Responsibilities

• Lead communications planning across assigned accounts — developing audience-first strategies that define the role of each channel, the logic of message sequencing, and the measurable outcomes each phase of a plan is designed to drive. Your comms plans have a point of view. They're not channel checklists.
• Translate brand and business briefs into integrated communications frameworks: audience segmentation, consumer journey mapping, channel roles and sequencing, and a clear articulation of what moves someone from awareness through to action. The frameworks you build should be specific enough to actually guide execution.
• Write and develop creative briefs. You understand that a great brief is a strategic act — it shapes what creative makes, not just how it gets made. You know how to distill an insight, define a single-minded proposition, and give a creative team enough constraint to do their best work.
• Serve as a senior strategic partner to clients on communications, campaign strategy, channel planning, and audience engagement. You're in the room when planning decisions are being made, contributing a point of view.
• Lead integrated communications planning across paid, owned, and earned media — defining the role of each channel, sequencing messaging, and establishing clear KPIs tied to business outcomes
• Translate complex business challenges into sharp, compelling strategic frameworks that inspire both clients and internal creative and media teams
• Partner closely with discipline leads across media, creative, CRM, and e-commerce to ensure full-funnel alignment from strategy through execution. Pressure test channel recommendations against real audience and behavioral data.
• Drive new business efforts by developing insight-led communications strategies and presenting with authority and conviction on a national stage
• Oversee audience analysis, consumer journey mapping, and competitive intelligence to uncover opportunities for brand growth and differentiation
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of planners — fostering a culture of strategic rigor, intellectual curiosity, and collaborative excellence
• Champion measurement and learning agendas, partnering with analytics teams to evaluate performance and continuously evolve planning approaches
• Stay ahead of emerging media trends, platform innovations, and cultural shifts — bringing fresh thinking and proactive POVs to clients and internal teams
• Represent DEPT®'s strategic capabilities in the market, contributing to thought leadership, industry events, and agency positioning

Requirements

• 8–12 years of experience in communications planning, media strategy, or integrated planning within an agency environment, including leadership experience
• Proven ability to develop and own senior client relationships, acting as a strategic partner and trusted advisor at the executive level
• Deep expertise across the full media ecosystem — paid, owned, and earned — with a strong understanding of how channels work together to drive business outcomes
• Experience leading integrated marketing strategies across media, creative, CRM, and/or e-commerce
• Strong leadership skills with a track record of building, mentoring, and developing high-performing planning teams
• Exceptional strategic thinking with the ability to turn complex data, research, and insights into clear, actionable, and inspiring communications frameworks
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills with the ability to craft and deliver compelling narratives to senior stakeholders and C-suite clients
• Proficiency with planning tools and audience intelligence platforms (GWI, MRI-Simmons, Nielsen, Comscore, etc.)
• New business experience with a proven ability to contribute to and win pitches at the agency level
• AI proficiency and a forward-thinking mindset — comfortable leveraging emerging tools to enhance planning efficiency and insight generation
• A collaborative, solutions-oriented leadership style with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, matrixed environment

Nice to Have

Benefits

• Healthcare, Dental, and Vision coverage
• 401k plan, plus matching
• PTO
• Paid Company Holidays
• Parental Leave