Supervisor, Media Planning

Barkley; Illinois; Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

BarkleyOKRP in Illinois is seeking a full-time, hybrid Supervisor, Planning who will own key client relationships and craft strategic and tactical media recommendations. You will collaborate across MissionOne Media and BarkleyOKRP client-experience teams and partner closely with clients to drive outcomes.

This role balances leadership of a team with hands-on analysis, budget stewardship, and clear storytelling to translate data into actionable media plans.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in a related field.
• 3-4 years of media planning experience required.
• Strong knowledge of traditional media channels with digital preferred.

Responsibilities

• Ownership of key client list, leading client communication on day-to-day media and managing projects internally.
• Develops strategic and tactical media recommendations for clients, recommending channels and tactics that will deliver upon client’s objectives.
• Manages a team of individuals, balancing delegation with support for projects and plans.
• Supports through training for junior partners on media planning approach, process, and tools.
• Builds and maintains strong relationships with internal teams to support media plans.
• Leads development of strategic analyses on audience, geography, and media vendor information to deliver best-fit plans.
• Ensures flawless management of client media budgets and activation processes.
• Presents at key client presentations and meetings.

Skills

Media planning

Client relationships

Strategic thinking

Communication skills

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent in a related field

Tools

Vivvix

Pathmatics

MRI-Simmons

SRDS

SQAD

Nielsen NMI/IMS

Guideline PlanningMediaTools

Job description

This is a full-time, hybrid position for a Supervisor, Planning at BarkleyOKRP. In this role, you begin to own key client relationships as you craft strategic and tactical media recommendations. You will work closely with others across MissionOne Media and BarkleyOKRP client experience teams, and you will partner closely with clients.

Qualities

Here’s what it takes to be successful in the role:

• Curiosity and Skepticism: You are always asking, “WHY?” You have an internal drive to learn more and expand your knowledge. You consider situations from multiple perspectives.

• Strategic, Creative Problem-Solving: You are analytical and enjoy working with data to derive insights. You use insights and knowledge to develop robust strategies. You love coming up with creative solutions to new and old problems alike.

• Initiative & Accountability: You are a gritty self-starter driven to find answers, solve tough problems, and overcome challenges. You proactively bring solutions to challenges. You are thorough in your detailed review of client-facing work, including your own.

• Communication & Storytelling: You can easily communicate complex information or nuanced situations. You know what details are necessary and what details to leave behind. You can marry data and storytelling to articulate a clear point of view. You confidently deliver your recommendations and can easily navigate Q&A due to the well thought-out rationale you’ve developed.,

• Adaptability: You can comfortably adjust in evolving or ambiguous situations. You use creativity to tackle new and existing challenges. You’re ready and excited for changes in the media landscape.

• Self-Development: You’re reflective and self-aware. You seek opportunities to learn and develop yourself and others.

Responsibilities:

• Ownership of key client list, leading client communication on day-to-day media and managing projects internally.

• Develops strategic and tactical media recommendations for clients, recommending channels and tactics that will deliver upon client’s objectives

• Manages a team of individuals, and will balance the need for delegation with support for the projects and plans they’ve been assigned

• Supports through training for junior partners on media planning approach, process, and tools

• Build and maintain strong working relationships with internal teams, including client experience, activation, data & analytics, CRM, strategy, and finance

• Build strategic media audiences through 3rd party syndicated audience tools (MRI-Simmons, Resonate, YouGov Profiles) to develop audience recommendations and understand audience media consumption and behaviors.

• Use competitive intelligence tools to identify category white space and drive the direction of a media strategy.

• Ensure flawless management of a client media budget, including the development of media flowcharts, sending flowchart updates, working with clients to secure budget approvals, and authorizing Activation teams to purchase.

• Support in client billing, including partnership with the Finance team to review draft invoices against anticipated spend, ensuring invoices line up with planned investment

• Crafting internal and external POVs based on trending topics impacting the media landscape, category or market trends, clearly articulating the impact to media recommendations.

• Participating in weekly status calls to keep clients updated on active media projects, and relaying important updates back to internal teams.

• Providing a strategic POV on media reporting by analyzing media performance to uncover trends and implications for plan optimizations, and impacts to future media strategies and recommendations.

• Read industry trades and engage with the Media Team to stay current on all media trends, and how those trends present opportunities for clients.

• Has thorough knowledge of key media planning tools, such as Vivvix, PathmaticsKantar, MRI-Simmons, SRDS, SQAD, Nielsen NMI/IMS, Guideline PlanningMediaTools, and others.

• Leads the development of strategic analyses on audience, geography/market approach, media vendor information necessary to develop the media plan recommendation that best delivers upon the client’s goals and objectives.

• Able to identify the need for and prepare non-media projects and recommendations, including but not limited to competitive audits, target audience profiles, geographic analyses, etc.

• Maintains a positive rapport with media vendor partners, keeping up to date with the latest trends in the marketplace.

• Works closely with the Media Buying team to ensure flawless implementation of all approved media recommendations. Integral lead in key client communication.

• Present at all key client presentations and meetings.

• Demonstrates a complete understanding of the client’s business, maintaining familiarity with the history, present organization and procedures of the client, as well as conditions of the industry.

• Provides an energy level that brings new and exciting ideas, motivating other team members.

• Keeps a pulse on all active campaigns, identifying opportunities to optimize for maximum performance.

• Updates team leadership on status of current accounts on an ongoing basis, elevating key issues or concerns as they arise.

• Other duties/responsibilities may be assigned from time to time.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in a related field 3-4 years of media planning experience required

• Able to apply a strategic filter to solve client challenges

• Strong knowledge of traditional media channels with an understanding of digital is preferred, but not a requirement

• Ability to think critically and apply a strategic approach to all plans or projects

• Ability to work effectively with a variety of internal teams and business groups, including Creative, Media, Project Management and Finance

• Ability to communicate effectively within a team environment as well as with outside media sales reps

• Displays a passion for media and advertising

• Strong organizational and mathematical skills (including basic media math)

• Ability to multi-task and deliver work on-time for set deadlines

• Must be prepared for a fast-paced environment and be comfortable making decisions

• Experience with MRI-Simmons, Kantar, MediaTools and other media software tools

BarkleyOKRP’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion + Belonging

• At BarkleyOKRP, DEI+B drives work that matters. We believe people and creativity are made of the same substance, and when every perspective is valued, the impact is stronger. We build belonging as a business strategy, power inclusive creativity that delivers measurable results, and hold ourselves accountable as a B Corp committed to progress over performative intent. When people are valued, the work carries greater impact.