Planning Manager

You will play a crucial part at driving the execution across numerous campaigns. Nailing the brilliant basics and having superb attention to detail is critical for everything we do, whilst staying calm under pressure as you juggle multiple deadlines.  The right candidate will have strong communication skills and the ability to manage both our internal teams and external partners seamlessly. You will be collaborating with clients and internal stakeholders, delivering exceptional client service, ensuring the effective use of media resources to optimise campaign performance. 

We're seeking a collaborative team player, ready to ready to jump in and help us succeed. If you're passionate about shaping compelling plans and making a tangible difference, this is your opportunity to shine. 

What behaviours we need from you: 

As a Planning Manager, you are the heartbeat of the agency and your team at Havas. You will be a positive, motivated individual with a can-do attitude and you’ll be continuing to build out your media understanding and learning. 

Core Responsibilities: 

• Design and implement comprehensive media plans aligned with business and marketing goals 

• Conduct audience research to understand demographics, behaviours and media consumption patterns 

• Demonstrate a good understanding of the planning process and suite of planning tools  

• Help to deliver high quality planning responses and PCAs 

• Identify the most effective mix of media channels (digital, social, print, radio, outdoor, etc.) to maximise reach and impact 

• Coordinate and manage campaign workflows and timelines to ensure smooth delivery 

• Collaborate with other teams including creative, media specialists and external agency teams to ensure effective delivery of campaigns 

• Serve as a point of contact for clients and stakeholders, building and maintaining long-lasting relationships 

• Monitor budgets across channels to achieve optimal outcomes and track media expenditures to ensure adherence to financial plans 

• Analyse campaign performance using key metrics and analytics tools to provide actionable insights and guide future planning 

• Stay updated on media trends to adapt plans to evolving consumer behaviours and integrate new tools and platforms into media strategies 

• Ensure campaign billing, booking and reconciliation processes are accurate and timely 

• Train and coach Executives, helping to develop their skills and supporting them to understand media fundamentals 

• Communication responsibilities, both written and oral, across both client and internal teams 

Key Goals and Objectives: 

• Consistently deliver client work to brief, on time, and with high accuracy & attention to detail 

• Contribute towards daily-weekly-monthly goals through supporting other team members 

• Take responsibility for quality control across all outputs 

• Contribute towards department growth by mentoring and supporting juniors 

Technical Skills & Competencies: 

• You have an in-depth understanding of the wider media landscape and how each channel fits into broader marketing strategies. 

• You are familiar with media planning and analytics tools to coordinate and help drive innovative, forward-thinking media processes and campaigns.  

• You are comfortable communicating with and managing expectations of clients and stakeholders. 

• You have previous project management experience and are confident coordinating with internal and external teams to execute media plans across multiple projects simultaneously. 

• You stay informed about emerging technologies, including AI and are open to exploring how automation and AI tools can enhance creativity, performance and efficiency in media. 

• You are comfortable mentoring and supporting junior team members to foster professional growth, collaboration and high performance. 

• You have the ability to brief and manage financial processes. 

What’s on offer from Havas: 

We want you to do the best work of your career. To support you in managing your career, as well as your commitments and priorities in your life, we have created a modern, market leading approach to personal benefits, wellbeing, and care: 

• We have shown at Havas, that we can all work productively in a new Hybrid manner 

• To give you even more flexibility, and support a better balance between work and life, Havas employees are given the opportunity to work remotely from anywhere in the world for up to 4 weeks per calendar year. 

• Alongside a generous holiday allocation and birthday off, we allocate one day per quarter as mental health days. These are simply days you can take off, guilt free and without eating into your holiday allowance. 

• We have a market leading parental package for our employees. The Parental Life at Havas policy enhances, broadens, and encourages the uptake of parental leave for all parents, regardless of gender, type of relationship, type of parentship or any other potentially defining characteristic. This means up to 6 months equal parenthood leave, paid at 100%*, to Parental Support & Fertility Support Loans and more. 

• We haven’t lost the fun stuff either - social club, early Friday finishes and weekly bar nights at HVM are all included! 

 #LI-LM2