Comms Planning Director

The Comms Planning Director partners across disciplines to create communication plans that translate marketing objectives into actionable go-to-market strategies grounded in audience understanding and business goals. 

In partnership with strategy, media, creative, and marketing science, you will develop customer-centric connection plans that inform both our media and creative teams. You’ll be asked to ingest information and output ideas and structures that make the complex easy to understand and map out the important ways that media and creative are linked. Comms/Connections Planning is about inspiring breakthrough ideas and driving how they come to life. It’s about being able to look at the market opportunity, define the target in fresh and interesting ways, and know how to take full advantage of media capabilities. 

• Develop comms plans that connect marketing needs & business objectives into actionable communication solutions across the paid, owned and earned ecosystem. 
• Ground all plans in audience insights and their reality, altitudinally and behaviorally
• Work with media strategy and activation teams to ensure comms frameworks are grounded in proposed media plans and other realities
• Lead plans that are a combination of proven and innovative tactics that meet campaign goals
• Ensure plans link to desired KPIs and guide measurement strategies
• Create a comms foundation that guides best in class precision work
• Ensure buy-in amongst all required teams and partners
• Present and defends the comms plan, generates confidence that the plan will deliver on results, while unlocking creativity. 
• Provide thought leadership, both internally and externally on emerging trends and comms best practices.
• Be proactive about identifying new communication opportunities, and work with account partners & strategic leads to uncover and unlock scope.
• Serve as a bridge and partner between all channel partners; media, social, comms, Strategy + creative to define and shape a coordinated campaign roll-out across paid owned and earned shared touchpoints. 
• Translate the creative idea into a comms idea; that guides how the campaign should come to life
• Define the overall structure, story beats – aligning touchpoints to each phase while clearly defining the roles they need to play 
• Set the tone and strategic direction of the team; built around growth and application of learnings 
• Own consumer insights and inspire tactical representations of strong, clear media strategies 
• Maintain communication and develop strategic partnerships with key partners – clients, partner agencies, peers, etc. 

• A chameleon. Part strategy, part media, part creative.
• Consumer first mindset and orientation
• Proven modern marketing mindset: Ecosystem & performance driven
• Strong partnership & collaboration skills
• Strong presentation skills, written & spoken
• Ability to find new solutions to “known problems”
• Strong facilitation skills. Proven ability to run effective workshops.
• Strong sense of accountability and ownership. Has the ability to work independently.
• Can make the complicated simple to understand.
• Ability to work in fast paced, and unpredictable projects
• Ability to gain client confidence & trust, and develop strong working relationships with other agency partners

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Advertising, Media and/or related field 
• Minimum 8 years of experience in media or strategic planning that involves channel planning, audience strategy and client presentation 
• Deep experience working within integrated, client-facing teams 
• Ability to make operational and investment recommendations and decisions 
• Must love close relationships with clients and be able to identify and run towards the future and not simply deliver “the ask” 
• Professional presence; can lead a team by example 
• Excellent leadership and presentation skills 
• A thorough understanding of marketing communication channels