Planning Manager - Strategy & Comms in London

About WPP Media

WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. With exceptional talent, trusted data and intelligence, and world-class partnerships – all united by our pioneering agentic marketing platform, WPP Open – we help clients navigate change, capture opportunity, and deliver transformational growth. WPP Media is WPP's AI-driven media operating unit, bringing together media, data, and partnerships to deliver creative personalisation at scale. Connected through WPP Open and powered by Open Intelligence, clients see exactly where, how, and why their media investment is working. For more information, visit wppmedia.com.

About the role:

The planning team are the guardians of creating industry leading, unrivalled work at WPP. We are central conduits to all specialists, striving to push boundaries and have a positive impact on consumers and brand.

We are looking for a Planning Manager to join our expert media planning team for our prestigious automotive client account for the UK, creating impactful cross channel campaigns and building your media planning skills. This role is central to translating our client's modern luxury vision into actionable media plans that drive desire and deliver exceptional results. The Planning Manager will be supporting the Planning Account Director in transforming the strategic frameworks, uncovering deep consumer insights and leveraging the full capabilities of WPP Open to create hyper-personalised, immersive brand experiences that connect with high-value audiences at every touchpoint. This individual will be a partner to the internal WPP teams, ensuring all media efforts are aligned with our client’s brand objectives and business goals. The Planning Manager will work closely with the strategy, planning and activation teams to ensure the transition of the strategic approach to planning and activations. This team will be at the forefront of WPP agency integration model working alongside creative, production and underpinned by data and technology in WPP Open.

In this role you will:

• Media Planning Craft: Develop an in-depth understanding of media channels including where, when and how to use them based on the client brief. Have a skilled knowledge of WPP and industry media planning tools and be able to train other team members. Have a skilled understanding of industry best practices and planning theory. Develop a fundamental knowledge of WPP Purchase Journey thinking and Provocative Planning Philosophy.
• Campaign Management: Ownership of campaign activity including briefing teams, collating response, managing client’s deliverables, and ensuring accuracy across all workstreams. Work closely with the planning and activation teams to ensure the day-to-day account is run efficiently and effectively. Be able to bring in specialist teams where needed to work on briefs and client questions. Ensure financial management processes are always excellent and met in a timely manner.
• Effective communication: Become a trusted main day-to-day contact for junior clients, learning their business and ways of working. Ensuring that all requests & queries are answered with accuracy and in a timely manner. Support in managing Planning Executives to ensure they are on track with daily tasks, mentor and challenge them with new projects to develop their career. Start to develop a proactive problem-solving mindset but know when to flag any issues or concerns with the Planning Director.

Core skills:

• Practice Area Knowledge – Skilled: Demonstrates knowledge of the media landscape including future trends, best practice and challenges. Comfortable using (or briefing out) of the various products, platforms and systems that comms planning use. Develops breadth and depth of industry understanding. Becomes confident using tools, technology, techniques and systems and is able to train others. Comfortable presenting both direct from platform (OS, Architect etc) and developing a story from data but delivered outside of platform (Telmar etc). Can confidently answer client questions and liaise with internal teams on best solutions to use.
• Problem Solving – Fundamental: Applies focused questioning and systematic research to understand the problem and wider impact. Translates business problems into solutions. Uses critical questioning and maintains a broad perspective when analysing information to gain a deeper understanding of the problem and wider impact. Quickly generates appropriate solutions informed by previous experience. Understands how to resolve escalated issues and supports others to problem solve. Supports or leads troubleshooting communication for issues. Asks questions and performs routine or basic analysis to define problems. Generates some solutions in own area of work and suggests additional sources of information to further investigate problems. Seeks a variety of perspectives and inputs and probes for more information to fully understand the problem and wider impact. Provides communication support for troubleshooting issues internally and externally with third parties. Develops a broad understanding of industry tools, technology, techniques and systems as well as application. Can run simple tasks independently and either present to clients direct or package for wider team.
• Stakeholder Relationships – Fundamental: Demonstrates knowledge of the agencies (or clients) organization structure and people, client relationships, business strategy, industry and challenges. Cultivates, nurtures and grow relationships with key clients, stakeholders and decision makers internally, externally and virtually. Has a good understanding of how the agency operates and works with their clients. Knows about the client’s business and who the key decision makers are there. Has good understanding of agency and client and their business goals and challenges. Builds a working knowledge of market trends affecting the client (and agency). Responds to stakeholder requests in an accurate, timely and professional manner and seeks to have a good understanding of client needs and challenges.
• Effective Communications – Skilled: Is able to lead dialogues between and with internal and external people (strategy, comms planning, channel planning and activation teams as well as clients and media partners). Uses simple, clear and human language wherever possible but can be technical when required. Thinks about most appropriate communication channels and styles and employs active listening. Breaks down complex technical information into understandable language, guiding others on best practice. Uses knowledge and expertise to generate comprehensible, broadly-applicable communications. Designs differentiated communications (content focus, style, presentation, etc.) for various internal and external audiences based on an understanding of their differing levels of familiarity. Attends client and agency meetings to present.
• Campaign Management – Skilled: Manages and takes ownership of several project/tasks accurately and thoroughly and with minimal error- without losing track of important details or deliverables. Teaches others the importance of accuracy and thoroughness so that sufficiently detailed information is logged correctly. Manages and takes ownership of campaigns from start to completion, maintaining accurate pipeline and campaign information across elements of the plans. E.g creative trackers and booking deadlines. Delivers accurate reports with value-added insights and actionable findings to improve campaign performance. Be accountable for the ongoing management of campaign budgets. E.g finance reconciliations. Balances several projects and tasks simultaneously with minimal error and without losing track of important details or deliverables.
• Compelling Storytelling – Skilled: Be able to use knowledge of the media ecosystem, industry trends and clients' business pressure points to build a persuasive story and recommendation that acknowledges their preferred communication style. Applies big picture thinking in work and proactively leverages an understanding of the organisation and key industry trends. Understand the different elements of responses. Designs differentiated communications (content focus, style, presentation, etc.) for various internal and external audiences.
• Ideas Creation – Skilled: Generates or facilitates new ideas, methods, innovation or creative media solutions that can deliver growth. Regularly engages in new projects/activities that can help solve identified barriers or opportunities as part of planning. Can identify the relevant partners to bring ideas to life. Uses wider industry knowledge and trend understanding to help generate solutions that can deliver against communication objectives.
• Comms Planning – Skilled: Finds solutions for client business problems using media. Applies knowledge of client, audience, channel, market and category to effectively deliver compelling multi-media plans. Translates learnings and trends to create marketing communication strategies that are effective with clear measurement. Application of purchase journey thinking and visualisation of how the media plan works across channels. Translation of strategic direction / platform / provocation into directional role for media, channel role and behaviour in channel. Identifies and recommends budget shifts as campaign is in-flight where appropriate.

Life at WPP Media & Benefits

Our passion for shaping the next era of media is powered by our commitment to Be Extraordinary, investing in our employees to inspire transformational creativity. We also Lead Optimistically, firmly believing in and Championing Growth and Development for every individual. This commitment allows WPP Media employees to leverage the extensive global WPP Media & WPP networks to pursue their passions, build vital professional connections, and learn at the cutting edge of marketing and advertising. We Create an Open environment built on trust and respect, where everyone feels they belong and has opportunities to progress. This inclusive culture is fostered through a variety of employee resource groups and frequent in-office events showcasing team wins, sharing thought leadership, and celebrating holidays and milestone events. Our comprehensive benefits package reflects this commitment, including competitive medical, group retirement plans, vision, and dental insurance, significant paid time off, preferential partner discounts, and employee mental health awareness days.

WPP Media is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection in this open and supportive environment. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office around four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

Please note this is a UK based role and requires individuals to have the right to work in this location.

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