Planning Manager

About WPP Media

WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. With exceptional talent, trusted data and intelligence, and world-class partnerships – all united by our pioneering agentic marketing platform, WPP Open – we help clients navigate change, capture opportunity, and deliver transformational growth.

WPP Media is WPP's AI-driven media operating unit, bringing together media, data, and partnerships to deliver creative personalisation at scale. Connected through WPP Open and powered by Open Intelligence, clients see exactly where, how, and why their media investment is working.

For more information, visit wppmedia.com .

2557 - Planning Manager - UK

About WPP Media

WPP is the creative transformation company. We use the power of creativity to build better futures for our people, planet, clients and communities. For more information, visit wpp.com.

WPP Media is WPP’s global media collective. In a world where media is everywhere and in everything, we bring the best platform, people, and partners together to create limitless opportunities for growth. For more information, visit wppmedia.com

About Wavemaker: A Leading WPP Media Brand

Wavemaker positively provokes growth for clients by reshaping consumer decision-making and experiences through media, content, and technology. Our name is both our mission and our method. We do our best work for brave brands and people who relish being challenged to go further and faster, together.

Role Summary and Impact

The planning team are the guardians of creating industry leading, unrivalled work at Wavemaker. We are central conduits to all specialists, striving to push boundaries and have a positive impact on consumers and brand.

Wavemaker is looking for a Planning Manager to join our growing planning team, to create impactful cross channel campaigns and build your media planning skills.

In this role you will:

Media planning craft:

• Develop an in-depth understanding of media channels including where, when and how to use them based on the client brief.
• Have a skilled knowledge of Wavemaker and industry media planning tools and be able to train other team members.
• Have a skilled understanding of industry best practices and planning theory.
• Develop a fundamental knowledge of Wavemaker Purchase Journey thinking and Provocative Planning Philosophy.

Campaign management

• Ownership of campaign activity including briefing teams, collating response, managing client’s deliverables, and ensuring accuracy across all workstreams.
• Work closely with the planning and activation teams to ensure the day-to-day account is run efficiently and effectively.
• Be able to bring in specialist teams where needed to work on briefs and client questions.
• Ensure financial management processes are always excellent and met in a timely manner.

Effective communication:

• Become a trusted main day-to-day contact for junior clients, learning their business and ways of working. Ensuring that all requests & queries are answered with accuracy and in a timely manner.
• Support in managing Planning Executives to ensure they are on track with daily tasks, mentor and challenge them with new projects to develop their career.
• Start to develop a proactive problem-solving mindset but know when to flag any issues or concerns with Planning Director.

Skills and Experience

At WPP Media, we believe in the power of our culture and our people. It’s what elevates us to deliver exceptional experiences for both our clients and each other. In this role it will be critical to embrace WPP & WPP Media’s shared core values:

• Be Extraordinary by Leading Collectively to Inspire transformational Creativity.
• Create an Open environment by Balancing People and Client Experiences by Cultivating Trust .
• Lead Optimistically by Championing Growth and Development to Mobilize the Enterprise .

Practice Area Knowledge – Skilled - Demonstrates knowledge of the media landscape including future trends, best practice and challenges. Comfortable using (or briefing out) of the various products, platforms and systems that comms planning use.

• Develops breadth and depth of industry understanding. Becomes confident using tools, technology, techniques and systems and is able to train others.
• Comfortable presenting both direct from platform (OS, Architect etc) and developing a story from data but delivered outside of platform (Telmar etc).
• Can confidently answer client questions and liaise with internal teams on best solutions to use.

Problem Solving – Fundamental - Applies focused questioning and systematic research to understand the problem and wider impact. Translates business problems into solutions

• Uses critical questioning and maintains a broad perspective when analysing information to gain a deeper understanding of the problem and wider impact.
• Quickly generates appropriate solutions informed by previous experience.
• Understands how to resolve escalated issues and supports others to problem solve.
• Supports or leads troubleshooting communication for issues.
• Asks questions and performs routine or basic analysis to define problems.
• Generates some solutions in own area of work and suggests additional sources of information to further investigate problems.
• Seeks a variety of perspectives and inputs and probes for more information to fully understand the problem and wider impact.
• Provides communication support for troubleshooting issues internally and externally with third parties.
• Develops a broad understanding of industry tools, technology, techniques and systems as well as application.
• Can run simple tasks independently and either present to clients direct or package for wider team.

Stakeholder Relationships – Fundamental – Demonstrates knowledge of the agencies (or clients) organization structure and people, client relationships, business strategy, industry and challenges. Cultivates, nurtures and grow relationships with key clients, stakeholders and decision makers internally, externally and virtually.

• Has a good understanding of how the agency operates and works with their clients.
• Knows about the client’s business and who the key decision makers are there.
• Has good understanding of agency and client and the