Senior Associate Director - Planning

London, England, United Kingdom

4/9/2025

Senior Associate Director – Planning, Bayer & Akzo UK

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At EssenceMediacom we want to eradicate inequity. We don't tolerate it and when we see it, we act. We attract, support and develop our talent without bias and strive to foster the empathy, creativity and diversity of thought needed to drive meaningful change for our people, our clients, our industry and our society. WPP and GroupM have already made strong commitments to combat racial injustice. While we are part of this group, we know we have an individual responsibility as an employer and an industry leader to fight against racism.

Even if you don’t meet all the requirements, that’s okay, and we encourage you to apply anyway to find out more about whether this is the right match for you.

Did you know that marginalised groups including women, people of colour and people with a disability are more likely to discount themself for a role if they don't feel they meet every requirement or understand the reasonable adjustment that can be made? This is why we encourage connection and conversation to ensure that everyone has the opportunity and information needed to find the right role, for them. If this role isn’t quite right, you may be the perfect fit for another – so go ahead, apply and find out!

Overview of role

EssenceMediacom is looking for a Senior Associate Planning Director to join the UK Bayer and Akzo media planning team, working on some of the world’s most recognisable consumer goods and pharmaceutical brands such as Dulux for Akzo, and Berocca, Clarityn, Canesten and Rennie for Bayer.

Both Bayer and Akzo have longstanding relationships with EssenceMediacom (10 years +) so you’ll be joining accounts based on excellent client relationships. Bayer is a digital-first, dynamic and diverse account and Akzo is high profile in their partnerships and brand advertising. This role is a fantastic opportunity for a strategic, quick thinking and creative media planner to develop work across all media channels both offline and online.

Across both, you will deliver best-in-class media strategy, creative thinking, and implementation within the UK across a global client who leans into 1AV and the agency in their integration of Essence’s media buying capabilities.

Reporting of the role

You will report into the Business Director.

3 best things about the job

• The work: You will have an opportunity to work with outstanding planners on exciting brand and performance briefs, from insight to delivery, giving the opportunity to create innovation and demonstrate real thought leadership. There are unlimited possibilities and a broad scope for ideas. You will be pivotal in planning and managing all media lines across offline and online.
• The team: EssenceMediaCom’s strength has always been our people and our Bayer/Akzo team reflects this with collaborative and friendly teams who produce brilliant work for our clients
• The client: this role includes significant exposure to a client group who are knowledgeable and keen to add more innovation to their media plans. They truly want to work in a collaborative nature with us, as partners rather than clients.
  
  

Measures of success

In three months, you would have:

• Onboarded fully on to the accounts and met all the key stakeholders
• Built strong relationships with team and senior clients.
• Worked closely with the BD to review ways of working processes and develop client growth plans
• Taken on responsibility of managing the quality of the work that is taken to the client and ensuring all reporting and finance processes and timings are adhered to.
  
  

In six months, you would have:

• Become the ‘go to’ for senior day to day clients. Become their trusted point person.
• Manage the development of exceptional, award winning planning work
• Recognised as a go-to source of energy and insight in the team
• Delivered a number of responses, with data and evidence led insights, ambitious innovation opportunities to push things forward
• Spotted a commercial opportunity for us to do things better, that would benefit the client and the business.
• Managed and developed your team, ensuring they are performing at their full potential and looking out for their wellbeing
• Agreed objectives with your BD to ensure constant progression.
• Contributed to EssenceMediaCom culture in the team – great planners with clear goals, objectives, and development plans
• Got involved in wider business unit workstreams
  
  

In 12 months, you would have:

• Become a key stakeholder in your clients’ business. Leading and executing their vision
• Developed the client business and contributed to its growth
• Become a ‘go-to’ expert for FMCG/Pharmaceutical media planning within the agency
  
  

Responsibilities of the role

• Managing the team and senior client relationships to ensure best in class comms planning and client servicing
• Effectively managing the wider EssenceMediaCom team to ensure collaboration and efficiency
• Leading annual planning and the running of any in year projects/workshops
• Ensure detail, accuracy and quality of all deliverables
• Developing your team, setting and monitoring KPIs
• Assisting your BD in the running of the account
  
  

What you will need

• Solid multimedia planning experience
• Experience managing senior clients and stakeholders
• Experience coordinating multiple stakeholders and agency partners
• A thirst for learning about technology, trends, media, people, brands and the industry
• An ambition and tenacity to make the ordinary extraordinary
• An ability to spot the real issue behind the brief – knowing how to challenge the client to understand what they really need
• Data-literacy – aware of the available resources and how to turn data into insights that shape clear strategic opportunities
• Attention to detail
• To have an opinion and be able to voice it in a clear and positive light
• Good storytelling skills – to give our ideas and thinking the best chance of coming to fruition
• Team management skills, including the ability to communicate clearly and manage workload
• Calm under pressure
  
  

About EssenceMediacom

We are a global communications agency leading with breakthrough thinking, building explosive growth for brands, and helping our clients see the bigger picture. Our daring global network of 10,000 influencers help our clients breach traditional boundaries in media, uncover novel ideas, and unleash exponential growth. EssenceMediacom challenges conventional thinking to build, propel, and supercharge our clients’ businesses at scale and lead our industry in critical areas such as diversity, equity, inclusion, and sustainability.

EssenceMediacom understands that our people are tasked with big goals: building breakthrough growth for brands and leading with breakthrough thinking in our industry. Our people are at the heart of this work because their ideas will enable us to decode the intersections of people, content, and technology to bring our aspirations to life. Our success is down to our eclectic, diverse, and talented people. EssenceMediacom is a place for us to grow our careers and expand our horizons. EssenceMediacom is committed to building an agency culture that supports our people, puts diversity at the forefront of our operations, and creates opportunity for all. This collective culture will be our “new power” where ideas are freely exchanged, and collaboration is actively encouraged in a place where you can innovate in our hyperconnected world.

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