Associate Manager – Media Planning

Role Summary

We are seeking a Media Manager Associate to support integrated, cross‑channel media planning and execution for global and regional brands, working closely with clients and internal PGD teams under the guidance of senior media leads. You will assist in delivering compliant, measurable plans across digital channels (Programmatic, Social, Search, Video, Display) and, where relevant, offline channels, with day‑to‑day responsibilities focused on coordination, documentation, and supervision of media executives.

What You’ll Do

Strategy & Planning

• Translate client briefs, CDDs, and medical/regulatory guidance into clear media requirements and draft channel plans under supervision of senior team members.
• Assist in developing audience‑ and competitive‑informed channel mixes, flighting, and budget allocations using basic reach–frequency and coverage thinking, validating recommendations with the Media Manager/Regional Lead.
• Support scenario building, benchmarking, and plan justification decks, ensuring consistency and accuracy of inputs.

Client, CDD & Stakeholder Management

• Act as support for client and brand teams, helping clarify briefs and prepare responses, with direct client communication reviewed or joined by senior team members.
• Coordinate creation and submission of CDDs (or equivalent approval documents), ensuring media plans, placements and copy meet medical, legal and compliance requirements as signed off by senior leads.
• Track CDD and approval status, follow up with internal stakeholders and clients as directed, and ensure all campaigns have documented sign‑off before launch.

Channel Team Support & Execution

• Brief media executives and channel/platform teams (search, social, programmatic, video, display, etc.) with complete, accurate instructions prepared in alignment with senior leads: objectives, budgets, targeting, formats, timelines, and measurement.
• Ensure trafficking sheets, naming conventions, taxonomies and tracking requirements are completed correctly and consistently across platforms, reviewing work done by media executives.
• Monitor pacing, QA checks, and implementation status across markets; flag issues and coordinate with channel owners and the Media Manager/Regional Lead to resolve them.
• Maintain campaign calendars, change logs, and documentation for audit and compliance, ensuring updates from executives are captured and organized.

Performance Tracking, Reporting & Governance

• Help define KPIs per campaign and channel based on standard frameworks provided by senior team members (e.g., reach, frequency, VTR, CTR, cost‑per‑qualified‑action, cost‑per‑HCP, ROAS/ROI proxies).
• Partner with analytics/BI teams to pull data, validate tagging, and maintain dashboards and reporting views, escalating discrepancies to senior leads.
• Prepare regular reports (weekly/MBR/QBR) with accurate metrics and initial observations, with insights and recommendations reviewed and refined by the Media Manager/Regional Lead.
• Support maintenance of a learning log and documentation of key decisions, ensuring outcomes from tests defined by senior team members are recorded for future planning.
• Uphold governance standards across markets by following brand safety, compliance, and documentation processes set by senior leadership.

Vendor & Partner Management

• Coordinate with media partners (publishers, DSPs, platforms, data/measurement vendors) for day‑to‑day tasks such as proposal collection, specs, and delivery schedules, under direction of senior leads.
• Support implementation of joint business plans and co‑op initiatives, ensuring partners provide required reporting and adhere to brand safety and compliance guidelines.
• Assist senior team members in rate negotiations and value discussions by organizing benchmarks, consolidating proposals, and tracking inventory and added‑value commitments.

Qualifications

• 3–4+ years of media experience supporting multi‑market, cross‑channel campaigns; pharma/health or other regulated categories preferred but not mandatory.
• Good understanding of integrated planning across digital channels (Programmatic, Social, Search, Video, Display; offline exposure a plus) and basic cross‑channel optimization concepts.
• Working knowledge of major ad platforms/DSPs (e.g., DV360, The Trade Desk), Google Ads/YouTube, Meta, LinkedIn, and other key platforms; hands‑on experience an advantage.
• Experience supporting client discussions on briefs, approvals, and performance; comfortable operating within CDD or equivalent medical/legal workflows under supervision.
• Strong Excel/Sheets skills and good PowerPoint; exposure to BI/visualization tools (Looker Studio, Power BI, etc.) is an advantage.
• Clear communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to follow structured processes and document work thoroughly.
• Ability to manage tasks, prioritize workload, and coordinate with media executives and internal teams across markets while escalating risks to senior leads.

Core Competencies

• Strategic thinking foundation with growing channel knowledge.
• Client partnership support and stakeholder coordination under guidance.
• Executional rigor and strong process discipline.
• Analytical curiosity and an experimentation‑ready mindset.
• Documentation, governance, and compliance focus.

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