Senior Planning Director

About M+C Saatchi Performance

M+C Saatchi Performance is a global performance marketing agency with a mobile-first heritage and a deep commitment to data-driven, ROI-positive growth. We operate at the intersection of brand and performance - helping ambitious clients translate insight, culture, and creativity into measurable business outcomes.

With teams across multiple continents and close integration into the broader M+C Saatchi Group, we combine global scale with local expertise to deliver modern, integrated marketing solutions in a fast-evolving media landscape.

About the Role

We are seeking a Senior Director of Media Planning to play a pivotal role within our centralized Global Strategy & Planning team, with a primary focus on U.S. clients and prospects. This is a senior, hands-on leadership role for a planner who can seamlessly connect consumer insight, communications planning, and data-driven media strategy.

The ideal candidate is both strategically rigorous and practically fluent—comfortable shaping high-level planning frameworks while also getting into the detail of channel strategy, budgeting, and audience design. You will partner closely with U.S. leadership, account teams, and new business leads, while collaborating day-to-day with strategists across EMEA and APAC.

This role is well-suited to someone who thrives in a globally connected environment, works independently with confidence, and brings gravitas to senior client and prospect conversations.

What You’ll Do:

Consumer Insight & Strategic Planning

·       Lead the development of insight-led media and communications strategies grounded in a deep understanding of consumer mindsets, behaviors, and cultural context.

·       Translate quantitative and qualitative inputs into clear, actionable planning narratives across the full customer journey.

·       Develop compelling strategic outputs - including planning frameworks, insight reports, and client-facing presentations - that influence both internal teams and senior client stakeholders.

Media Strategy & Planning Leadership

·       Own end-to-end media planning across performance and brand channels, including Paid Social, Programmatic, Search, CTV, and broader digital and traditional touchpoints where relevant.

·       Define channel roles, investment strategies, and budget allocations that balance short-term performance with long-term brand impact.

·       Ensure media plans are integrated with creative strategy, data and measurement frameworks, and broader business objectives.

Collaboration & Client Partnership

·       Act as a senior strategic partner to clients, providing proactive guidance and helping shape long-term growth agendas.

·       Work closely with U.S. account leads, global strategists, and specialist teams to ensure planning excellence and consistency.

·       Play a meaningful role in new business efforts, contributing strategic leadership to pitches, credentials, and growth initiatives.

Innovation & Thought Leadership

·       Stay ahead of emerging media, data, and technology trends, bringing fresh thinking into planning approaches and client recommendations.

·       Champion innovation in media strategy, audience design, and measurement—particularly at the intersection of brand and performance.

Team Leadership & Capability Building

·       Mentor and develop junior planners and strategists across regions, fostering strong planning fundamentals and modern best practices.

·       Contribute to internal training and capability-building initiatives, helping elevate the overall planning discipline within the agency.

What You’ll Bring:

·       6–8+ years’ experience in media planning and strategy, ideally within a performance, digital, or integrated media agency environment.

·       Strong grounding in communications planning, the marketing funnel, and audience strategy, with the ability to link insight to media decisions.

·       Proven experience planning across Paid Social, Programmatic, and Search, with comfort extending into CTV and broader omnichannel frameworks.

·       Strong analytical capability, with experience using insight and analytics platforms such as GWI, YouGov, Brandwatch, Google Analytics, Meta, and similar tools.

·       Exceptional communication skills, with