Media Planner

SUMMARY:
Media Planner

POSITION INFO:
About the Role Our client is seeking a Senior Specialist and Capability Lead to build and spearhead a proactive, profitable integrated media function. This is a strategic leadership role designed to expand the agency's expertise across traditional, alternative, and emerging media, ensuring the organisation can lead comprehensive, multi-channel accounts. Key Responsibilities Strategy & Planning: Develop integrated media strategies that define audience priorities, channel roles, reach\/frequency logic, and measurement plans across TV, radio, OOH, cinema, and print. Capability Building: Establish the agency's internal infrastructure for media planning, including creating standard templates, checklists, and automated workflows. Partnership Management: Build and maintain senior relationships with broadcasters, media owners, sports properties, and emerging media partners to secure high-value opportunities. Commercial Ownership: Manage the full media workstream from brief to reconciliation, ensuring commercial discipline, margin protection, and accurate financial reporting. Market Intelligence: Utilise industry research tools (such as Telmar, TAMS\/RAMS, or OMC) to provide competitive intelligence and share-of-voice reporting. Consultative Selling: Lead client presentations for media recommendations and support the business development team in winning integrated media assignments. Campaign Stewardship: Oversee the end-to-end implementation of campaigns, including booking, traffic management, material delivery, and post-campaign evaluations. Alternative Media Development: Source bespoke opportunities in product placement, branded entertainment, and hyperlocal media to drive client differentiation. Requirements Experience: Substantial hands-on experience in media planning, buying, and implementation within the South African landscape, specifically across TV, Radio, and OOH. Technical Skills: Fluent command of media mathematics (GRP, TRP, CPP, reach\/frequency) and proficiency with industry audience currencies. Systems Knowledge: Experience with ERP systems and project management tools (e.g., ClickUp or similar) for workflow governance. Strategic Mindset: A proactive \"builder\" mentality with the ability to create processes and commercial models from the ground up. Communication: Exceptional client-facing presentation skills with the ability to translate complex data into commercial insights. Collaboration: A proven track record of working laterally across Creative, Strategy, Finance, and Digital Performance teams. What's on Offer Hybrid Flexibility: A modern working model offering flexibility between office-based collaboration and remote delivery. Leadership Opportunity: The mandate to shape and own a new line of business within an established agency environment. Performance Incentives: Access to performance-linked remuneration based on the realised growth and profitability of the media capability. Professional Growth: A high-visibility role reporting directly to the Managing Director, with the opportunity to define the agency''s long-term media proposition.