Planning Business Director

JOIN OUR JOURNEY

Medialab is the UK’s leading independent media agency, and one of the fastest growing in the industry. We’re a media agency that’s made differently: purpose-led, data-driven, founder-run and proudly independent.

Our entrepreneurial spirit means success is rewarded and there are no limits to what you can achieve, which our employees agree with, evidenced by being a Campaign ‘Best Place to work’ for the last 5 years in a row, Campaign's Independent Agency of the Year 2024 and The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2025. We are IPA Effectiveness accredited, an IPA People-First agency and widely awarded including a double-gold at the 2024 IPA Effectiveness Awards for our work with Laithwaites.

Our independence means we can focus 100% on doing the right thing to secure success for our clients and our brilliant people. We work with a wide variety of clients including Hovis, Sharps Bedrooms, SunLife, Standard Life, Laithwaites Wine, EMMA Mattresses, Save the Children, Mind, Guide Dogs, , Alzheimer’s Society, RNLI and Clearscore.

OUR VALUES

• Commit to Doing the Right Thing (Act with integrity and accountability)
• Help People Flourish (Invest in people)
• Dig Deeper to Understand Better (Data driven curiosity)

OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU

Working at Medialab comes with lots of perks including all the usual things you would expect, such as a competitive salary package, pension, season ticket loans, cycle to work scheme, weekly social events and big summer / end of year parties.

On top of that, we offer extra benefits, which make life at Medialab even more rewarding:

• Time to Unwind – 22 days holiday (+ Christmas holiday closure), birthday & mental health day off, holiday buying scheme, flexi-hours and work abroad scheme.
• Hybrid Working – Balance between home and office. We welcome requests for flexible working arrangements from the commencement of employment.
  Career Growth – A meritocratic approach to progression with quarterly reviews, CPD Platinum accredited training, mentoring and leadership support.
• Health & Wellbeing – Private medical insurance, health cash plan, gym discounts, wellbeing apps Mental Health First Aiders and unlimited free professional counselling.
• Supporting Families – Enhanced parental leave, flexible working and life assurance.
• Giving Back – Paid charity days and sustainability initiatives.
• Perks & Rewards – Retail discounts, long-service trips and an unforgettable team culture.

YOUR NEXT CHALLENGE

We’re looking for a Planning Director to bring strategic focus, direction and energy across one of our client planning teams. You won’t be tied to a single client. Instead, you’ll take a wide-angled view and help shape the quality of planning across the board, supporting a team of six+ planners, and championing brilliant work that drives results.

You’ll be a sounding board, a thought partner and a inspiring voice. You’ll work with Account Directors, Account Managers and Execs across a varied mix of clients. From fast-paced commercial brands to purpose-led charities. Your job is to elevate the quality of thinking and create the space for others to do their best work.

We’re after someone with strong channel knowledge, a sharp planning instinct, and a collaborative leadership style. Someone who can coach, question, challenge and guide the team to deliver brilliant work.

WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING

• Acting as strategic lead across the planning output of a multi-client team — helping shape briefs, stress-test strategies, and sharpen the thinking behind every response.
• Dotted-line managing a team of planners (approx. 6 people) across varying levels and offering guidance, feedback, stretch opportunities and support.
• Being a trusted partner to the Business Director and senior leadership team where you'll have the responsibility of flagging risks, surfacing great work, and championing consistent quality.
• Leading the development and embedding of comms planning frameworks, tools and templates to ensure clarity, consistency and a high standard of delivery.
• Helping turn insight into action. Pushing teams to use data, effectiveness learnings and channel planning tools in smarter ways.
• Supporting the professional development of team members, facilitating training, coaching sessions, and feedback conversations.
• Promoting collaboration between planning, digital, AV and data teams and helping planners navigate cross-channel delivery with confidence.
• Acting as a senior voice in campaign wrap-ups, PCAs and strategic reviews and guiding narrative and identifying learnings that move planning forward.
• Supporting senior client meetings where a strategic planning POV is needed, particularly in complex, brand-building or cross-channel briefs.

WHAT YOU'LL BRING

• Significant experience in media and comms planning , ideally across a range of categories and objectives, with confidence in both brand and performance thinking.
• Strong cross-channel knowledge and understanding of how digital and AV contribute to full-funnel outcomes.
• A collaborative and inclusive leadership style. You know how to support a team, give good feedback, and spot the moments where coaching matters.
• Confidence in planning tools and effectiveness frameworks (e.g. Touchpoints, measurement approaches, media principles) and how to apply them in everyday work.
• A sharp strategic brain able to simplify complex challenges, get to the heart of a brief, and articulate clear, actionable recommendations.
• The ability to inspire teams to push their thinking and stay curious, while setting clear expectations.
• Experience leading or contributing to planning culture. Whether through training, mentoring, thought leadership, or process development.