EVP, Media

As EVP, Media you will… 

Be a proven, senior solution-oriented leader with established success across multi-disciplinary media. You will set the vision, mission, and goals for the media teams.  Utilizing deep industry knowledge and experience, you will inspire the team members to push MERGE beyond industry standards to make our media strategy more innovative, smarter, and more robust. You must thrive on developing lasting relationships with agency and client teams and industry partners. 

Be Accountable and Responsible 

• Oversee a large portfolio of business, lead business relationships at the highest level and serve as the executive escalation point for client issues across all verticals 
• Build a national media team of the future for MERGE to support our growth across geographies and practice areas, determine optimal organizational structure
• Grow the offering of Media across all verticals/practices
• Lead our media teams towards achieving unparalleled synergy between digital, social, traditional media, and emerging platforms, ensuring our message resonates effectively with our diverse practice areas
• Lead and inspire a team of media professionals across different specializations, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and accountability
• Push the boundaries of how the department develops & communicates ideas and recommendations
• Ensure operational efficiency by continually evaluating team performance, and identifying process & workflow improvements to ensure adherence to media best practices
• Provide media planning leadership for key account(s), including participation in strategic client meetings & communication
• Support new business presentations 
• Stay on the leading edge of industry trends, and create energy among the team for fresh thinking
• Be accountable for team bandwidth by evaluating team allocations, monitoring utilization  rates and supporting the development of presentations/pitches
• Collaborate with other agency departments to bring strategic media perspectives to integrated teams
• Able to lead & train Media teams on how to develop strategic and tactical media recommendations
• Provide an energy level that brings new and exciting ideas, motivating other team members
• Foster and lead relationships with current and prospective media partners (Google and Meta are critical)
• Stay abreast of emerging trends and innovations in omnichannel media, adapting strategies to maintain competitive advantage and meet evolving consumer expectations
• Utilize analytics and insights to guide strategy, optimize media mix, and improve customer engagement, ensuring all content is data-informed
• Identify opportunities for additional tools needed to stay on top of current trends and to ensure the team is delivering strong strategic recommendations to our clients
• Support team development & individual employee growth through regular touch-bases, providing ongoing feedback

These are the qualifications we’re looking for 

• 20+ years of traditional and digital media planning experience required, experience in health, consumer and financial verticals a plus
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience. Masters degree a plus
• Experience building a national media team across geographies
• Outstanding leadership and communication skills, capable of motivating and inspiring a diverse team towards achieving strategic objectives, while fostering a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and excellence
• A proven track record in bringing innovative solutions to clients 
• Strong knowledge of digital media channels and traditional media, including traditional linear, broadcast, OOH, addressable TV, DDL, OTT, OLV, CTV and the metrics and measurement practices associated with each
• Ability to think critically and apply a strategic approach to all plans or projects
• Ability to work effectively with a variety of internal teams
• Displays a passion for media and advertising
• Strong organizational and mathematical skills (including basic media math)
• Ability to multi-task and deliver work on time for set deadlines
• Must be prepared for a fast-paced environment and be comfortable making decisions
• Expertise in identifying target audience segments to drive new customer acquisition
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills with the ability to translate data into insights and a deep understanding of how to leverage media mix modeling
• Ability to translate and present complex ideas in a simple, smart way 
• Strong problem-solving abilities and a willingness to consider unconventional ideas when recommending solutions 
• Ability to effectively manage multiple projects and work under pressure to deliver high-quality work within time timelines 
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, managing multiple priorities simultaneously

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