About Dentsu Group (dentsu)
Dentsu Group Inc. (Tokyo: 4324; ISIN: JP3551520004) is a global holding company established on January 1, 2020. The Group operates through two key networks: dentsu japan network, managing agency operations in Japan, and dentsu international, headquartered in London, overseeing operations outside Japan.
With a presence in approximately 145 countries and regions and a workforce of 65,000 professionals, the Dentsu Group delivers integrated, client-centric communications, media, and digital solutions. Its five global leadership brandsCarat, dentsu X, iProspect, Dentsu Creative, and Merklealongside the Dentsu Japan Network, including Dentsu Inc., provide expertise across media, creativity, customer experience, and digital transformation. The Group also maintains strong capabilities in global sports and entertainment content production and marketing.
Role Purpose
The purpose of this role is to lead multi-market media planning for a global luxury brand client across nine key markets. This role is critical in driving strategic excellence, ensuring high-quality planning outputs, and overseeing all paid media activations. The Planning Manager will work closely with Dentsu leadership and the extended planning and activation teams to deliver business outcomes, maintain operational consistency, and uphold the premium standards expected of a luxury brand.
You will be responsible for managing both the volume and quality of planning deliverables while ensuring flawless cross-market alignment.
Key Responsibilities
Media Planning & Strategy Development
- Lead end-to-end paid media planning across 9 markets, ensuring alignment with global brand strategy, luxury category standards, and client business objectives.
- Develop insight-led, audience-first media strategies across digital and offline channels (as relevant), ensuring precision, relevance, and premium execution.
- Translate client goals into clear planning frameworks, ensuring clarity and consistency for local market teams.
Cross-Market Coordination & Governance
- Oversee planning workflows, market submissions, and delivery timelines to maintain a high standard of output across all regions.
- Create, communicate, and enforce planning guidelines, templates, and best practices to ensure strategic consistency and quality.
- Work closely with local planning and activation teams to ensure alignment, accuracy, and optimisation of media plans.
Campaign Execution & Collaboration
- Partner with strategy, client servicing, analytics, and activation teams to deliver integrated, effective media solutions.
- Support the development of channel budgets, audience frameworks, and platform recommendations, ensuring execution feasibility.
- Ensure luxury brand expectationssuch as brand safety, placement integrity, and audience precisionare consistently upheld.
Performance, Insights & Quality Assurance
- Review and validate all media plans and strategic submissions before client presentation.
- Analyse media performance reports with analytics teams to provide insight-driven recommendations for optimisation.
- Proactively identify opportunities for improved efficiency, effectiveness, and innovation across markets.
Client Partnership & Stakeholder Management
- Build trusted relationships with clients, serving as a strategic advisor on media planning and cross-market coordination.
- Lead planning presentations, reviews, and strategic conversations, clearly communicating rationale and expected outcomes.
- Manage senior stakeholder expectations by ensuring transparency, strategic clarity, and timely updates.
Operational Excellence
- Ensure planning processes run smoothly, efficiently, and in compliance with internal governance standards.
- Maintain strong data accuracy and oversee key documentation including budgets, timelines, and market deliverables.
- Support complex planning cycles with strong organisation, prioritisation, and problem-solving skills.
Experience & Skills
- 57+ years of media planning experience, preferably in a media agency environment.
- Strong regional or multi-market experience, ideally managing luxury, premium, or global accounts.
- Deep understanding of media strategy, channel planning, audience insights, and measurement frameworks.
- Proven ability to manage multiple markets, stakeholders, and workflows while ensuring quality and consistency.
- Strong communicator with excellent presentation and influencing skills, capable of partnering with senior leadership and clients.
- Highly organised with strong project management skills, capable of handling high-volume planning cycles.
- Analytical mindset with the ability to interpret data and performance insights to inform strategic decisions.
Inclusion & Diversity
We welcome applications from all individuals, regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status, or any other protected characteristic. Beyond recruitment, we strive to create an environment where everyone feels respected, supported, and empowered to bring their authentic selves to work.
