ASSISTANT MEDIA PLANNER JOB DESCRIPTION

Saying "media planning" undersells it. An Assistant Media Planner owns the operational layer that keeps multi-client campaigns moving: flowcharts, budget trackers, insertion orders, vendor RFPs, and performance pull requests that aggregate across broadcast, digital, out-of-home, and print. At advertising agencies serving B2C and B2B brands, this role trains under Media Planners and Supervisors while independently managing the documentation and vendor coordination that campaign execution depends on. The learning curve is steep, the analytical load is real, and MRI/Kantar syndicated research runs on day one.

You will own day-to-day media plan maintenance, vendor coordination, and campaign reporting across assigned client accounts, serving as the Assistant Media Planner who keeps multi-channel executions on track and on budget. The role sits within a structured agency planning team, supporting Media Planners and Supervisors while building direct relationships with external media vendors and internal account, creative, and investment teams.

Career Impact: Agency-side experience managing multi-channel plans across broadcast, digital, and OOH builds a credentials foundation that accelerates the path to a full Media Planner title within two to three years.

Business Impact: Client campaigns hold or slip based on how precisely insertion orders, budget pacing, and creative trafficking are managed; the work here directly determines whether brands hit their GRP and impression delivery targets.

Growth Opportunity: Exposure to syndicated research tools, co-op partnership analysis, and competitive reporting develops the quantitative fluency that distinguishes senior planners in a market increasingly shaped by programmatic and connected TV buying.

• Develop and maintain media flowcharts, budget summaries, and status sheets across assigned client accounts to reflect current plan details.
• Coordinate vendor RFP requests, including assembling media kits and organizing responses for review by senior planners.
• Support campaign execution by trafficking creative assets, pulling ad specifications, and monitoring delivery pacing across digital channels.
• Compile syndicated research runs and analyze audience, demographic, and competitive data to support planning recommendations.
• Prepare and distribute meeting notes from vendor and internal calls, ensuring follow-up actions are captured and tracked.
• Manage insertion orders and contracts throughout the campaign lifecycle, maintaining accurate records of authorizations and approvals.
• Assist in building pre- and post-campaign performance summaries, pulling data from digital platforms and formatting for team review.
• Reconcile monthly budgets by tracking invoices, documenting current spend, and flagging discrepancies for resolution.

• Bachelor's degree in advertising, marketing, communications, or equivalent work experience.
• 1 or more years of media planning or buying experience, with exposure to agency workflows or internship-level campaign support.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret syndicated research data, including audience segmentation and competitive reporting outputs.
• Strong quantitative reasoning skills, with comfort performing budget calculations, pacing analyses, and data formatting tasks.
• Proficiency in spreadsheet and presentation software sufficient to build and maintain flowcharts, trackers, and client-facing documents.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills for vendor correspondence, internal reporting, and stakeholder updates.
• Proven organizational ability to manage multiple concurrent accounts and campaign timelines under shifting priorities.
• Authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship.

• Experience with syndicated media research platforms such as MRI, Nielsen, or Kantar, applied to audience analysis or plan development.
• Familiarity with digital media operations including ad trafficking workflows, third-party tag management, or programmatic campaign structures.
• Prior exposure to emerging TV environments such as connected TV, OTT, or addressable formats within a planning or buying context.
• Coursework or hands-on experience in media math, marketing analytics, or statistical methods relevant to campaign measurement.

• Campaign budget reconciliation accuracy, measured as the percentage of lines closed without billing discrepancies.
• Insertion order turnaround time, tracking days from brief to executed vendor contract across assigned accounts.
• Flowchart and status sheet currency rate, reflecting how consistently plan documents match live campaign details.
• Post-campaign report completion rate, measuring on-time delivery of performance summaries to planners and account teams.
• Vendor RFP response organization score, based on completeness and turnaround of assembled media kit requests.
• Typical tools: syndicated research platforms (commonly MRI, Nielsen/Arbitron); media planning and order management software (commonly Mediaocean, Strata)

• Base Salary Range: $42,000–$58,000 annually, varying by market and agency size
• Bonus: Discretionary year-end bonus, typically 5–8% of base
• Equity: Not standard at this level in agency environments
• Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision coverage; employer contribution varies by agency
• PTO: 10–15 days annually, plus standard US holidays
• Common Perks: Hybrid work flexibility, agency training programs, media industry event access

Figures are estimates based on general US market benchmarks and may be outdated. Adjust based on location, company size, and seniority level.

Successful completion of a background check is required as a condition of employment. All applicants are considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. Reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities are available upon request during the hiring process. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

The Assistant Media Planner owns the end-to-end media vendor process, from issuing RFPs and pulling ad specs to managing insertion orders and invoicing, across assigned client accounts. Working closely with Media Planners, Media Supervisors, and Media Directors, this role delivers accurate campaign execution and contributes to performance reporting and budget pacing that keeps client media programs on track.

Key Responsibilities

• Create, send, and organize completed media vendor RFPs, including requesting vendor media kits and information.
• Conduct audience and industry research via media tools and resources to support the media team in strategy and planning, including performing MRI/Kantar runs.
• Coordinate, attend, and participate in meetings with various media vendors and take notes on calls to send to the larger team as follow-ups.
• Maintain account status sheets, flowcharts, budget summaries, plan delivery, and research and competitive reports.
• Serve as back-up contact point for internal and external account queries on media plan implementation and maintenance topics.
• Maintain appropriate records of all media plan authorizations, written directions, recommendations, and vendor contracts that result in client decisions or approvals.
• Pull ad specs, ad screenshots, and third-party ad tags from Google Campaign Manager as required.
• Maintain a clear view of upcoming campaigns, key campaign dates, creative switches, and media buy details.
• Own the contract, insertion, and invoicing process.
• Pull campaign performance data from various digital platforms and help format data for visualization.
• Assist with campaign budgeting, including documenting current spend and daily budget pacing across digital channels and clients.

Required Qualifications

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a detail-oriented and organized approach.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to adapt to and learn new technologies.
• Effective time management and prioritization skills.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks with competing priorities simultaneously.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Positive, professional, enthusiastic, and team-oriented work style.

Embedded within the media planning team supporting multiple Expedia Group Brands, the Assistant Media Planner develops holistic multi-media plan recommendations that deliver on brand media strategies and established media principles. Working closely with brand leads, media leads, finance, and vendors, this role advances coordinated campaign performance by stewarding broadcast integrations, sponsorships, and digital buys across Canada's national marketplace.

Core Functions

• Support the media planner in building holistic media plan recommendations that deliver on brand media strategies and established media principles.
• Steward multi-media plans, brand broadcast integrations, and sponsorships.
• Study brand target consumer media habits and recommend media opportunities that build brand consideration and affinity.
• Coordinate brand market and vendor budgets and delivery, including GRPs, impressions, sponsorships, and integrations.
• Compile and analyze relevant metrics on an ongoing basis to optimize media plans and schedules, analyze media alternatives, and make sound recommendations.
• Build pre- and post-campaign summations for co-op partnerships and major brand sponsorships.
• Collaborate with internal teams to build and execute media testing strategies that drive business efficiencies.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent required.
• Minimum 1+ years of CA national TV and digital media planning experience.
• Experience in connected TV/OTT, addressable, and programmatic TV preferred.
• Experience working with media planning and research software, including NLogic, Infosys, Vividata, Numerator, and Ad Dynamics.
• Strong analytical skill set with the ability to derive TV optimization insights from data and make solid recommendations.
• Minimum intermediate-level proficiency in Microsoft Office, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Highly collaborative, with excellent interpersonal skills.
• Ability to build relationships with brands, media leads, finance, and vendors.
• Strong oral and written communication skills with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, culturally diverse environment.

Reporting to senior media leadership, the Assistant Media Planner supports audience research, demographic analysis, and media plan development across digital and offline channels for client campaigns. Partnering with client teams, media strategy leads, and account teams, this role shapes the targeting and channel mix decisions that increase campaign exposure and engagement across diverse consumer segments.

Primary Duties

• Work with clients, media strategy, and account teams to understand client business goals and establish media objectives and strategies for campaigns.
• Leverage tools and research to develop insights and ideas.
• Work with syndicated and client data to assist in analysis and media plan development.
• Analyze demographic and behavioral data to identify desired target audiences for digital and offline media.
• Evaluate a wide range of media vehicles and contribute new ideas to effectively reach the target consumer.
• Implement daily task management in support of defined media goals and work with cross-functional teams to develop proposals and evaluations for defined campaign objectives.
• Develop and manage media documents, including media schedules and financials, to keep projects and campaigns on track, on schedule, and within budget.
• Assist with analysis and strategic insights from monthly performance data.

Skills & Qualifications

• 1–2 years of media planning experience, preferably in an agency setting.
• Exposure across multiple consumer media types, including digital, broadcast, and other forms of media.
• Working knowledge of industry-standard media research tools, including MRI, Clear Decisions, AdIntel, and Mediaocean.
• Strong mathematical abilities with a detail-oriented and organized approach.
• Ability to maintain composure under pressure and handle multiple tasks while meeting deadlines.
• Curious, inquisitive mindset with a willingness to contribute thinking and ideas beyond media-specific tasks.

Sitting at the intersection of digital media operations and client campaign delivery, the Assistant Media Planner coordinates everyday media activities, from research and flowcharts to trafficking creative units, on behalf of agency clients. Operating across internal teams, external vendors, and business partners, this role supports accurate campaign administration and maintains the documentation that keeps media buys and billing on track.

Duties

• Assist the online media team with day-to-day operations, including media research and analysis, planning, buying, campaign administration, and reporting.
• Interact with outside vendors and external business partners regarding media authorizations, billing, insertion orders, and report procurements.
• Assist in the development of tactical components of client media campaigns, including flowcharts, spreadsheets, and budget summaries.
• Assist in daily campaign administration, including tracking, report preparation, and trafficking of creative units.
• Maintain ownership of vital documentation, binders, and the media library.
• Serve as the primary initial point of contact with media vendors and publishers.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in advertising, communications, or a closely related field.
• Prior work or internship experience in an advertising agency or similar environment.
• Interactive experience highly desirable.
• Formal coursework in math, statistics, and computational analytics a plus.
• High comfort level with technology, including PC proficiency and familiarity with MS Office, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Strong interest in interactive media and marketing with the energy and organizational skills to multi-task in a fast-paced environment.

A key member of the media planning team, the Assistant Media Planner assists in the research, development, and execution of integrated media plans spanning broadcast, digital, and out-of-home channels for client campaigns. Collaborating across media planners, brand planning, creative, and account service disciplines, this role ensures monthly budgets are reconciled and that client campaigns are supported by well-researched, contemporary communications strategies.

Functions

• Communicate with media vendors to resolve invoice discrepancies and evaluate new media opportunities.
• Assist in research for the development of the media plan.
• Assist in the development and execution of effective media plans across all media types to support client campaigns and brands.
• Seek, review, and develop new and innovative media solutions.
• Work with other media planners to utilize broadcast, digital, and out-of-home teams as thought partners in building overall strategy.
• Work with media planners to collaborate in an integrated way with other disciplines, including brand planning, creative, and account service.
• Assist with the preparation of presentation recommendations internally and to clients.
• Ensure the media budget is reconciled on a monthly basis.
• Allocate budgets and manage costs by confirming and tracking invoices.
• Keep the supervisor and director informed of client workflow and market challenges.

Experience & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field preferred.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience in a related field.
• Accounting or finance background.
• Extremely strong math skills with high proficiency in Microsoft Office.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills.

Consistent execution of client campaigns depends on the Assistant Media Planner, who assists with media plan development, campaign performance monitoring, and billing reconciliation across digital channels. Based within a cross-functional agency environment spanning creative, data, investment, and search and social teams, this role delivers the internal documentation and strategic support that keeps campaigns performing against defined objectives.

Accountabilities

• Assist with the development of client deliverables, including media plans, weekly reports, post-campaign analyses, presentations, quarterly business reviews, POVs, and research.
• Work closely with internal and external teams, including creative, data, investment, and search and social teams, to help form overall strategy, planning, and execution of campaigns.
• Maintain internal documents such as budget trackers, pacing reports, and status sheets, and provide updates to the team.
• Support campaign management and monitor performance.
• Assist with reconciliation and resolution of billing discrepancies.

Background & Experience

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, with a focus in Business Administration, Marketing, or Advertising/Media is a plus.
• Highly numerate and comfortable with data analysis and how it feeds into performance planning.
• Excellent attention to detail and organizational skills with the ability to meet frequent deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with a positive, team-player attitude.
• Self-starter committed to achieving results.

As the Assistant Media Planner, this role supports all facets of advertising placement, from ideation and planning through negotiation and campaign stewardship, within a seasoned, multi-platform in-house agency team. The planning and buying team relies on this work to build consumer and media trend insights and to develop and manage campaigns across all media types toward shared marketing goals.

Activities

• Research and gain insights into consumer behavior and media trends.
• Interact with global media properties and forge relationships.
• Work with internal and external teams to develop.
• Manage campaigns across all media types.
• Learn how to take a campaign from concept to execution, including planning, negotiating, and stewarding, as well as industry standards, processes, new software and tools, and negotiation tactics.

Professional Experience

• Four-year degree, with an advertising and marketing degree highly considered.
• Strong Microsoft Office skills with strong math skills.
• Analytical and creative thinking ability with an inquisitive nature and interest in current trends and consumer behavior.
• Self-disciplined, energetic, and motivated, with an outgoing personality and strong communication skills.
• Ability to apply past learning and experience to new projects.

Assistant Media Planner delivers support across broadcast, digital, out-of-home, radio, and print platforms in close coordination with Media Planners and Supervisors on day-to-day account management and plan development. The work directly supports accurate media recommendations, campaign reporting, and syndicated research runs that keep multi-media accounts on schedule and within plan.

Operational Focus

• Assist the team in formulating and compiling media recommendations.
• Assist the planner on campaign execution, management, and reporting.
• Prepare weekly and monthly reports, including flowcharts and competitive reports.
• Train and manage work for interns.
• Compile and review syndicated research runs and complete ongoing reports.

Knowledge Skills & Abilities

• Experience with syndicated media research tools, including Nielsen, Arbitron, and MRI, beneficial.
• Detail-oriented with excellent organization and multitasking skills.
• Excellent computer skills, with proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint required.
• Comfortable with numbers and general math, with the ability to interpret research and analyze data.
• Ability to think strategically and work on numerous assignments concurrently, with the ability to shift priorities on short notice.

The Assistant Media Planner leads foundational media planning tasks,  gathering research, issuing insertion orders, supporting campaign analysis, and contributing fresh perspectives to assigned accounts. Working closely with media planners and coordinating across external partners and internal departments, this role builds the analytical and strategic skills that improve client satisfaction and overall account health.

Key Responsibilities

• Gather information to be used in the development of media plans.
• Partner with media planners in the development of media plans and recommendations.
• Prepare and maintain buy details, flowcharts, and budget reports.
• Issue and maintain media insertion orders and contracts.
• Assist with campaign analysis and optimization recommendations.
• Coordinate with external partners and internal departments.
• Contribute to the overall well-being of assigned accounts and client satisfaction.
• Bring fresh perspectives and ideas while building foundational skills in strategic media planning.

Required Qualifications

• Related coursework in advertising, marketing, or communications.
• 0–1 year of media planning or buying experience, with internships preferred.
• Working understanding of media, research resources, and terminology.
• Strong Excel and PowerPoint or Keynote skills with strong multitasking abilities.
• Detail-oriented with the ability to work well independently and with team members.
• Positive attitude and team-player orientation with the ability to deliver on deadlines.
• Natural affinity for research, numbers, and analysis.

Embedded within A4's sales support structure, the Assistant Media Planner develops and manages local linear TV orders through Salesforce, Strata/TIM, Athena, and ShowSeeker Pilot while serving as the primary point of contact between Account Executives and internal scheduling, traffic, and client services teams. Working closely with account executives, traffic, and client services, this role delivers accurate campaign administration and post-sale account support that frees the sales team to focus on revenue-generating activity.

Core Functions

• Work in coordination with account executives to ensure media orders are completed accurately and on time.
• Interact with internal departments, including client services, credit, traffic, and production, on behalf of account executives.
• Ensure client campaign details are captured in Salesforce and media orders are processed completely.
• Create TV schedules in front-end systems, including Strata/TIM, Athena, and ShowSeeker Pilot.
• Submit orders for required approvals and follow up to ensure all approvals are received.
• Build clearance schedules, revisions, and make-goods in coordination with traffic and scheduling.
• Handle client payments, CIA, and provide clients with instructions for online credit card payments as needed.
• Ensure correct linear ad copy assets are obtained and forwarded to commercial insertion.
• Coordinate with client services on the timing of multi-screen campaigns.
• Oversee the generation of performance reports, monthly billing, and reprinting of invoices as needed.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree preferred.
• 3 years of prior experience in sales support, advertising, digital marketing, or related fields.
• Knowledge of Salesforce, Strata, TIM, Eclipse, or other media traffic software.
• Strong computer skills, including Office 365, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams.
• Professional communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent time management and strict attention to detail.
• Flexible and adaptable to a constantly changing work environment.

Reporting to advertising leadership, the Assistant Media Planner drafts purchase orders, monitors schedules, and manages advertising activities from start to finish within an in-house agency environment. Partnering with all internal and external departments, this role delivers accurate order execution and creative proofing that supports the department's growth and long-term operational effectiveness.

Primary Duties

• Draft purchase orders and traffic jobs from start to finish.
• Monitor schedules and day-to-day advertising activities.
• Pull time-period post analysis.
• Work with all internal and external departments to ensure proper delivery of orders.
• Suggest modifications to system reports and campaign processes.
• Proof art files for print-readiness.

Skills & Qualifications

• Associate's or bachelor's degree in advertising or a related field.
• Preferably 2 years of experience within an advertising, marketing, or media environment.
• Strong Microsoft Office Excel skills with very strong organizational skills and particular attention to detail and problem-solving.
• Exceptional communication skills with strong negotiation and decision-making ability.
• Strong team orientation with a positive, upbeat, professional, and responsible attitude.
• Creative thinker with the flexibility and capacity to juggle many responsibilities at once.

Sitting at the intersection of pharmaceutical marketing and media campaign management, the Assistant Media Planner aids in creating tactical media recommendations, manages creative asset submission through the FDA regulatory team, and ensures the financial integrity of contractual documentation across the full campaign lifecycle. Operating across media suppliers, interagency contacts, and internal brand and regulatory teams, this role builds the supplier relationships and competitive insight that keep pharmaceutical client campaigns compliant, targeted, and effective.

Duties

• Aid in creating tactical recommendations by partnering with media suppliers to ensure all media placements are impactful to the client's target audience.
• Maintain a basic understanding of the client's overall business goals and strategic marketing objectives.
• Ensure the financial integrity of contractual documentation throughout the entirety of the media campaign.
• Develop positive rapport with supplier and interagency contacts.
• Mitigate campaign performance reporting errors.
• Manage creative asset submission through the FDA regulatory team.
• Garner competitive insights from large data sets and identify notable trends.

Requirements

• 4-year business degree or equivalent, preferably in Communications or Marketing.
• Previous experience in marketing, media, or a related field.
• Proficient use of spreadsheets, word processing, and presentation graphics.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Proactive, detail-oriented, and results-oriented, with the ability to meet timelines.