VP, Media Planning

Barkley; Illinois; On-site; USD 160,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance options

Flexible PTO

Life insurance

401K

Job summary

BarkleyOKRP's MissionOne Media practice seeks a VP of Media Planning to guide senior client leadership and drive integrated media strategies. You will translate portfolio direction into actionable plans, lead day-to-day strategy, and mentor a planning pod across multiple accounts to deliver rigorous, insight-driven work.

You will partner with Creative, Strategy, Analytics, CRM, Activation, and Finance teams to ensure cohesive output, protect quality, and grow client business through data-driven

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years of media planning experience, including team leadership.
• Proven experience leading integrated planning across channels.
• Strong financial and media math proficiency.
• Executive-level presentation and storytelling skills.
• Deep knowledge of planning tools (Vivvix, Pathmatics, MRI-Simmons, Nielsen, SQAD, Guideline, etc.).
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of integrated media strategies across assigned accounts.
• Establish and steward the strategic direction for each client, aligned with portfolio priorities.
• Ensure all deliverables support the strategic direction and business objectives.
• Apply audience insights and marketplace trends to drive differentiated recommendations.
• Act as final quality reviewer of team output for client delivery.
• Serve as senior day-to-day strategic contact for clients.
• Lead key client communications and presentations.
• Build trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders.
• Integrate with Creative, Strategy, Analytics, CRM, Activation, and Finance teams.
• Bring proactive media ideas that sharpen and enhance creative impact.
• Lead and mentor Directors, Supervisors, AMDs, and Planners.
• Delegate work while maintaining visibility into account health and workload.
• Protect focus and prioritization within the pod.
• Provide actionable feedback to elevate strategic rigor.
• Build capability within the team to reduce senior executional dependency.
• Oversee media budgets and ensure disciplined financial management.
• Maintain visibility into team bandwidth and staffing needs.
• Identify workflow inefficiencies and implement improvements.
• Partner with Activation and Finance for seamless execution and billing.
• Identify and drive organic growth opportunities rooted in strategic insight.
• Contribute to new business efforts as the media lead.

Skills

Executive-level presentation

Team leadership

Cross-channel planning

Financial/mathematical proficiency

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Vivvix

Pathmatics

MRI-Simmons

Nielsen

SQAD

Guideline

Job description

VP, Media Planning

MissionOne Media is the integrated media practice of BarkleyOKRP, built to deliver modern, audience-first media strategies that drive measurable business growth. We believe media should sharpen creative, fuel performance, and differentiate brands in the marketplace - not simply deliver impressions. That's how we help build brands with soul that scale.

Our planning organization is structured around focused pods that balance strategic leadership with disciplined execution. Every role has a clear mandate to protect quality, focus, and impact growth.

Role Overview

The VP, Media Planning serves as a senior client leader and strategic account lead within a planning pod. In this role, you guide the development of integrated media strategies and tactical recommendations that deliver against client business objectives while maintaining a high standard of creative media thinking.

You are responsible for translating portfolio-level direction into clear, actionable plans and ensuring the team consistently delivers rigorous, insight-driven work. You own the day-to-day strategic leadership across assigned accounts, allowing the SVP to operate at a portfolio level.

This is a leadership role grounded in planning craft, accountability, and team development.

The Kind of Leader Who Thrives Here

• Strategically driven. You don't accept surface-level answers. You apply a strong strategic filter to every challenge and push thinking beyond the expected.
• Accountable and decisive You take ownership of outcomes, not just deliverables. You bring solutions, set direction, and create clarity for your team.
• Credible and influential You command trust with senior clients and cross-functional partners, communicating complex ideas with precision and confidence.
• A talent builder You elevate the people around you: setting high standards, coaching intentionally, and building bench strength within your pod.
• Commercially aware. You understand how media strategy connects to revenue, growth, and competitive advantage, and you lead with that lens.

Core Responsibilities

Strategic Account Leadership

• Lead development of integrated media strategies across assigned accounts
• Establish and steward the strategic direction for each assigned client, ensuring alignment with broader portfolio priorities
• Ensure all deliverables align to that strategic direction and business objectives
• Apply audience insights, competitive intelligence, and marketplace trends to drive differentiated recommendations
• Act as final quality reviewer of team output, ensuring rigor and clarity before client delivery

Client Leadership & Integration

• Serve as senior day-to-day strategic contact for clients
• Lead key client communications and presentations
• Build trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders
• Integrate closely with Creative, Strategy, Analytics, CRM, Activation, and Finance teams to ensure cohesive planning output
• Bring proactive media ideas that sharpen and enhance creative impact

Team Leadership & Pod Management

• Lead and mentor Directors, Supervisors, AMDs, and Planners within the pod
• Clearly delegate work while maintaining visibility into account health and team workload
• Protect focus and prioritization within the pod structure
• Provide direct, actionable feedback to elevate strategic rigor and team performance
• Build capability within the team, reducing unnecessary senior executional dependency over time

Financial & Operational Discipline

• Oversee media budgets and ensure disciplined financial management
• Maintain visibility into team bandwidth and staffing needs
• Identify workflow or process inefficiencies and implement improvements
• Partner with Activation and Finance to ensure seamless execution and billing accuracy

Growth Contribution

• Identify and drive organic growth opportunities rooted in strategic insight
• Contribute meaningfully to new business efforts as the media lead
• Apply marketplace insights to strengthen account-level strategy and team output

Expectations for Success

• Consistently delivers thoughtful, differentiated media strategies
• Establishes credibility and trust with senior clients
• Elevates the quality and capability of the team beneath them
• Maintains disciplined financial oversight
• Operates with clarity, accountability, and strategic intent

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
• 8+ years of media planning experience, including team leadership
• Proven experience leading integrated planning across channels
• Strong financial and media math proficiency
• Executive-level presentation and storytelling skills
• Deep knowledge of planning tools (Vivvix, Pathmatics, MRI-Simmons, Nielsen, SQAD, Guideline, etc.)
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills

Reporting Structure

Reports To: SVP, Media Planning

Position Status: Salaried

Compensation

Annual gross base salary range is $160,000 - $230,000 USD. This range represents the anticipated target salary range for this position. Actual salaries will vary based on a candidate's qualifications, skills, and geographic location. Salary is one component of BarkleyOKRP's total compensation package, which includes multiple health insurance options, flexible PTO, life insurance, and 401K.

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.