Connections Planning Associate Director

**Due to an internal promotion, we’re currently seeking a Connections Planning Associate Director to join an omnichannel team;**

**GroupM**

**GroupM** is the leading global media investment management company serving as the parent to **WPP** media agencies including **Mindshare**, **EssenceMediacom** and **Wavemaker**, each with leading market positions in their own right.

With 800 people based in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane, GroupM’s primary purpose is to maximize performance of WPP’s media agencies by operating as leader and collaborator in trading, content creation, sports, digital, finance, proprietary tool development and other business-critical capabilities. GroupM’s focus is to deliver unrivalled marketplace advantage to its clients, stakeholders and people.

**A Bit About Us**

We are **Mindshare**, a media services company that accelerates Good Growth for our clients. Our company values of **energy**, **empathy** and **impact** bind together our diverse global family of 10,000 people from every culture and with every specialist skill you can imagine. People at Mindshare create ideas and solutions that help not only our clients, but also people and the planet.

**YOUR TEAM**

IKEA is a retained client with a specific focus on whole FTEs across core roles. Planning resource has increased over the past two years as the business outcomes have evolved. Our IKEA team taps into all the major practices available for our client at Mindshare. We have a strategist, Implementation & Activation team across traditional and performance media. We also collaborate with Data and Analytics teams, along with other strategic business units relevant to specific projects.

There is occasional out of hours engagement with our global team (UK based) on monthly update calls. These are rotated across the team.

This team collaborate in the office 3 days per week.

**YOUR ROLE**

Location: Sydney

Connections Planning translates the media strategy into executional media ideas for paid, owned, and earned media channels, and helps to monitor overall delivery and performance;
- Support strategy in developing jobs to be done in media.
- Identify appropriate media channels and their roles for jobs to be done using tools, past learnings and other resources.
- Develop connections plan of recommended channels, budgets, flighting and sample tactics.
- Brief investment team on planned campaign channels for response.
- Lead ideation and brainstorming sessions to ensure creatively is at the heart of our recommendations.
- Lead competitive presentations and data requests.

**YOUR IDEAL SKILLS & EXPERIENCE**

To thrive in this role, you’ll have proven omnichannel experience with a strong understanding of the marketing principles that grow brands, as well as;
- Ability to build trust with our client.
- Focus on how we can drive better impact within media and our category.
- Demonstrate category, client and consumer understanding into channel activation.
- Understand budget prioritisation in relation to objective and role of channel.
- Create a positive and collaborative environment with the broader IKEA media team.
- Can work with current and adapting processes.

**What is your pathway for Good Growth?**

We’d love to hear what your ambitions are to achieve personal growth, and how we can help you realise them with us

**What We Offer**

At Mindshare ANZ, we offer a competitive salary package, with 20 days holiday increasing with service to a maximum of 25 days, with the option to purchase extra leave of up to 4 weeks per year. We also offer a flexible working environment, paid parental leave, flexible public holidays, birthday leave and early finishes during the summer months. These are just some of the great perks you can utilise.

Based in North Sydney / Melbourne Southbank, our office has 180 degree views of Sydney Harbour/Melbourne Skyline and is a great space to hang out with colleagues and friends

We have a culture of learning where **we invest in your career growth and development** through a range of learning and development opportunities. We offer a supportive and inclusive workplace culture that values diversity and collaboration and we provide mental wellness support via our Employee Assistance Program.

**Our Values**

Our values of **Energy**, **Empathy** and **Impact** not only align with our Good Growth ambition but represent our commitment and dedication to our people, helping them grow their careers, fostering creativity, embracing humanity, and changing the world. At Mindshare we are open to different. We believe in being open and supportive of our people and all their differences to help them succeed.

Be different at Mindshare and use your difference to shape the world through media.

**What We Value The Most**
- Being ‘open to different’
- Living our values of empathy, energy and impact
- Achieving Good Growth for business, people and the planet

**Our Commitment**

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