Reporting Structure

This position reports to the Group Planning Director.

The Role:

As a Planning Director at Martin, you are a DRIVER...

...You have all the tools and experience necessary to do the job. And your job, first and foremost, is to drive us toward impactful creative work.

...You are the front line in our fight against invisibility - you're accountable for the strategic thinking on the businesses in your care

...You don't shy away from tough strategic debates and you're able to persuasively convey your informed perspective to creative teams and senior clients alike.

...Your skills are proven and you will be tapped to lead projects outside of your accounts.

The ideal candidate that we're looking for will...

...Drive with conviction

• Be decisive, the one with an answer when there is no answer - informed by experience, the best available information and sense of urgency
• Bring a strong, informed POV to every discussion, but be open to changing it
• Have a feel for the macro and micro forces affecting the business and accordingly the necessary strategic direction
• See around corners - anticipate challenges and spot the unseen opportunities
• Operate with a growth mindset, marrying business acumen with strong creative sensibility
• Set the bar for your team and lead by example - setting expectations for simplicity, craft, and heart
• Delegate as you can; DO as you must

...Drive with fire and inspiration

• Be magnetic, skilled at narrative and a master at presentation
• Bring highly original thinking consistently and deliver it in a style all your own
• See patterns and parallels others may not
• Prioritize being interesting over being "right"
• Let your fire for ideas and the experiences you've lived bring energy to the "room"
• Be a lifelong student of creativity; across formats and domains, know how it thrives and how to feed it

...Drive collaboration

• Narrow the gap between strategy, creative, account, and data
• Create a brain trust to dream up new possibilities on your business and build the trust needed for clients to feel confident buying provocative work
• Shepherd the work - develop a deep understanding of creative testing methodologies and foster a relationship with client-side research/insights managers
• Wield data and analytics to drive decision-making, measure impact, and continually optimize
• Be a fast draw, quick with lateral thinking, different ways of framing problems, and an arsenal of ways to make the "room" smarter
• Cast and facilitate breakthrough workshops - from platform-level sessions to everyday collaboration
• Contribute to staffing decisions, navigating challenges and anticipating account needs

...Drive with empathy, discernment and candor

• Be someone others can look to for guidance, honesty, support and follow-through
• Say what you'll do and do what you say. Always. With clients and with your team
• Take the initiative on learning & development, finding ways to elevate your reports
• Listen = speak - discern what's not being said and create an environment that promotes candor
• Be disciplined in how you use your time and mindful in how you spend other people's time
• Know how/when to manage up - help department leaders help you.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• 7+ years of experience in strategic planning at a creative agency or at a creatively driven brand
• Bachelor's degree required; graduate degree a plus
• Heart for ideas and an intolerance for fluff
• Adept at problem-solving, with a growing war chest full of mental models and creative kindling
• A player-coach - able to marshal resources but not above the doing
• Some experience in mentoring and developing talent
• Sharp interpersonal skills - tact, diplomacy, maturity in relating to and interacting with cross-functional teams and people at all levels
• Fundamental understanding of research methodology and design, qual and quant
• Familiarity with an array of secondary tools (e.g., MRI/Simmons, Mintel, WARC, etc.)
• Significant new business experience / success

We believe in visibility. This is the radical pursuit of our people and keeping them at the center, investing in and building safe, strong community; pouring into holistic wellbeing; and fostering an environment of maximum contribution, so that they can focus only on doing the best work of their lives.

HOW WE MAKE SPACE

The Martin Agency is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We are committed to creating a place of belonging - a space where employees do not need to sacrifice who they are to exist and grow in our workplace. The Martin Agency does not discriminate on any unlawful basis including race, religion, color, national origin, disability, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by law.

CCPA Policy: https://www.martinagency.com/privacy-policy | https://www.martinagency.com/legal-ca