Media Planner

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.