Director of Business & Media Strategy

22squared is seeking a modern, hybrid media leader to drive both client leadership and media strategy across our portfolio of media-only and integrated client engagements. This role reflects the evolving structure of modern media to guide clients through strong accountability, fast decision-making, and growth of business outcomes.

This individual will serve as the primary strategic partner to clients, while also owning end-to-end media planning, team leadership, and operational excellence. They will help build and lead a team structured around integrated planning and client delivery, replacing traditional silos with a more agile, outcome-driven model.

Key Responsibilities

Integrated Media Planning

• Own the development of full-funnel, cross-channel media strategies across digital, social, programmatic, search, retail, and emerging channels, collaborating with strategic investment and comms strategy partners
• Ensure plans are grounded in data, audience insight, and business outcomes, not just channel tactics
• Partner with analytics teams to define KPIs, measurement frameworks, optimization plans, competitive audits and landscape data opportunities
• Oversee the translation of strategy into execution, ensuring alignment across planning, buying, and reporting

Client Leadership & Growth - Media Only Accounts

• Serve as the senior day-to-day client lead across key media accounts, building trusted, senior and executive-level relationships
• Translate business objectives into clear media strategies that drive measurable growth
• Lead client communications, QBRs, and strategic planning sessions with confidence and clarity
• Identify opportunities to expand scope, deepen partnerships, and drive incremental revenue

Team Leadership & Department Oversight

• Lead, mentor, and grow a hybrid team practice spanning planning and account management functions
• Redefine roles and workflows to support a modern, integrated media model and a model for media-only accounts
• Set clear expectations for quality, accountability, and client delivery across the teams working collaboratively with media operations leadership
• Help build scalable processes that improve speed, clarity, and consistency
• Collaborate with department leads across the portfolio (media and creative) to define strategic media planning and business leadership growth, goals, ways of working and product & service offerings

Operational & Strategic Excellence

• Drive rigor in planning outputs, timelines, and deliverables
• Ensure alignment between strategy, execution, and measurement
• Partner with data and tech teams to elevate planning through advanced tools, automation, and AI
• Contribute to agency-wide media POVs, thought leadership, and innovation
• Participate in agency thought leadership and represent 22squared across the industry

Qualifications

• 10 years of experience in media strategy, planning, and/or client leadership within a media agency environment
• Proven ability to lead both client relationships and media planning functions
• Strong understanding of the modern media ecosystem, including:
  • Digital and performance media (paid social, search, programmatic)
  • Retail media and emerging platforms
  • Cross-channel planning and full-funnel strategy
• Experience managing and developing high-performing teams
• Strong proficiency in media planning tools such as MediaOcean, Prisma, Nielsen, comScore, Media Radar, etc
• Strong analytical mindset with comfort translating data into actionable strategy
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with executive presence
• Experience working in or with integrated, evolving agency models preferred

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