Planning Director

Role Summary and Impact

EssenceMediacom, part of WPP, is a new breed of media agency. Grounded in analytics & insights and powered by data & technology, we believe in the power of media and creative to drive breakthroughs for the world’s best brands. We help clients understand the modern marketing paradox and discover the breakthroughs brands need to win with their consumers. We are designed for the new communications economy — built on data & technology, built for people & algorithms, built around diverse schools of thought, built to test & learn at scale, and, crucially, built to evolve.

As the Business & Planning Director, you are both a visionary media planner and a trusted business advisor. You are responsible for having a deep understanding of your client’s business and challenges – this is not limited to just media & advertising. You will work with the client team to unearth & develop business challenges into solutions that will not only drive your client’s business forward but also offer commercial opportunity for EssenceMediacom. You will lead end-to-end strategic planning across paid, owned, earned, and shared channels while nurturing deep, consultative client relationships. With a strong foundation in evidence-based media planning and a sharp understanding of broader business dynamics, you connect the dots between insight, planning, execution, and outcomes.

This senior role bridges media planning, activation, client service, and commercial leadership. You’ll inspire your team to deliver best-in-class media solutions, drive planning excellence, and play a critical role in shaping your clients’ business success. You will also contribute to broader agency goals, culture, and craft development, acting as a role model for cross-disciplinary collaboration and continuous improvement.

Ultimately, success in this role means achieving high client satisfaction scores, fostering strong, long-term client relationships, and delivering tangible business results and brand growth through planning excellence. You will contribute clearly to the national planning discipline and agency reputation, leading to award-winning or high-performing campaigns and proactive identification and conversion of new business or growth opportunities.

Core Responsibilities

• Lead the interrogation and response to client briefs, ensuring evidence-based planning recommendations across paid, owned, earned, and shared (POES) media channels. This includes creating actionable communication tasks, defining the roles of media/channels, outlining tactics within each channel, and recommending sufficient investment for effective channel utilization.
• Champion the integration of evidence-based theory (e.g., EBI’s Laws of Growth, ROI curves, hero-halo effects) to identify and define audiences that drive outcomes for campaign briefs.
• Develop and oversee measurement frameworks and learning agendas to link media investment directly to business outcomes.
• Build deep, consultative relationships with senior client stakeholders, acting as a trusted advisor and business partner, immersing yourself in their industry, operations, competitive landscape, and KPIs.
• Lead the end-to-end planning process, ensuring strategic alignment, strong project workflow management, accountability, and high-quality deliverables across your team.
• Facilitate and lead key meetings, workshops, and WIPs with gravitas, clear points of view (POVs), and strong problem-solving abilities.
• Proactively identify opportunities for EssenceMediacom’s diversified services to add value to the client’s business.
• Assist the Client Managing Partner in financial forecasting and P&L management, including resource planning, timesheets, profitability, and debt minimization.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, and team growth in collaboration with leadership.
• Understand internal product teams, including WPP Media proprietary products and services, to ensure an understanding of their offerings and relevance to clients.
• Report on audience media consumption trends and habits, identifying new and interesting opportunities to connect brands to audiences.
• Lead the creation of consumer journey maps across paid, owned, earned, and shared media.
• Apply advanced media planning principles (e.g., scheduling, flighting, recency, effective reach theories, seasonality, market prioritization, roles of all communication channels) and effectively utilize agency and industry tools to enhance and support planned recommendations.

Skills and Experience

What Makes You Great

• Minimum 9+ years' experience in media planning and/or client leadership within a media or marketing environment.
• Deep knowledge of media theory and evidence-based planning approaches, coupled with strong business acumen.
• Exceptional written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.
• Proven ability to manage complexity, inspire teams, and lead cross-functional projects.
• Commercial understanding of agency operations, including financial levers and resourcing.
• Curiosity, passion, creativity, and a drive to stay ahead in a fast-evolving industry.

Life at WPP Media & Benefits

Our passion for shaping the next era of media is powered by our commitment to Be Extraordinary, investing in our employees to inspire transformational creativity. We also Lead Optimistically, firmly believing in and Championing Growth and Development for every individual. This commitment allows WPP Media employees to leverage the extensive global WPP Media & WPP networks to pursue their passions, build vital professional connections, and learn at the cutting edge of marketing and advertising.

We Create an Open environment built on trust and respect, where everyone feels they belong and has opportunities to progress. This inclusive culture is fostered through a variety of employee resource groups and frequent in-office events showcasing team wins, sharing thought leadership, and celebrating holidays and milestone events.

WPP Media is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection in this open and supportive environment. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

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