Senior Planner

**Overall purpose of the role**

A client-facing role, developing innovative strategic solutions for clients and helping them navigate the rapidly evolving world of marketing and communications. Where digital/social, advertising, branding, direct marketing, PR, media, and emerging platforms are all now converging and demands the kind of strategic thinking which can be a catalyst to opportunities offered by all these disciplines.

Our Planning department is a crucial part of the Agency’s success, helping clients puts Social Thinking at the heart of marketing, focusing on understanding people and what makes them social to generate powerful social insights which can drive actionable business value for brands.

**What does the role involve?**

**Strategy**

Taking client briefs, challenging them, developing them into inspiring and informative internal briefs. Keeping abreast of new trends and developments and sharing those with the rest of the team and company on a regular basis.

You will be responsible for turning ideas into well-rounded, strategically-sound, deliverable plans that you lead and write, collaborating with others in the team to encompass audience insights, trend analysis, marketing/media executions, timings and budgets.

**Creativity**

Driving the conception and development of innovative on-brief digital ideas for clients and/or new business, from bigger campaign themes to smaller execution/technology-led ideas. You should be able to collaboratively guide and lead the ideas-generation process, identifying and building on any ideas from other people within the agency. Having a pulse on new trends, developments, emerging platforms, and a sense of potential possibilities will also set you up for success in this role.

**Client-handling**

Articulating those plans for clients in written and spoken form - writing and giving clear presentations. Once ideas are sold-in, you will then be the guardian of that plan, ensuring it’s delivered in a way that remains on-brief and in-line with the agreed vision. This involves working closely with those implementing all elements, from designers, to developers to marketing managers.

**Research and Analysis**

Tools we use include : Global Web Index, Sysomos, Synthesio, Crimson Hexagon and Euromonitor

**Effectiveness**

Keen focus and understanding of how client business works and ability to develop strategic approaches clearly designed to help grow clients brands.

Leadership (Senior Planner/Planning Director)

As a senior member of the team you will lead by example providing mentorship and support for more junior members of the team. You will have a strong point of view on the future of the communications landscape and the role of social thinking within this. You will be experienced in expressing this point of view internally and externally and helping shape client and agency direction as a result of this.

**New Business**

You will also play a vital part in new business development, meeting prospective clients, presenting credentials, taking briefs and leading pitches. So you will be excited by the prospect of developing the agency as a business, pushing us into new areas, selling our ideas and approaches to new clients from new sectors.

**Requirements**:
**What are we looking for?**
- Senior Planner: 4 years in the same capacity
- Open, inquisitive, can-do character with a focus on problem solving in creative ways
- Passion for wider communications/marketing trends and culture as a whole
- Social media/advertising /brand enthusiast
- Confident enough to speak up, challenge and ask why (a lot)
- Collaborative with a passion for delivering industry-defining work
- Brings something new to the agency - demonstrate individual passions and expertise