OUR COMPANY

We are dynamic, empowered and entrepreneurial.We pride ourselves in being an equal opportunities employer and diversity and inclusion is at the heart of what we believe in. IPG Mediabrands are committed to increasing the diversity of our workforce and welcome applications regardless of gender identity, race, sexual orientation, disability, age, religion or belief.

Initiative is different to other media agencies.We are not trapped by a legacy structure primarily centred on paid advertising. Instead, we are liberated by a new world structure designed to deliver highly differentiated and highly effective communications strategies for our clients.

We’re not the biggest agency in town. So rather than outsize our competitors we must outsmart them. That’s why we’ve built the strongest strategic capability of any agency in the market. Core to this strategic capability is an obsession with culture and how brands can pivot from brand advertising (which is forgettable) to cultural branding (which is highly memorable).

Our new world model is comprised of four central “craft centres” – Client Advice and Management, Strategy, Communications Design and Partnerships. This role sits in Comms Design

DISCIPLINE OVERVIEW:

Communications design is the discipline and practice of crafting how a brand idea will be delivered through communications across an owned, earned and paid ecosystem in order to achieve a desired behavioral outcome.

Initiative’s Communications Design team is creating the future of planning. Borrowing skills from User Experience, Digital, Public Relations and Content, these media professionals are responsible for curating how people connect and participate with brands through culturally rich ideas. Instead of considering the experience of a brand in components (media / channel planning), Communications Designers think about brand experience in totality (ecosystem planning) ensuring every encounter is useful and impactful.

The Communications Design team dynamically brings brands to life through their actions. They:

• Are experts in consumer and communications behavior, and how changes in behaviors are creating new opportunities for connection
• Lead the creation of the dynamic ecosystem approach to deliver a strategy
• Work with partners (media, creative, technology, platforms, Specialty Business Units) to curate how a brand should connect within culture
• Lead the identification of the right audiences to address how to meet business goals, and guide the quantification of connection encounters holistically
• Champion innovative, forward thinking activities that help brands create value with their audience.

ROLE OVERVIEW

This role is working on NatWest. NatWest have four arms to their business Retail, Brand, Business & Wealth. We’re looking for someone with experience and flexibility to work across multiple briefs within these areas. These will touch all media channels and across both brand and performance campaigns. We are looking for a brilliant cross channel planner that can switch between offline and online planning with ease.

This role will give you the opportunity to work across the full spectrum of media channels, you will work on briefs that span all media but with a heavy focus on digital channels and digital plays an important role in all plans. Briefs are varied on NatWest, you will need to adapt, in the same week you could be working on a brief for targeting millionaires for Coutts, a brief targeting Start Ups or looking at the best ways to optimize our Always on Activity for all products in your portfolio.

This role will have daily client contact and we’re looking for someone who enjoys working with clients and running calls and meetings for large groups of clients on behalf of the agency.

This role will have multiple reports, including two Managers reporting into them and these Managers have an Executive and Associate to manage. There are also Planning Directors (one Brand, one Performance) to support you in planning tasks. Being a brilliant Team leader is vital for this role as this role is heavily focused on day to day team management and growing and developing the team for the long term.

NatWest is a fast-paced account to work on and we are looking for someone that enjoys working at pace and thrives as working as part of a large team. We’re a team who love what we do, strive to be the best in the industry and enjoy working together, come join us! NatWest’s Backing Business campaign won a Bronze at the Media Week Awards in October 2022 and we are hungry to do more brilliant award worthy work in 2024!

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Client

• Responsible for the development of the detailed communications plan to power the idea
• Together with CAM Directors, Communications Design present the Connections Design holistic approach to the relevant stakeholders
• Manage the outputs of day to day requirements and workflow of the client
• Responsible for presentation of client education program around Communications Design relevant marketplace trends.

Internal

• Responsible for the management and training of design team in communications planning fundamentals
• Responsible for the best practice application of planning approach including key tools and techniques to surface media and marketing intelligence and insights to produce an impactful, culturally rich communications plan across owned, earned, shared, paid (OESP)

• Write and manage outputs from RFP submissions from the Design discipline, in collaboration with Partnerships leads

Commercial

• Contributor to client Key Performance Indicator (KPI) delivery

• Contributor to Specialty Business Units (SBU) growth and client profitability

New Business

• Contributor to new business as required

Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s):

• Client
  • Able to deliver best in class communications planning solutions that propel the communications idea
  • Able to effectively lead the management of the client’s communications budget to successful outcomes
  • Accurately and effectively manage client’s day to day communications design product requirements

• Internal
  • Able to successfully manage Communications Design planning outputs from team
  • Able to lead the RFP process, including briefing and partner selection together with Partnership colleagues
  • Able to deploy tools and techniques to deliver best in class communications planning outcomes across OESP

• Commercial
  • Contributor to SBU revenue growth through planning outcomes
  • Contributor to organic revenue from communications design

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Ability to delegate and oversee direct reports
• Proven ability to develop and maintain strong professional relationships with clients, colleagues and vendors
• Excellent written, verbal communication and presentation skills
• Strong time-management and organizational skills
• Required PC proficiency and solid working knowledge of Microsoft Office (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.
• Proven problem solving ability
• Ability to work successfully within a team, handling multiple projects and meeting tight deadlines under pressure

Employee Transparency

At Mediabrands and Kinesso, we celebrate difference and believe this makes us stronger. Mediabrands and Kinesso are equal opportunity employers and committed to championing an inclusive culture that provides a sense of belonging for all our employees. We do not discriminate against any applicant based on age, disability, race, colour, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, belief, marital status or any other characteristic protected by law.

The Perks

We aim to provide all our people with a supportive and fun work environment where you can develop your full potential and benefit from the broad range of opportunities within the agency. When you join us, we want to make sure you feel valued – and that you are rewarded for your fantastic work. So, we also offer a range of benefits:

• Flexi–leave, with 25 days annual leave to be taken as minimum. In addition to your holiday entitlement, the office usually closes between Christmas & New Year
• Free breakfast and free lunch
• Early finish Fridays
• Core Hours (Mon-Thurs, flexible start/finish times)
• Retail discounts
• Electric vehicle salary sacrifice car scheme
• Wellbeing programme, including Headspace & flu jabs
• Interest free season ticket loan
• Paid time off for Volunteering
• Group Income Protection
• Life Assurance
• Private Medical Insurance or Health Cash Plan (dependent on level)
• Group Personal Pension Plan with matched contributions from 3-6%
• Generous Parental Leave & Pay
• Independent mortgage advice
• Financial education
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Free eye tests
• Flexible benefits including Dental, Travel insurance, Cycle to Work, Gym Discounts and many more!