Director, Media Planning (Temporary)

WHO WE ARE Crossmedia is the global media independent. We’re committed to doing media and business the right way, guided by the principles of TRUST, REASON and the Pursuit of HAPPINESS. Crossmedia US was founded in NY in 2000 and is one of the largest minority-owned full-service media planning & buying agencies in the nation. We are 500+ Crossmedians worldwide with big ambitions to continue to grow with soul.  We focus on what media agencies should do: create innovative connections between brands and people regardless of channel or budget. And we do it in an honest way. We are and always have been a values-based organization. We earn our clients TRUST by ensuring media transparency in our business model and objectivity in decision-making. We apply REASON & logic to finding solutions to our clients' greatest business challenges. The Pursuit of HAPPINESS matters to us. Big time. We invest in each colleagues’ professional & personal wellbeing and growth. It’s why we have countless initiatives, clubs & cultural events dedicated to our people and why we have been the top ranked media agency named to Ad Age’s Best Places to Work for the past seven years in a row.   We have offices in the US in New York and Philadelphia, with employees across 25+ states, as well as in London and Germany.  Our client roster includes U.S. Bank, Invesco, Newell Brands, NASCAR, Planet Fitness, American Cancer Society, Ricola, Herschend Family Entertainment, Edible Arrangements and more.       YOUR ROLE We are hiring a Director, Integrated Investment in a full time temporary role through August (benefits eligible). As a champion of media investment, the Director is responsible for delivering a level of innovation and excellence in work. The Director's responsibility is in oversight of client media investment oversight:   Video/CTV > Display > Local TV/Audio > OOH/Print > Ad Ops > Programmatic > Search > Social  * Engagement in Enterprise Partnership Program (EPP)  * Lead Agency Negotiator, Client voice & potential New Business * Consummate communicator Client, Account team and Investment Leadership The focus is leading the One Marketplace team across direct buys, biddable, offline, procurement - ensuring you bring all channels into one cohesive team and optimal media investment approach. The Director is the steward of the investment product that is delivered to each client, providing strategic leadership based on an in-depth understanding of each clients’ business, their target consumer and unique category dynamics. This requires expertise in all aspects of media including comms strategy/planning, media planning, media activation/stewardship, media measurement, and performance analytics.  While investment stewardship is the Director’s core responsibility, participation in other acvities is a must. Such as training teams, supporting rollout of new agency processes, supporting agency enterprise deals, rolling out integrated investment model across teams, and more.  At Crossmedia it’s more than just doing the job; it’s about doing things the right way. Key responsibilities for a Director include:  Reliable, ethical & operates in the best interest of Crossmedia & clients.  * Leads relationships with clients alongside account leadership, cross functional leadership, and with external partners * Is fully committed to staff training of team members and serves as a mentor * Find the best integrated media strategy and approach across buying, bidding, and procuring to get the best pricing and performance for clients * Develop internal processes to ensure ability to meet cross channel investment needs on businesses  Focuses on a quality product, adhering to Crossmedia's high standards.  * Has a strong foundation in media planning & buying principles * Own the investment product with and maintain sound rationale in investment selection decision for each plan * Fully understands the client’s business and challenges, and ensures media KPIs are built directly from these objectives  * Ensure teams across all channels adhere to processes and manage whos doing what by when * Create overall strategic investment roadmap, media partnerships, learning agendas, innovation, and around-the-corner must-haves and watchouts. * Negotiate and create effective deals and buying solutions and Joint Business Plans for the client * Have familiarity across all media investment channels (ie privacy regulations, channel trend evolutions, new tech ) * Stays up to date with marketplace offerings and new opportunities * Maintain close partnership with Planning as well as other departments to put forward the best media plans and outputs for the client * Maintain sound buys and ensure strong cross channel reporting and insights  Personal efforts generate satisfaction – clients, team, company.  * Displays a high level of personal dedication and motivation.  * Contributes to Crossmedia culture.  * Participates in training to enhance their professional growth. * Participates in the recruitment/retention of XM talent.  * Effectively troubleshoots team concerns.  * Builds esprit de corps through strong team   REQUIREMENTS * 6 + years of experience in media investment and campaign management * A thorough understanding of the media landscape and how it’s evolving. * Experience with providing strategic leadership based on an in-depth knowledge of each clients’ business * Advance media product delivered to clients, fueled by a holistic understanding of advertising and media. * Liaison between partner agencies, vendors, in-house client strategy/creative teams * Leverages deep knowledge of media landscapes and market rates to negotiate cost-efficient, high-impact placements that drive client ROI. * Builds strong relationships with media partners, unlocking premium inventory, added value, and early access to innovative opportunities * Uses data-driven insights and strategic packaging to craft compelling negotiation points that align with campaign goals and maximize value. * Team management, including managing and mentoring team members. Reviews, performance issues, timely reviews/feedback, active work distribution and fair rotations * Participation in new business * Strong listening skills believes good thinking can come from anyone and any place. * A team player willing to compromise their point of view in support of others. This person WILL BE part of a highly successful integrated cross-discipline team Salary range $100k - $145 annually. Commensurate with experience. Compensation is determined on the skills, qualifications and tenure of the applicant.     CROSSMEDIA BENEFITS Our principles of Trust, Reason, and the Pursuit of Happiness are brought to life through benefits that recognize and support the diversity and physical, emotional, and professional well-being of our people, including: * Flexibility to work in hybrid manner with in-office and work from home options (depending on role).  * Open/Flexible PTO with US & UK specific policies  * Sponsored healthcare options and agency-wide physical & mental health support  * 401k with company match (USA), and generous Pension (UK)  * Paid sabbatical at significant milestone anniversaries * Generous paid parental leave policy * Life milestone recognition & support * The Pursuit of Happiness Fund devoted to helping Crossmedians find their happy (be it travel, enrichment class, fitness membership or professional development) * Cell phone/tech reimbursement * Student Loan payment plan (US) * Tuition reimbursement * Learning & Development and training programs * And burgers – lots and lots of burgers   COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION Diversity is in our DNA. As a minority-owned company, our commitment to an inclusive environment has long been embedded into agency practices and at every level. Almost one third of senior leadership identifies as a person of color and over half of our executive leadership are women. We have active mentoring & internship programs that create opportunities for underrepresented groups. Internal agency programming is anchored by XMEquity365, a permanent, year-round initiative fostering acknowledgement and support of marginalized communities within five pillars – Excellence, Voices, Education, Giving & Representation. Crossmedia is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and creating a diverse and inclusive company culture and that does not discriminate against candidates and employees because of their disability, sex, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by applicable federal, state, or local law.  All job requirements are subject to possible revision to reflect changes in the position requirements, business necessities and/or to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. Essential and other job functions are subject to modification. This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to which will be required in this position. Employees will be required to follow other job-related duties as requested by their supervisor/manager (within guidelines and compliance with laws in the US and UK ). Continued employment remains on an “at-will” basis.” Reasonable accommodations may be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions in compliance with the American with Disabilities Act of 1990 (US based)  Physical Demands:  The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job:  * Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer. Must be able to remain in a stationary position 50% of the time. * Ability to stand, bend, and reach * Constantly operates a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a calculator, copy machine, and computer printer. * The ability to communicate information and ideas so others will understand. Must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations. * The ability to observe details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). In compliance with the current Americans with Disabilities Act and state and local laws, if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation to apply for a position with Crossmedia, please email people.team@xmedia.com.  (US based candidates).

About WPP Media WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. With exceptional talent, trusted data and intelligence, and world-class partnerships – all united by our pioneering agentic marketing platform, WPP Open – we help clients navigate change, capture opportunity, and deliver transformational growth.  WPP Media is WPP's AI-driven media operating unit, bringing together media, data, and partnerships to deliver creative personalisation at scale. Connected through WPP Open and powered by Open Intelligence, clients see exactly where, how, and why their media investment is working. For more information, visit wppmedia.com [wppmedia.com]. 2865 - Account Director, Planning - UK Role Summary and Impact  Wavemaker positively provokes growth for clients by reshaping consumer decision-making and experiences through media, content, and technology. Our name is both our mission and our method. We do our best work for brave brands and people who relish being challenged to go further and faster, together.  We are looking for an experienced Comms Planning Director or ambitious Comms Planning Manager looking for their next step, to run the day-to-day communications planning and as such this role will provide a fantastic opportunity to shape an innovative and creative media strategy for a well-established brand and great client marketing team.   We want an enthusiastic and passionate individual who will deliver smart, innovative, and effective comms planning solutions, focussed on the UK market.  The role requires an experienced media planner with an advanced knowledge of traditional and digital media planning and execution, in addition to exceptional communication and organisational skills.   Key Responsibilities  * Lead on planning RTBs, ensuring that they are best in class.   * Leads on day-to-day account workflow, governance, and WoW with support from Client Director.  * Be comfortable presenting work and ideas to both clients, external agency partners, and internally.  * Own key relationships with brand leads, agency partners, media owners  * Work with the Client Director & Client Lead to explore opportunities to drive revenue growth and innovation.  * Oversees implementation and delivery of media activation. Manages workflow through activation teams.  * Oversees campaign reporting, ensuring insight is clear and actionable.  * Oversees campaign evaluation (PCAs) with support of Planning Manager / Planning Exec.  * Oversight of financial aspects of account (billings, reconciliations, accruals, finance queries).  * To foresee and pro-actively resolve planning issues with the team leadership.  * Leads key media updates (landscape, trends, research, media owner updates).  * Build a deep understanding of the brand’s vertical, competition and their business, to understand the challenges and opportunities they face.  * Champions WPP services, and agency capabilities.  * Supports integrated WoW across media & creative adopting ‘The Power of & ‘mindset.  * Supports the use of agency tools and process across the team (e.g., &OS, &AI, MAP)  * Coach, support, and develop the Planning Manager and Planning Executive, with regular 1-2-1’s.   * Raise the profile of the account in the agency by producing, submitting, and publicly talking our work.  Skills and Experience  * You are someone who both champions and challenges – themselves, their team, and their clients.  * Significant and relevant media planning experience, especially across ATL.   * A self-starter who demonstrates curiosity and works well in a fast-paced environment.  * High attention to detail with a drive to make sure the collective output is an excellent standard.  * Strong client management skills to manage both junior and senior clients, with gravitas.  * Proven track record of delivering strong comms planning outputs - with measurement at the forefront - to deliver against core objectives of a campaign.  * Strong presentation skills – both in creating / guiding content, and delivery   * An in-depth knowledge and application of core media tools  * Experienced in running all aspects of a media plan – from initial brief to PCA.  * You are a good listener and able to collaborate with a wide cross section of people.  * You have a solid history of working across a range of projects, demonstrating your ability to be flexible and manage multiple workstreams at once.  * You exude the behaviours of the agency – we challenge and champion each other and our clients, to be the very best we can be.  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. Our comprehensive benefits package reflects this commitment, including competitive medical, group retirement plans, vision, and dental insurance, significant paid time off, preferential partner discounts, and employee mental health awareness days.   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. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office around four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.   Please read our Privacy Notice (https://www.wppmedia.com/pages/privacy-policy [https://www.wppmedia.com/pages/privacy-policy]) for more information on how we process the information you provide.   While we appreciate all applications received, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.   #LI-Promoted Please read our Privacy Notice [https://www.wppmedia.com/pages/privacy-policy#:~:text=WPP%20Media%20Privacy%20Notice%20for%20Recruitment] for more information on how we process the information you provide.