Freelance, Associate Director, Media Planning

USA (Remote)

$90/hr – $120/hrSenior Level5+ years expContract

Posted 2 months ago

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Job Summary

Own end-to-end strategy for connected experiences by translating audience insights into unified planning that blends brand, content, and commerce.

  • Lead cross-functional teams to design experience-led solutions that integrate strategy, creative, media, data, and technology.
  • Establish holistic measurement and storytelling to connect exposure with outcomes, moving beyond siloed attribution.

Job Description

Responsibilities

  • Define end-to-end connections strategies grounded in audience, cultural, and behavioral insights—linking communications, content, and commerce into a unified system.
  • Architect full-funnel ecosystems that integrate paid, owned, earned, and shared touchpoints to deliver cohesive and connected consumer experiences.
  • Partner with clients as a strategic growth advisor, identifying opportunity space, shaping business challenges, and unlocking new opportunities beyond media investment.
  • Orchestrate the interplay between brand building and performance, ensuring immediate impact while compounding long-term brand equity.
  • Lead cross-functional teams (Strategy, Creative, Media, Data, Technology) to develop experience-led solutions, not just channel plans.
  • Translate data and insights into clear narratives and actionable frameworks that influence senior stakeholders and drive decision-making.
  • Establish holistic measurement approaches that connect exposure, engagement, and outcomes—moving beyond siloed channel attribution to true effectiveness storytelling.
  • Drive innovation in how we connect with audiences, continuously evolving frameworks, tools, and approaches to stay ahead of changing behaviors and platforms.
  • Play a leading role in new business and thought leadership, articulating a differentiated vision for integrated strategy and connections planning.
  • Mentor and elevate a team of strategists, fostering systems thinking, curiosity, and strategic rigor in their work.

Requirements

  • 5-7 years of experience in omni-channel media strategy and planning, with a proven track record of leading large-scale accounts.
  • Experience in "Connections Planning" or Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), with a deep understanding of how content and media intersect.
  • Expert-level proficiency with media research and audience profiling tools (GWI, MRI, ComScore, Pathmatics, etc.).
  • Demonstrated success in managing 360-degree sponsorship or tentpole campaign planning.
  • Strong leadership presence with the ability to influence senior clients and navigate complex multi-agency (IAT) environments.
  • A data-driven mindset paired with creative intuition—you know how to back up big ideas with hard numbers.
  • Proven experience in managing and growing direct reports, building a culture of excellence and curiosity.
  • An expertise in both B2C & B2B as well as enterprise client experience.
  • While DEPT® is a remote-first company, this role requires candidates to be able to work Central time zone.

Preferred

    Benefits

    • DEPT® is an equal opportunity employer (EOE). We believe our work is its best when our people feel safe and free to be themselves. We’re committed to an inclusive and barrier-free recruitment and selection process and workplace, regardless of anyone’s identity, background, beliefs, lifestyle, or disabilities. So tell us about any accommodations you need. It’s totally confidential and only used to make sure you feel fully supported at every step.
    • DEPT® is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion and actively seeks to recruit, develop, nurture, and retain talented individuals from diverse backgrounds, with varying skills and perspectives.
    DEPT® logo

    DEPT®

    3.6 Glassdoor

    DEPT® is a Growth Invention company built to help the world’s most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing, our 4,000+ specialists deliver growth invention across Brand & Media, Experience, Commerce, CRM, and Technology & Data. We’re 50|50 tech and marketing, partner-led, and first to move. Clients include Google, Lufthansa, Coach, eBay, and OpenAI. Certified B Corp and Climate Neutral since 2021.

    Founded in 2016
    Amsterdam, North Holland, NLD
    4.5K employees (1,449 in marketing)
    68% recommend to a friend
    85% CEO approval

    Traffic Signals

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    Traffic Source Mix
    Search
    40%
    Direct
    50.1%
    Referral
    7.4%
    Social
    1.8%
    Paid
    0.6%

    Headcount Trend

    Current headcount: ~4.5K

    Marketing Team

    Marketing Team Size
    850 (19% of company)
    Median Career Experience
    8 years
    Median Tenure
    3.3 years
    Marketing Roles Posted (Last 30 Days)
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