Media Planning Business Director in London

the7stars is the UK’s largest independent media agency – a genuinely different kind of place, built on a single defining principle: Freedom.

Freedom shapes how we plan and buy media, how people grow their careers, how we collaborate, and how we show up for each other. With our flat structure, open culture, and entrepreneurial spirit, we’ve created an environment where brilliant people can do the best work of their careers.

We’re now looking for a Planning & Client Leadership Business Director to join one of our senior planning teams and lead media planning and client leadership across an important new client partnership.

The role

As a Planning & Client Leadership Business Director, you’ll take full ownership of planning and client leadership across a major account, leading overall strategy, client servicing and delivery across the entire client portfolio.

You’ll be accountable for the quality and effectiveness of all planning output, orchestrating the collective agency response across Planning, Strategy, Insight, Activation and other specialist disciplines. This is a senior leadership role, combining strategic excellence, commercial acumen and people leadership in a highly autonomous environment.

You’ll coach and develop your team, build deep and trusted client relationships, and play a key role in driving innovation, effectiveness and growth both on your account and across the wider agency.

What You’ll Do

Lead Client Relationships & Planning Excellence

• Take full responsibility for senior client relationships, acting as the primary escalation point and trusted partner.
• Develop a deep understanding of your clients’ businesses, identifying opportunities to strengthen and grow the partnership.
• Own and lead the annual Client Development Plan, ensuring it is delivered, evolved and embedded.

Orchestrate Integrated Agency Output

• Lead the collective agency response, partnering closely with Strategy and Insight leads to develop best-in-class communications and media strategies.
• Ensure planning frameworks and strategic thinking are consistently applied across all outputs.
• Guide planning teams to translate strategy into effective, high-quality media plans.

Drive Strategic Thinking & Proactivity

• Champion proactive thinking that exceeds client expectations and drives meaningful business outcomes.
• Partner with Strategy teams on big-picture knowledge sharing, including future trends, category insight and ambition-setting sessions tailored to your clients.
• Demonstrate strong commercial acumen, identifying new sources of growth and value for both clients and the agency.
• Support contract development and renegotiations using Client Development Plans.
• Actively participate in agency new business pitches and growth initiatives.
• Lead, coach and develop Account Directors and senior team members as part of long‑term succession planning.
• Set clear expectations and standards, ensuring accurate, timely and thoughtful work across the team.
• Identify opportunities for award entries and encourage a culture of excellence and effectiveness from the outset.

Champion Innovation, Technology & AI

• Drive excellence in planning across the wider agency by sharing guidance, expertise and best practice.
• Lead teams through technological change by championing new agency tools and ensuring their effective adoption.
• Champion the integration of AI into planning processes, developing team capability and embedding innovation to drive efficiency and effectiveness.

About You

We’re looking for an experienced, confident leader who thrives in a senior, autonomous role and is excited by shaping both client outcomes and agency standards.

Core Skills & Experience

• Extensive experience leading media planning and client relationships at a senior level.
• Proven ability to own large, complex accounts and deliver consistently high-quality planning output.
• Strong strategic thinking and the ability to translate strategy into effective media plans.
• Commercially astute, with experience supporting growth, contract development and new business.
• Strong people leadership skills, with a track record of developing senior talent.
• Confidence presenting to senior stakeholders and leading multi-disciplinary teams.

What You’re Like

• Entrepreneurial, decisive and comfortable with accountability.
• Strategic and commercially minded, with a strong point of view.
• Motivated by building long-term client partnerships.
• Energised by autonomy rather than rigid structures.
• Driven to raise standards and do the best work of your career.

Why the7stars?

You’ll be joining an agency with a truly unique culture built on trust, autonomy and creativity.

Expect:

• A flat structure with real ownership from day one.
• A collaborative, diverse team of brilliant thinkers.
• Freedom to design a flexible approach to your working life.
• A business that gives 5% of its profits back into the community.
• A place where personal development is encouraged and supported.
• A genuinely fun, creative and non-political environment.
• Uncounted holiday
• Summer profit-share and Christmas bonus (discretionary)
• Hybrid working and flexibility
• Personalised training plan & coaching
• Optional private medical insurance & cashback plan
• Life Assurance, Critical Illness and Income Protection
• Enhanced family policies
• "Work from anywhere" allowance
• Season ticket loans and expensed Railcard
• Company bar
• New Business Bonus eligibility in year one