/2026.