Associate Director, Planning

Role type: Full-time
Team: Strategy & Planning Team
Reporting to: Managing Partner Strategy & Planning
Estimated Start: July 2025
Location: On-site in Toronto Ontario
Compensation: We are open to hiring candidates in our various office locations. We also receive applications from and hire candidates with varying levels of experience for example those who have a few years experience in a role to those who are looking to make a step up. The salary ranges on our job postings are set so as to account for these variable factors with decisions on the salary to be offered only made once we know the experience and location of our new hire.

Work Authorization: This role is open to Canada citizens and Permanent Residents. We are unable to sponsor any work authorizations for this role.

Whats the role

We are seeking an experienced Cross-Channel Media Planner to join our digital-first agency. The ideal candidate will be a strategic thinker who can develop and execute innovative integrated media strategies that drive measurable business results for our clients. This role sits at the intersection of data creativity and media strategy leading the development of fluid holistic plans that balance both long-term brand building and short-term performance outcomes.

So tell me about the company

Brainlabs is culture-first. Youve probably heard other companies describe themselves as people clients or profit first but we see people clients and profit as the building blocks of our ecosystem. Culture powers all three and we know that when the ecosystem is balanced we all win! Thats why the culture we cultivate is a culture of winning together.

To learn more about what its like to be a Brainlabber check out ourculture code.

What you do

Strategic Planning & Leadership

• Responsible for understanding clients business objectives and advertising strategy to develop implement and activate the media plan
• Develop comprehensive national and local cross-channel media strategies that align with clients business objectives and marketing goals across paid owned earned and shared
• Includes but not limited to: audience analysis comms goal setting channel and media partner selection budget optimization flighting recommendation etc.
• Partner with strategy to translate business and audience insights into actionable communication objectives
• Drive innovation in media planning approaches incorporating the latest industry trends and best practices
• Partner with internal teams to ensure seamless integration of strategy planning and audience insights including:
• Account leads and clients: foster strong partnerships to understand business needs and challenges
• Data and measurement: develop and implement measurement frameworks to track campaign effectiveness
• Digital and traditional media specialist teams: Ensure seamless integration to ensure strategic vision is threaded through the entire media plan
• Creative: Ensure media strategy enhances creative effectiveness
• Media partners: Develop innovative solutions and opportunities
• Responsible for partnering with account leaderships strategy and channel leads to bring proactive thought leadership to the business

Client Leadership

• Build and maintain strong client relationships serving as a the day-to-day trusted advisor on media strategy
• Present strategic media recommendations to senior client stakeholders
• Lead client meetings and workshops to align on objectives and approach for cross-channel plan
• Provide thought leadership and point of view on industry trends and innovations

Who you are
Required Qualifications

• 4 years of experience in media planning with significant digital expertise
• Experience working in CPG Petcare or Retail experience
• Proven track record of developing and executing successful full-funnel cross-channel media strategies
• Experience with audience planning and segmentation including audience tools (GWI MRI YouGov Google Insights etc.)
• Experience with media planning and optimization tools (incl. Commspoint Nielsen Media Impact Comscore Ad Intel Pathmatics Claritas etc.)
• Deep understanding of media methodology including brand building principles and performance marketing
• Deep understanding of the digital media landscape including programmatic social search and emerging channels
• Proven experience taking complex plans and building easy-to-understand deck presentations both in story and visually
• Strong presentation and communication abilities

Desired Skills & Experience

• Strong understanding of media measurement including digital metrics traditional media metrics and attribution modeling
• Experience with marketing technology platforms (DSPs DMPs attribution tools)
• Knowledge of marketing mix modeling and multi-touch attribution
• Experience translating data to insights
• Experience crafting brand strategies
• Experience with advanced analytics and data visualization tools
• Background in managing integrated campaigns across multiple markets

What happens next

We know searching for a job is tough and that you want to find the best career and employer for you. We also want to ensure that this position is the best fit for both you and us. Therefore you will participate in a comprehensive interview process that includes skills interviews with our team. The goal of this process is to allow you to get to know us as we learn more about you.

Brainlabs actively seeks and encourages applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds and identities.

Thank you for your interest in Brainlabs! We look forward to getting to know you!

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