SVP, Planning (Retail Industry)

Company description

Spark Foundry is a global media agency that exists to bring HEAT – Higher Engagement, Affinity, and Transactions – to brands. By combining flawless media fundamentals with aggressive innovation, Spark inspires consumers to pay more attention, to care more about our clients’ brands, and to buy more products and services from them.

Balancing the nimble spirit of a startup with the powerhouse soul of Publicis Media, Spark Foundry delivers the best of both worlds to a client roster that spans some of the world’s best and beloved brands and companies. We combine boutique-caliber insights and service with the buying clout and first-look access of a global leader, bringing the heat to challenger brands that want to act like giants, and to giant brands that want to act like challengers.

With a bottom-up culture that celebrates diversity and aims for all voices to be heard, Spark has become a magnet for the industry’s best talent, with one of the best retention rates in the industry. And by applying a whole-person approach to professional and personal development, Spark develops a workforce that is well prepared for today’s challenges, and also poised to create meaningful careers in the years to come.

Because we know that heat arises the intersection of complementary forces, our professionals come from myriad disciplines and backgrounds: data, analytics, and insights, content and creative production, communications and strategy, finance and marketing, and sociology, psychology, and other liberal arts disciplines.

Overview

We’re looking for a strategic media leader to serve as the primary client partner for a specialized national and local retailer. This role will interface directly with senior stakeholders—including the CMO, Head of Media, and Martech Lead—to drive high-impact media initiatives that deliver measurable business results.

Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the lead client contact, building trusted relationships with executive decision-makers
• Develop and champion strategic media plans that align with brand goals and market dynamics
• Oversee all aspects of media planning and execution, from insight development to performance optimization
• Collaborate cross-functionally with internal teams and external partners to ensure seamless delivery
• Proactively identify growth opportunities and bring forward innovative, business-driving solutions

Ideal Candidate

• A self-starter with a strong strategic mindset and a passion for media innovation
• Exceptional communication and leadership skills, with the ability to influence at the executive level
• Comfortable navigating fast-paced environments and driving results with confidence

Role Objectives

• Responsible for developing, implementing, and executing strategy to define the future direction of Client business
• Actively listen to Clients and continually identify opportunities to lead thinking
• Team leader for Client interaction fostering positive relationships
• Identifies key target insights based on Client brief necessary for formulating communication strategy
• Evaluates composition of a wide range of media vehicles to determine which would most effectively reach the target audience
• Effectively communicates and solicits agreement of best opportunities for Client
• Ensure the quality of work for all Client deliverables
• Serves as key resource for local markets in defining media strategy and media plans
• Supervising, training, and developing staff (managing workload, delegating, and managing projects and resources, performance management)
• Develop process improvements and best practices to ensure consistency, flexibility, and efficiency resulting in solutions that meet or exceed Client expectations
• Serves as leadership and content development coordinator for all Client presentations
• Ability to cross sell interagency products and services
• Collaborate with business intelligence/analytics, data and investment teams to identify consumer learning needs and drive consumer insight generation, analysis/interpretation

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• 10+ years of relevant experience with progressive levels of responsibility and business acumen in marketing and communications and team management
• Must have online and offline media experience.
• Offline experience will be TV, Print, Radio, OOH.
• Online experience will consist of Display, Search, Social, and Mobile, and Content Marketing.
• Fluency with Media Tools and solid understanding of Digital Planning tools
• Proven experience and success in presenting plans to Client and influencing top level Client decisions
• Demonstrated critical thinking skill and strong problem-solving skills – navigates effectively through difficult issues, builds required consensus to drive business needs and results
• Excellent leadership, management and motivational skills
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills – effectively presents formal POV internally and externally
• Excellent organizational, interpersonal, and quantitative/analytical skills
• Strong Client presentation skills and business writing skills
• Demonstrated expertise in strategic planning and Client relations
• Detail oriented and proven ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.
• Critical assessor of talent – builds and motivates successful teams
• Able to direct long range planning and the development of programs to maximize organizational resources
• Design and manage projects, resources, partners, participants, and deadlines
• High results orientation and able to effectively juggle and prioritize many competing demands – high tolerance to effectively manage change

Additional information

Our Publicis Groupe motto “Viva La Différence” means we’re better together, and we believe that our differences make us stronger. It means we honor and celebrate all identities, across all facets of intersectionality, and it underpins all that we do as an organization. We are focused on fostering belonging and creating equitable & inclusive experiences for all talent.

Publicis Groupe provides robust and inclusive benefit programs and policies to support the evolving and diverse needs of our talent and enable every person to grow and thrive. Our benefits package includes medical coverage, dental, vision, disability, 401K, as well as parental and family care leave, family forming assistance, tuition reimbursement, and flexible time off. If you require accommodation or assistance with the application or onboarding process specifically, please contact USMSTACompliance@publicis.com.

Compensation Range: $176,700 - $288,765 annually. This is the pay range the Company believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on the skills, qualifications, and experience of the applicant along with the requirements of the position, and the Company reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time. Temporary roles may be eligible to participate in our freelancer/temporary employee medical plan through a third-party benefits administration system once certain criteria have been met. Temporary roles may also qualify for participation in our 401(k) plan after eligibility criteria have been met. For regular roles, the Company will offer medical coverage, dental, vision, disability, 401k, and paid time off.

The Company anticipates the application deadline for this job posting will be 11/07/2025.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

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