Sr. Context Planner

UMT - Internal; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 93,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Translation, part of UnitedMasters, in New York, is seeking a Senior Context Planner to lead integrated communications and go-to-market planning.

You will translate complex thinking into decks and actionable plans, pairing planning craft with cultural fluency across sports, music, entertainment, and pop culture.

This is a hybrid role (three days in office, two remote) with cross‑disciplinary collaboration and opportunities to mentor junior planners.

Qualifications

• Excellent time management and ability to work under tight deadlines.
• Able to form and defend a clear POV using research and insights.
• Strong communication and visual storytelling skills.
• Familiarity with sports, music, entertainment and pop culture.

Responsibilities

• Translate cultural insights into campaign architecture and messaging.
• Define timing, channels, and partners for campaigns.
• Develop compelling decks and narratives for internal and client audiences.
• Collaborate across strategy, creative, and production teams.
• Mentor junior Context Planners and contribute to thought leadership.

Skills

POV development

Cultural insights

Communication planning

Deck design & storytelling

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Marketing/Advertising/Business

Tools

Google Suite

Keynote

Job description

We are a well-established independent agency and thriving music business, built to help ambitious brands harness the power of culture to solve their biggest challenges. As a unique mix of experts in culture, technology, and storytelling, we are united by a passion to grow brands in ways that advertising alone can never do.

We are an entrepreneurial business – not a traditional “ad agency.” That means we value resourcefulness and tenacity just as much as we value creativity and intelligence. In 2022, Translation was awarded the number three spot in Ad Age’s Agency A-List and AdWeek’s Multicultural Agency of the Year. One year before, Translation was awarded Ad Age’s Small Agency of the Year. We’re unapologetically ambitious, but we’re also a tight-knit crew.

We are looking for a Senior Context Planner to join Translation! Please note that this role is a Hybrid role: three days in office and two days remote.

Summary

The Senior Context Planner leads integrated communications and go-to-market planning that turns brand strategy and creative ideas into audience participation. As a strategic partner to clients and colleagues across disciplines, you define where, when, with whom and why a brand should show up, giving every channel a clear role. You move quickly and independently, form and defend a clear point of view, and translate complex thinking into compelling stories, thoughtfully designed decks and actionable plans.

You pair that planning craft with cultural fluency across sports, music, entertainment and the worlds they intersect with, from creators and fandom to fashion, gaming and internet behavior. With strong social instincts and a sharp creative eye, you understand how ideas come to life in-feed, spot emerging behaviors and formats, and turn those insights into meaningful opportunities for brands.

What You'll Do

Comms Planning

• Translate cultural insights and creative platforms into campaign architecture, defining the role of messaging, channels, moments and partners.
• Build phasing and sequencing that shows how the idea unfolds over time.
• Communicate the approach clearly and visually, making complex ecosystems simple and actionable

Cultural Insights

• Identify meaningful cultural shifts, behaviors and communities relevant to the audience and brand.
• Frame those signals into clear implications and opportunities for strategy and creative.
• Use research and cultural inputs to sharpen the comms approach, not just report what’s happening, and contribute insights to company thought leadership (e.g. newsletters, social, etc.) beyond client work.
• Maintain a clear narrative throughline as the idea extends across the campaign ecosystem.
• Shape how the idea is expressed across different touchpoints while preserving what makes it distinctive.
• Identify opportunities for participation and amplification that help the idea travel further.
• Synthesize best practices across the talent x brand landscape into clear POVs
• Develop talent filters and casting recommendations for creators, artists and partners who credibly bring the idea to life.
• Build trust through clear and persuasive presentations
• Collaborate across departments including strategy, creative, business leadership and production, including risk assessments, case studies and awards.
• Mentor associate and mid level Context Planners, delegating clearly and providing feedback that strengthens their craft.
• Actively connect with the UnitedMasters team for an understanding of upcoming milestones and priority artists for casting consideration in Translation brand campaigns.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Comfortable working quickly and independently, owning deliverables with light oversight and adapting as priorities shift.
• Able to form and defend a clear POV, using cultural insights and research to make actionable recommendations.
• Strong comms planning instincts, connecting audience behavior, brand opportunity and campaign choreography.
• Sharp information design and visual taste: build strong decks, shape a clear story and make complex ideas simple and actionable.
• Cultural fluency across sports, music, entertainment and pop culture, including their intersections with creators, fandom, fashion, gaming and internet behavior.
• A social-first thinker with a strong creative eye for how ideas work in-feed and an instinct for emerging behaviors and formats.
• Strong collaborator across disciplines, receptive to feedback and confident presenting to internal teams and clients.
• Resourceful in research, curious about new platforms and media opportunities, and committed to refining the work.

Minimum Qualifications

• Possess excellent time management, organization and prioritization skills.
• Have the proven ability to work under tight deadlines and handle pressure, while consistently paying attention to accuracy and quality of work.
• Exercise the ability to quickly and effectively adapt to changing needs and expectations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Minimum 4-7 years experience in a strategic position in an agency or brand environment
• 4-year college degree in Marketing, Advertising or Business preferred.
• Digitally savvy; MUST be proficient in Google Suite and Keynote (Mac preferred).

About UnitedMasters Inc.

UnitedMasters Inc. represents the creative solutions company, Translation, and the leading software and services platform for independent creators, UnitedMasters. UnitedMasters enables ownership, exposure, and new paths for financial return for independent creators, while Translation helps brands leverage the power of contemporary culture to achieve transformational growth. Combined, UnitedMasters, Inc. is the world’s leading marketplace for cultural capital, connecting independent artists and brands to realize a future in which all creators own their future. Backed by Alphabet, Andreessen Horowitz, and Apple, UnitedMasters, Inc. is reimagining how brands and artists come together to tell their stories, build profitable growth, and push culture forward.

Salary Hiring Range: $93,000 - $110,000

Our salary ranges are based on paying competitively for our size and industry, and are one part of many compensation, benefits and other reward opportunities we provide (e.g. bonus, stock options, 401(k) match, etc.)

Individual pay rate decisions are based on a number of factors, including qualifications for the role, experience level, skillset, and balancing internal equity relative to peers at the company. We expect the majority of the candidates who are offered roles at our company to fall healthily throughout the range based on these factors.

The range above is for the expectations as laid out in the job description, however we are often open to a wide variety of profiles, and recognize that the person we hire may be less experienced (or more senior) than this job description as posted. If that ends up being the case, the updated salary range will be communicated with you as a candidate.

The salary range above is for the NY/CA. As a company, we have a location based strategy, which means the salary range could be lower or higher than this if the role is hired in another location.