Director, Media Planning in New York, New York at Hill Holliday

About Salar Labs

Salar Labs is a next-generation media agency designed to help brands achieve greater relevance, stronger consumer connections, and accelerated growth in an era defined by constant change. By integrating strategy, media, data, technology, AI, and creative into a unified operating model, we deliver marketing solutions that are more intelligent, adaptive, and effective.

We challenge the misalignment across marketing by bringing a media-first approach to synchronizing media planning and message creation for our clients. By combining audience strategy with media-driven creative direction, we deliver orchestrated consumer interactions that work together to maximize business impact.

Salar Labs is part of Attivo Group, combining the agility and entrepreneurial spirit of an independent agency with access to world-class talent, technology, and capabilities, helping clients navigate the future of marketing with greater confidence and impact.

Position Summary:

We are seeking an experienced and strategic Director, Media Planning to lead the development and stewardship of integrated media strategies for clients in the travel and healthcare vertical. This is an individual who spearheads the brand and campaign strategic planning process, builds productive client relationships, and leads a team of media professionals to deliver innovative, data-driven campaigns that achieve their client’s business objectives.

Key Responsibilities:

Media Strategy & Planning

• Lead the development and execution of comprehensive, integrated media strategies aligned with client objectives and business goals.
• Able to craft strong and strategic media recommendation narratives.
• Lead media planning deliverables across digital, social, programmatic, search, television, streaming, audio, out-of-home, and other relevant channels.
• Translate consumer insights, audience research, campaign performance data, and market trends into actionable media recommendations.
• Identify opportunities to improve campaign performance, maximize media investments, and drive measurable business results.
• Partner with internal teams to ensure media strategies and optimizations continue to align with broader brand and marketing initiatives.
• Partner with creative teams to ensure a cohesive and integrated go-to-market connectivity between message and media.
• Stay informed of emerging media trends, technologies, platforms, and industry best practices to influence industry-leading work for clients.

Client Relationship Management

• Serve as a senior strategic media contact for assigned clients, building strong and trusted relationships.
• Lead client presentations, strategic recommendations, and media planning discussions.
• Understand client business challenges and proactively identify opportunities for growth and innovation.
• Demonstrate ability to effectively lead and respond on client media requests and emergencies.
• Partner with internal teams and integrated agency partners to deliver integrated solutions.
• Participate in new business pitches and contribute to the development of media strategies for prospective clients.

Campaign Management & Performance

• Oversee the development of media plans, budgets, timelines, and campaign deliverables.
• Partner with media investment and activation teams to ensure campaigns are executed effectively.
• Monitor campaign performance and collaborate with analytics teams to identify optimizations and actionable insights.
• Ensure media recommendations are supported by research, data, and performance metrics.
• Maintain accountability for planning accuracy, budget management, and quality of deliverables.

Team Leadership & Development

• Effectively manage, mentor, and develop a team of media planners and managers.
• Provide strategic guidance, coaching, and ongoing performance feedback.
• Oversee team workloads, resource allocation, and project priorities.
• Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and results-oriented team environment.
• Support employee development, performance evaluations, and career growth.
• Maintain and calibrate consistent planning processes, standards, and best practices.

Salary range: $125,000.00 - $135,000.00; commensurate with experience.

This is a hybrid role based in either NYC or Boston.

Qualifications:

• 7-10+ years of experience in strategic media planning and client management, preferably within an advertising or media agency.
• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Advertising, Communications, Business, or a related field.
• 3+ years of experience managing and developing teams.
• Solid understanding of integrated media planning concepts and application across traditional and digital channels.
• Demonstrated experience leading media strategy for major brands and managing multiple client deliverables and deadlines in a fast-paced agency environment.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret research, campaign performance, and audience insights.
• Experience managing media budgets and developing strategic media recommendations.
• Familiarity with media planning, research, and measurement platforms such as Nielsen Media Impact, MRI-Simmons, MediaRadar, TelmarHelixa/Clear Decisions, and other industry tools.
• Comfort and interest in purposeful use of AI/LLMs across day-to-day workflows strongly preferred.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and client relationship management capabilities.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced agency environment.

Key Competencies:

• Strategic thinking and problem-solving
• Integrated media planning and audience insights
• Client relationship management
• Team leadership and mentorship
• Campaign development and optimization
• Data analysis and performance optimization
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Budget management and financial accountability
• Strong communication and presentation skills
• Organization and attention to detail