Associate Director, Paid Media Planning

📌 Core Information

🔹 Job Title: Associate Director, Paid Media Planning

🔹 Company: Blue State

🔹 Location: NY, DC, Oakland

🔹 Job Type: Full-Time, Hybrid

🔹 Category: Advertising Services

🔹 Date Posted: July 14, 2025

🔹 Experience Level: 5-7 years

🔹 Remote Status: On-site (NY, DC) and Hybrid (Oakland)

🚀 Job Overview

Key aspects of this role include:

• Developing and implementing digital and traditional advertising strategies for clients
• Translating client business objectives into media strategies and KPIs
• Analyzing campaign performance and optimizing media plans
• Collaborating with cross-functional teams to produce campaigns and creative ideas
• Mentoring colleagues and thought leadership in media strategy

ASSUMPTION: This role requires a balance of strategic, creative, and analytical skills, with a strong focus on paid media experience and digital curiosity.

📋 Key Responsibilities

✅ Develop media plans and recommendations for clients by translating their strategic visions into media objectives

✅ Analyze ongoing and historical performance data to identify opportunities for improvement, make strategic recommendations, and generate reporting and insights to drive optimization

✅ Have a strong POV on measurement, attribution, and conversion tracking, and apply that knowledge to strategic recommendations and ongoing campaign management

✅ Participate in (and frequently lead) client-facing interactions to deliver media strategies and provide clients with the context to understand how your tactical media plans will achieve their business objectives

✅ Work collaboratively with other internal or external teams, including media planners, strategists, account directors, designers, and analysts, to produce campaigns, creative ideas, audience and target recommendations, and experimental designs

✅ Keep us up to date with the latest digital media trends by maintaining relationships with media partners and engaging in media R&D projects

✅ Serve as a mentor and internal and external thought leader by helping train colleagues to develop media strategy expertise, writing blog posts, and participating on panels

ASSUMPTION: This role involves a mix of strategic planning, data analysis, client communication, and team collaboration, with a focus on driving campaign performance and innovation.

🎯 Required Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Advertising, or a related field

Experience: 5-7 years of experience in cross-channel media planning, including a mix of digital and traditional media

Required Skills:

• Proven experience translating client business goals into cohesive media strategies and specific KPIs
• Deep understanding of all aspects of media strategy, planning, campaign management, and analysis reporting, and the tools and platforms used
• Ability to effectively manage multiple clients and projects on time, within budget, and meet performance goals
• Exceptional attention to detail, especially with regards to budgeting, pacing and spend tracking, managing vendor relationships and paperwork, and reporting
• Ability to adapt to new situations, solve problems on the fly, and communicate with those around you. Teamwork and scrappiness required
• Shared passion and curiosity for delivering change, with comfort with ambiguity, a restlessness that resists the status quo, and a commitment to quality that ensures we’re always making progress
• Testing evangelist - no result is ever a problem as long as we can learn and improve in future
• Humble in victory, constructive in defeat. We champion and expect empathy, communication, collaboration, and respect

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with specific media planning tools and platforms
• Fluency in additional languages

ASSUMPTION: Successful candidates will have a strong background in media planning, with a proven track record of delivering results for clients and a passion for driving change in the industry.

💰 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $101,000 - $120,000 per year, commensurate with experience

Benefits:

• Unlimited time-off (inclusive of sick, personal, and vacation days)
• $1,250 annually in professional development funds
• Competitive health, dental, and vision insurance
• Inclusive family planning coverage, including fertility, surrogacy, and adoption benefits
• Flexible and health savings accounts
• 401K & employer match
• Generous paid holiday schedule
• 12-week fully-paid parental leave for all parents-to-be
• Short-term and long-term disability insurance
• Pre-tax commuter benefits
• Remote work flexibility

Working Hours: Full-time, with a hybrid work arrangement (on-site presence welcome for US staff within commuting distance of the NY or DC office, with managers retaining discretion to require in-person attendance for folks on their discipline or client teams as necessary)

ASSUMPTION: The salary range provided is based on industry standards for similar roles and experience levels, with additional benefits to support work-life balance and employee well-being.

📌 Applicant Insights

🔍 Company Context

Industry: Blue State is a purpose-driven advertising agency that partners with leading causes, brands, and campaigns to create real change. They transform how brands and causes raise money, influence policy, build platforms, and grow communities of supporters.

Company Size: Blue State has 150+ employees in the US and London, with a company size of 201-500 employees according to LinkedIn.

Founded: Blue State was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, with additional offices in Washington, DC, Boston, London, and Los Angeles.

Company Description:

• Blue State partners with leading causes, brands, and campaigns to create real change
• They transform how brands and causes raise money, influence policy, build platforms, and grow communities of supporters
• Led by creative and analytical minds from the political, nonprofit, and brand worlds, Blue State is an independent agency committed to diversity, inclusion, and values over profits

Company Specialties:

• Audience Insights
• Data & Systems Integration
• CRM Strategy
• Community Growth & Activation
• Technology & Data Strategy
• Fundraising
• Branding
• Content Marketing
• Website design and development
• Video and Photography

Company Website: http://www.bluestate.co/

ASSUMPTION: Blue State's focus on purpose-driven work and commitment to diversity and inclusion make it an attractive option for candidates seeking to make a positive impact in their careers.

📊 Role Analysis

Career Level: This role is at the senior individual contributor level, with the opportunity to mentor and lead others in media strategy expertise.

Reporting Structure: The Associate Director, Media Planning will report directly to the Director of Media Planning and work closely with cross-functional teams, including media planners, strategists, account directors, designers, and analysts.

Work Arrangement: This role has a hybrid work arrangement, with on-site presence welcome for US staff within commuting distance of the NY or DC office, and remote work flexibility for the Oakland office.

Growth Opportunities:

• Potential to advance to a Director or VP level role within the media planning team
• Opportunities to expand expertise and take on additional responsibilities, such as team leadership or new business development
• Chance to work on a diverse range of clients and campaigns, gaining exposure to various industries and causes

ASSUMPTION: This role offers significant growth potential for the right candidate, with opportunities to develop media strategy expertise, mentor others, and take on additional responsibilities within the team.

🌍 Location & Work Environment

Office Type: Blue State has offices in NY, DC, Boston, London, and Los Angeles, with a hybrid work arrangement for this role.

Office Location(s): 41 Flatbush Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217, US; 406 7th Street NW, 3rd Floor, Washington, DC 20004, US; 711 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, MA 02111, US; Second Home, 68-80 Hanbury Street, London, UK E1 5JL, GB; 3780 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 601, Los Angeles, CA 90010, US

Geographic Context:

• New York and Washington, DC offices offer an urban work environment with access to public transportation and nearby amenities
• Oakland office provides a more suburban setting with nearby parks and outdoor spaces
• London office offers a creative and collaborative work environment in the heart of Shoreditch

Work Schedule: Full-time, with a hybrid work arrangement (on-site presence welcome for US staff within commuting distance of the NY or DC office, with managers retaining discretion to require in-person attendance for folks on their discipline or client teams as necessary)

ASSUMPTION: Blue State's hybrid work arrangement and diverse office locations offer flexibility and opportunities to work in various environments, depending on individual preferences and needs.

💼 Interview & Application Insights

Typical Process:

• Online application and resume screening
• Phone or video screen with a member of the HR team
• In-depth phone or video interview with the hiring manager
• Final on-site or video interview with the Director of Media Planning and other team members

Key Assessment Areas:

• Media planning and strategy expertise
• Data analysis and campaign optimization skills
• Client communication and presentation skills
• Teamwork and collaboration abilities
• Alignment with Blue State's values and company culture

Application Tips:

• Tailor your resume and cover letter to highlight relevant media planning experience and achievements
• Prepare for behavioral interview questions that focus on problem-solving, teamwork, and adaptability
• Research Blue State's clients and campaigns to demonstrate your understanding of the agency's work and commitment to driving change

ATS Keywords: Media Planning, Paid Media, Digital Advertising, Campaign Management, Data Analysis, Client Interaction, Strategic Recommendations, Budget Management, Performance Tracking, Team Collaboration, Measurement, Attribution, Conversion Tracking, Problem Solving, Innovation, Mentorship, Communication

ASSUMPTION: Blue State's interview process focuses on assessing candidates' media planning expertise, data analysis skills, and cultural fit within the agency's values and company culture.

🛠️ Tools & Technologies

• Media planning and buying platforms (e.g., Google Ads, Facebook Ads, LinkedIn Ads)
• Data analysis and visualization tools (e.g., Google Analytics, Tableau, Power BI)
• Project management and collaboration tools (e.g., Asana, Trello, Slack)
• Communication and presentation tools (e.g., Google Slides, Microsoft PowerPoint)

ASSUMPTION: This role requires proficiency in media planning and buying platforms, data analysis tools, and project management and collaboration software, with the opportunity to learn and utilize additional tools as needed.

👔 Cultural Fit Considerations

Company Values:

• Make good trouble: Challenge the status quo and drive progress
• Be curious: Ask tough questions and let data lead to answers
• Put people first: Let the user drive the program, not the other way around
• Drive real change: Obsess over outcomes and actions
• If you need it, build it: Make stuff that empowers people to act on the things they care about
• Walk the walk: Progress starts with us: our diversity, inclusion, and commitment to values over profits

Work Style:

• Collaborative and team-oriented, with a focus on collective action and driving change
• Data-driven and analytical, with a commitment to continuous learning and improvement
• Adaptable and resilient, with a willingness to challenge the status quo and take on new challenges
• Committed to diversity, inclusion, and values over profits, with a passion for making a positive impact

Self-Assessment Questions:

• Do you have a proven track record of driving progress and challenging the status quo in media planning and strategy?
• Are you comfortable with ambiguity and able to adapt to new situations and solve problems on the fly?
• Do you have a strong commitment to data-driven decision-making and continuous learning and improvement?
• Are you passionate about making a positive impact and driving real change in your work?
• Do you thrive in a collaborative and team-oriented work environment, with a focus on collective action and driving change?

ASSUMPTION: Blue State's company values and work style emphasize collaboration, data-driven decision-making, adaptability, and a commitment to driving positive change, with a strong focus on diversity, inclusion, and values over profits.

⚠️ Potential Challenges

• Managing multiple clients and projects simultaneously, with tight deadlines and performance goals
• Keeping up with the latest digital media trends and technologies
• Balancing strategic planning and data analysis with client communication and team collaboration
• Working in a hybrid or remote work environment, with potential challenges in communication and collaboration

ASSUMPTION: This role presents unique challenges and opportunities, with a focus on managing multiple projects and clients, staying up-to-date with digital media trends, and balancing strategic planning with data analysis and client communication.

📈 Similar Roles Comparison

• Unlike traditional advertising agencies, Blue State focuses on purpose-driven work and driving real change for clients
• Blue State's commitment to diversity, inclusion, and values over profits sets it apart from other agencies in the industry
• This role offers significant growth potential, with opportunities to develop media strategy expertise, mentor others, and take on additional responsibilities within the team

ASSUMPTION: Blue State's focus on purpose-driven work and commitment to diversity, inclusion, and values over profits make it an attractive option for candidates seeking to make a positive impact in their careers, with significant growth potential for the right candidate.

📝 Sample Projects

• Developing a comprehensive media strategy for a leading nonprofit, driving awareness and advocacy for a critical social issue
• Optimizing a direct response campaign for a political advocacy group, increasing lead generation and conversion rates
• Managing a multi-channel media campaign for a major brand, driving brand awareness and engagement among key target audiences

ASSUMPTION: These sample projects demonstrate the range of work that an Associate Director, Media Planning at Blue State might be responsible for, from developing comprehensive media strategies to optimizing campaign performance and managing multi-channel media campaigns.

❓ Key Questions to Ask During Interview

• Can you describe the team structure and dynamics within the media planning team, and how this role fits into the broader organization?
• What are the most pressing challenges facing the team or the agency as a whole, and how might this role contribute to addressing them?
• How does Blue State support the professional development and growth of its employees, particularly in the media planning team?
• What are the key priorities for this role in the first 30, 60, and 90 days, and how will success be measured?
• How does Blue State approach work-life balance and employee well-being, particularly in a hybrid or remote work environment?

ASSUMPTION: These key questions help candidates better understand the team structure, growth opportunities, priorities, and work-life balance at Blue State, enabling them to make informed decisions about their fit within the organization.

📌 Next Steps for Applicants

To apply for this position:

• Submit your application through this link
• Tailor your resume and cover letter to highlight relevant media planning experience and achievements
• Prepare for behavioral interview questions that focus on problem-solving, teamwork, and adaptability
• Research Blue State's clients and campaigns to demonstrate your understanding of the agency's work and commitment to driving change
• Follow up with the hiring manager one week after submitting your application, inquiring about the status of your application and expressing your continued interest in the role

⚠️ This job description contains AI-assisted information. Details should be verified directly with the employer before making decisions.