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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for a Media Strategy Director

💰 $140,000 - $220,000+

MarketingAdvertisingMediaStrategy

🎯 Role Definition

At its core, the Media Strategy Director is the architect of an organization's presence in the paid media landscape. This senior-level leader is responsible for translating high-level business and marketing objectives into cohesive, data-driven, and impactful omnichannel media strategies. This individual is the linchpin connecting brand goals with audience behavior, ensuring every dollar spent on media is accountable, efficient, and drives measurable results. They are not just a planner but a visionary, a team leader, and a critical business partner who shapes how a brand communicates and engages with its customers across the entire digital and traditional media ecosystem.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Associate Media Director
  • Senior Media Planner / Supervisor
  • Digital Marketing Manager with a strong media focus

Advancement To:

  • VP, Media or Head of Media
  • Group Media Director
  • Head of Growth or Performance Marketing

Lateral Moves:

  • Director of Marketing
  • Director of Brand Strategy

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Architect and own the end-to-end omnichannel media strategy, ensuring tight integration across all channels including digital (Search, Social, Programmatic, Video) and traditional (TV, Radio, OOH).
  • Develop and articulate a compelling media vision that aligns with overarching business objectives, brand positioning, and financial targets.
  • Lead the annual and quarterly media planning process, from strategic development and channel selection to budget allocation and flighting.
  • Manage and optimize a significant, multi-million dollar media budget, maintaining rigorous oversight on pacing, cost efficiencies, and ROI.
  • Establish, track, and report on a clear set of KPIs and performance metrics, moving beyond simple media metrics to demonstrate tangible business impact (e.g., LTV, CAC, brand lift).
  • Provide strong, decisive leadership to a team of media planners, buyers, and specialists, fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous professional development.
  • Serve as the primary point of contact and lead negotiator with external media agencies, technology vendors, and platform partners, holding them accountable for performance and strategic alignment.
  • Champion a robust "test and learn" agenda, designing and implementing frameworks for experimentation (A/B testing, incrementality testing) to unlock new growth opportunities.
  • Deliver compelling, data-backed presentations on media strategy, performance, and key insights to executive leadership and key cross-functional stakeholders.
  • Oversee the development of sophisticated audience segmentation and targeting strategies, leveraging first-party data, market research, and third-party insights for maximum precision.
  • Conduct deep-dive competitive analysis and monitor market trends to proactively identify threats and capitalize on emerging media opportunities.
  • Drive the strategic evaluation and integration of the marketing technology stack, including DMPs, DSPs, ad servers, and measurement platforms, to enhance capabilities.
  • Integrate full-funnel marketing principles into media plans, ensuring a seamless customer journey from initial awareness and consideration to conversion and loyalty.
  • Partner closely with Creative and Brand teams to ensure creative assets are optimized for each channel and that the brand's voice is consistent across all media placements.
  • Collaborate with Analytics and Data Science teams to develop and refine measurement frameworks, such as Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM) and Multi-Touch Attribution (MTA).
  • Lead the negotiation of major media buys and upfront commitments, securing preferential rates, value-add opportunities, and first-look access.
  • Ensure all media activities adhere to brand safety protocols, privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA), and industry best practices.
  • Translate complex analytical insights and performance data into clear, actionable strategic recommendations for both technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Develop and maintain strong, collaborative working relationships with internal leaders across Sales, Product, and Finance to ensure strategic alignment and integrated efforts.
  • Act as the organization's internal thought leader on the media landscape, educating stakeholders on new platforms, consumer behavior shifts, and technological advancements.

Secondary Functions

  • Support new business development or client-facing pitches by providing media expertise and strategic recommendations (primarily in an agency setting).
  • Contribute to the development of the organization's broader, integrated marketing strategy and go-to-market plans.
  • Mentor junior talent across the wider marketing department, not just within the direct media team.
  • Participate in industry panels, write thought leadership articles, and represent the company as a media expert at relevant conferences.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Omnichannel Media Planning & Buying: Deep, hands-on expertise in planning and executing integrated campaigns across a wide array of digital and traditional channels.
  • Budget Management & Financial Acumen: Proven ability to manage large, complex budgets, including forecasting, pacing, and demonstrating return on ad spend (ROAS/ROI).
  • Ad Tech Proficiency: Strong working knowledge of the ad tech ecosystem, including DSPs (e.g., The Trade Desk), DMPs/CDPs, ad servers (e.g., Campaign Manager 360), and social media ad platforms.
  • Marketing Analytics & Measurement: Expertise in using analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics) and interpreting advanced measurement models like MMM and MTA.
  • Data Analysis & Visualization: Ability to synthesize large datasets into clear insights and build compelling, data-driven narratives, often using tools like Tableau, Looker, or Excel.
  • Competitive Intelligence Tools: Proficiency with tools for market and competitive research, such as SEMrush, SimilarWeb, or Kantar Media.
  • Negotiation: Demonstrated experience in negotiating high-value contracts and media buys with vendors and partners.

Soft Skills

  • Strategic & Visionary Thinking: The ability to look beyond daily execution to see the bigger picture, anticipate future trends, and create a long-term strategic roadmap.
  • Leadership & Mentorship: A natural ability to inspire, manage, and develop a high-performing team, fostering growth and empowering team members.
  • Exceptional Communication & Presentation: The ability to articulate complex strategies and results in a clear, concise, and persuasive manner to audiences at all levels, especially senior executives.
  • Collaboration & Influence: A talent for building strong relationships across different departments and influencing stakeholders without direct authority.
  • Analytical Problem-Solving: A data-first mindset with the ability to diagnose performance issues, identify root causes, and formulate effective solutions.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field.

Preferred Education:

  • Master’s Degree in Marketing, Advertising, or an MBA with a marketing concentration.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Business Administration
  • Communications
  • Economics or Statistics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 10-15+ years of progressive experience in media planning, buying, and strategy.

Preferred:

  • A minimum of 5 years in a leadership role managing a team and a significant media budget.
  • A blended background with experience from both a media agency and an in-house/client-side marketing team is highly desirable.
  • Proven track record of developing and executing successful, large-scale, full-funnel media strategies that have driven measurable business growth.
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