Account Manager (Media Planning & Buying) in Harrogate

Harrogate – 3 days in the office £30k–£35k, depending on experience. Reporting to an Account Director.

Ready to own the client relationship and the media plan? We’re working exclusively with a Harrogate based media agency looking for an Account Manager to join its busy team. This is a proper media all-rounder role. You’ll work with a varied mix of brands across FMCG, B2B and leisure, managing campaigns from the initial brief and research stage through to planning, buying, delivery and post-campaign analysis. You’ll also be the trusted day-to-day contact for your clients, keeping them informed, solving problems and making sure they receive a consistently high level of service. So, you’ll need to be just as comfortable building relationships as you are getting stuck into schedules, budgets and performance reports. There’s plenty of responsibility, but also support from an experienced Account Director and wider management team. You’ll have the freedom to make an impact, develop your client leadership skills and help more junior members of the team grow along the way.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Managing client relationships – Take ownership of the day-to-day relationship across your assigned accounts, becoming a trusted adviser on media activity.
• Developing media proposals – Turn client briefs into clear, well-reasoned proposals, leading on specific briefs or elements of larger projects.
• Supporting new business – Contribute to proposals and pitches, bringing your media knowledge and ideas to the table.
• Leading media research – Use a range of data sources to uncover useful audience and market insights, ensuring the information presented to clients is accurate and relevant.
• Building media schedules – Develop detailed, accurate schedules that bring the agreed strategy to life and deliver strong value for clients.
• Planning and buying campaigns – Confidently plan, buy and report across a broad range of media types, understanding how different channels work together.
• Overseeing campaign delivery – Manage bookings, production information, schedules and digital tracking, working with colleagues and partner agencies to keep everything on track.
• Negotiating with media owners – Use internal benchmarks, market knowledge and good judgement to secure the best possible outcomes for clients.
• Monitoring performance – Keep a close eye on live campaigns, coordinate in-campaign reporting and step in quickly when delivery is not going to plan.
• Producing post-campaign analysis – Lead the development of clear reports and buying reviews, pulling out the insights and recommendations that clients actually need.
• Managing budgets – Keep control of campaign costs, communicate any changes clearly and make sure bookings stay within agreed parameters and credit limits.
• Building strong partnerships – Develop positive relationships with media owners, creative agencies, suppliers and other agency partners.
• Sharing your knowledge – Stay on top of developments across your assigned channels and share useful updates and opportunities with the wider team.
• Supporting junior colleagues – Help set priorities, provide guidance and training, and make sure everyone is clear on what needs to be delivered.

What You’ll Bring to the Table

• At least three years’ experience in media planning and buying, with the confidence to plan, buy and report across different media types.
• A strong understanding of the role each channel can play – and how to bring them together into a joined‑up media approach.
• Experience managing client accounts and building professional, trusted relationships.
• Strong negotiation skills, commercial awareness and confidence managing campaign budgets.
• The ability to turn research and campaign data into clear insights, rather than simply passing on a spreadsheet and hoping for the best.
• A good working knowledge of TGI, Mediatel and other relevant media planning systems.
• Strong Microsoft Office skills, particularly across Excel, PowerPoint, Word and Teams.
• Experience guiding, supporting or managing more junior colleagues.

You’ll be comfortable working independently, but you won’t operate in a bubble. Collaboration is a big part of the role, so you’ll be someone who shares information, supports the people around them and contributes positively to the wider team. You’ll also be flexible, resilient and solutions-focused. Agency life can move quickly, and you’ll need to stay calm, make sensible decisions and handle the occasional challenging conversation with confidence and respect.

Why Join?

• Plenty of variety – Work across different brands, sectors, campaigns and media types. No two accounts will look exactly the same.
• Make a genuine impact – Take real ownership of your work and play an important role in the success of your clients and team.
• Keep developing – Work closely with an experienced Account Director and management team, building your client service, strategic and leadership skills.
• Supportive team culture – Join an environment that values integrity, fresh thinking, strong partnerships and helping people do their best work.
• Hybrid working – The team is currently in its Harrogate office every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
• Generous time off – 25 days’ holiday plus bank holidays, with three additional days between Christmas and New Year usually treated as holiday. The team simply covers anything genuinely urgent, which is very rare.
• Pension – 5% employee contribution and 3% employer contribution, with a salary-sacrifice option available.

Know your media, care about your clients and enjoy helping a team deliver great work? We’d love to hear from you.