Associate Media Director

SUMMARY

We are seeking an Associate Media Director who will be responsible for leading the tactical buying and implementation of all media touchpoints and channels – traditional and digital – acting as a central hub of collaborations across SMEs. This role is accountable for managing a team of 10+ media buyers, evolving our media buys through negotiation and executional creativity as well as ensuring we steward our media campaigns through optimizations, attention to detail and timeliness.

Responsibilities:

• Act as a leader across multiple client teams and identify/implement growth opportunities within client sets. Increase the quality of our campaign implementation through execution of new ideas, partners, placements, etc.
• Work with media planners to help inform strategic recommendations that meet client marketing goals and objectives. This may include inventory/avail guidance, brainstorming solutions and/or completing research to back recommendations. In addition, this role will help with new business projects as required
• Advise buying SMEs on revisions and adaptations before they finalize buy recommendations. Accountable for overall quality of executed buys across all touchpoints and client sets, including brand safety, marketing goal alignment, KPI driven, etc.
• Responsible for all buys across client teams to be made within investment and goal parameters, including budget reconciliation and timely invoice processing and payment. Will also help resolve campaign issues and negotiate makegoods where appropriate.
• Mange profitability within buying team and supporting the Media Director with scope reduction/managing workloads when required.
• Facilitate knowledge sharing across buying SMEs, including using tactical learnings between clients and finding ways to leverage cumulative agency buying power to lower partnership costs
• Provide holistic guidance on performance analysis from direct reports, resulting in reports that articulate actionable insights and recommendations to grow our clients’ businesses
• Coach holistic team on media buying strategy, platform knowledge, optimization excellence, negotiations, problem solving, etc. to grow individual and team expertise. Mentor senior level buyers, including facilitating internal and external training opportunities.
• Grow culture of the team and agency as a leader and mentor, including participation in team events, ensuring best practices are implemented and leading by example in excellence.

Qualifications:

• Ten+ years of media buying experience, with preference given to agency background. Demonstrated experience guiding buying strategy and plan evolution across traditional and digital tactics.
• Possess up-to-date knowledge of the digital media marketplace and buying platforms (display, native, SEM, social, video, etc.) Familiarity with third-party ad servers, programmatic options and reporting dashboards required. Ideally should also have experience with traditional media (Spot TV, Radio, Outdoor, etc.) as well as media at the seams (OTT, streaming audio).
• Solid management history of leading direct reports, including coaching in tactical excellence and facilitating upward career movement/learnings
• Desire to collaborate with planning Associate Directors and Media Director on team and product advancement, including development of new products/services, support of team professional development and management of SOW hours/profitability.
• Clear understanding of and experience with leading the media buying process, with eagerness to advance media strategy for clients. Strong knowledge of marketing concepts and best practices.
• Strong mathematic and analytical skills, with ability to take market, client and industry data and lead actionable plans. Proficiency with Excel required.
• Excellent communication skills, with a bias for transparent and open dialogue and an always-learning lens. Desire to grow with our team, take on new challenges and help us up our game.

Engage Partners Inc.