Media Planner

Title: Media Planner

Location: Hybrid in Irvine, CA (On-site Tues-Thurs)

Pay: $50-$54/hr depending on experience

Duration: 2 years

The Planet Group is seeking a Media Planner to join one of our well-known global pharmaceutical clients.

The Media Planner leads the development, execution, and ongoing optimization of integrated healthcare media programs. This role translates brand objectives, audience insights, competitive intelligence, and performance data into actionable channel strategies and client-ready recommendations. The planner manages campaigns across the full lifecycle--from discovery, research, and RFP development through vendor selection, contracting support, asset readiness, launch, reporting, optimization, and renewal decisions--while coordinating closely with account, analytics, social, search, operations, project management, creative, and activation partners. The role also provides day-to-day direction and quality oversight to associate-level team members.

Media Planner Responsibilities:

• Lead integrated media planning for assigned healthcare brands, translating business objectives into audience, channel, budget, timing, and measurement strategies.
• Conduct market, audience, competitive, channel, and vendor research; synthesize findings into clear insights, channel roles, and strategic recommendations.
• Develop media plans and presentation materials, including tactical recommendations, investment allocations, flighting, partner rationale, and implementation requirements.
• Own RFP development and evaluation: identify partners, issue requests, manage questions and deadlines, assess proposals, and recommend vendors and programs.
• Manage vendor relationships throughout the campaign lifecycle, including rate and value negotiations, specifications, asset deadlines, change orders, cancellations, renewals, and first-right-of-refusal decisions.
• Coordinate contracting and launch readiness with operations, procurement, account, creative, and activation teams; maintain accurate documentation, trackers, timelines, and status updates.
• Partner with brand and account teams to obtain briefs, budgets, target lists, brand plans, campaign requirements, and approvals; proactively surface risks, dependencies, and decisions.
• Collaborate with analytics and reporting teams to define objectives, KPIs, benchmarks, and reporting approaches; review performance and translate data into optimization recommendations.
• Monitor in-market delivery and troubleshoot pacing, placement, targeting, creative, and vendor issues; recommend reallocations or corrective actions when needed.
• Lead client and internal working sessions, present strategic recommendations clearly, respond to questions, and document decisions and next steps.
• Support conference and sponsorship planning by evaluating opportunities, inventory, audience fit, visibility, deadlines, and brand priorities.
• Integrate paid media with social, search, content, and broader engagement strategies to create coordinated audience experiences.
• Maintain awareness of emerging HCP media capabilities, platforms, partners, privacy requirements, and industry best practices; share relevant innovations with teams and clients.
• Manage multiple brands and concurrent workstreams, balancing scope, budget, quality, and deadlines while communicating capacity and priority tradeoffs.
• Delegate work to and mentor Associate Media Planners; review deliverables for accuracy, completeness, strategic quality, and compliance before distribution.

Media Planner Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, advertising, communications, business, or a related field.
• Four to six years of media planning, buying, activation, or related agency experience; healthcare or pharmaceutical experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience developing multichannel media plans and presenting strategic recommendations to internal and client stakeholders.
• Strong knowledge of digital, programmatic, paid social, search, print, endemic, point-of-care, email, conference, and sponsorship channels.
• Experience managing RFPs, vendor negotiations, media specifications, contracting workflows, campaign changes, and renewal decisions.
• Ability to interpret audience, competitive, and campaign-performance data and convert findings into actionable recommendations.
• Working knowledge of measurement frameworks, KPIs, benchmarks, campaign reporting, trafficking, tagging, and platforms such as Campaign Manager 360.
• Familiarity with media research and competitive-intelligence tools such as M3, Kantar, Telmar, MediaRadar, or comparable platforms.
• Understanding of pharmaceutical advertising regulations, data privacy requirements, and regulated review processes.
• Excellent written, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills, with confidence engaging clients and cross-functional teams.
• Strong project-management skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple brands, budgets, timelines, and deliverables simultaneously.
• Proactive, solutions-oriented approach with sound judgment, accountability, and the ability to identify risks and recommend next steps.
• Experience mentoring, delegating to, or quality-checking the work of junior team members.