VP of Strategic Media Planning

The VP of Strategy and Planning is responsible for leading the strategic planning, research, and client relationship management functions within the Strategy and Planning department at Goodway Group of Companies. This role plays a pivotal role in shaping the agency's strategic direction, ensuring that our media strategies are insight-driven, data-informed, and aligned with client business objectives.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Planning Expertise:

• Lead and inspire the strategic planning team in creating insight-driven, data-informed media strategies that effectively address client business problems.
• Oversee the strategic planning and research teams in mining consumer, category, and cultural data to derive insights that inform communications planning.
• Foster an understanding within the team of how various media channels work together to create a meaningful business impact for our clients.
• Design and implement a strategic planning methodology supported by syndicated and proprietary data, differentiating Goodway Group in the market. Ensure appropriate scaling of this methodology across all lines of business and client tiers.
• Provide recommendations on necessary data and tools to support this methodology, ensuring their successful adoption, including syndicated and in-house tools as required.
• Set high standards for excellent strategic planning work and conduct effective evaluations of the team's performance against these standards.
• Keep the team updated on industry trends, consumer insights, category dynamics, and media effectiveness, and produce thought leadership content as the agency's top strategic planning expert.

 Client Acumen:

• Serve as the senior-most strategic client contact for key clients, cultivating trusted advisor relationships and deep familiarity with clients' businesses to effectively leverage media for business outcomes.
• Coach and mentor the strategic planning team, enabling them to become trusted strategic advisors to our clients.
• Participate as the strategic lead in new business pitches to secure new clients and opportunities.

Team Development and Leadership:

• Develop and nurture strategic planning talent, ensuring consistent excellence in strategic thinking and planning.
• Evaluate team performance effectively using the On Track process, and manage the career trajectory of team members, offering feedback and coaching as needed.
• Cultivate a culture of curiosity, test-and-learn mentalities, and innovative thinking within the team.
• Design an organizational structure for the strategic planning and research teams that optimizes efficiency and effectiveness in client deliverables, promotes career growth, and positions Goodway Group for future success. Clearly define roles and responsibilities within this structure.
• Oversee resource allocation for the strategic planning and research teams, collaborating with Client Experience and Business Development on scoping and staffing for these functions.

 Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Foster a culture of collaboration with other departments, including Activation, Investment, Client Experience (CX), Business Development (BD), and Data Science & Analytics (DS&A), to consistently deliver outstanding client work.
• Partner with CX, BD, and Activation to establish clear hand-offs during collaborative planning processes.
• Collaborate closely with Activation to ensure seamless transition and "zoom fidelity" between strategic planning and activation phases.
• Collaborate with Line of Business (LOB) leads to ensure the strategic planning team meets client needs while operating within budgetary constraints.
• Work with other functional leaders to establish and maintain a collaborative, efficient, and effective workflow across the organization.

Qualifications:

• 15+ years of experience in media planning and strategy, with a proven track record of delivering outstanding results for clients.
• Strong leadership skills and the ability to inspire and develop a high-performing team.
• Exceptional analytical, data interpretation, and problem-solving skills.
• In-depth knowledge of media channels, consumer behavior, and industry trends.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Proficiency in using media planning and analytics tools.
• Experience in managing and fostering cross-functional collaboration.

#usremote