Associate Media Director

Zambezi Zambezi – Media / Full-Time / Hybrid

Zambezi’s modern media division, Scale by Zambezi, recently named ADWEEK’s 2025 Breakthrough Media Agency of the Year, is seeking an Associate Media Director to join the growing team
The ideal candidate has previous experience leading integrated media planning and is looking to play a critical role in expanding our offerings. You will thrive in an entrepreneurial and collaborative environment. In addition to providing strategy, you will be hands-on in the planning and execution. If you are looking for a place where you can continue to expand your repertoire and do your best work in an exciting creative environment, then this role is for you
The Associate Media Director is a pivotal leadership role, serving as the day-to-day strategic lead for integrated media campaigns and the primary manager for the planning team. You will own the translation of client objectives into sophisticated, performance-driven media strategies, ensuring flawless execution, budget fidelity and team development. This role requires a blend of deep technical media expertise, strong client consultancy skills, and proven management abilities
Candidates must reside in the greater Los Angeles area

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own Campaign Strategy: Develop, implement and refine integrated media strategies across traditional and digital channels for assigned accounts.
• Execution Oversight: Drive the flawless day-to-day execution of media campaigns, while supervising, advising and providing counsel to direct reports.
• Client Communication: Serve as the primary client contact for strategic oversight, addressing client needs, drafting POVs and solving day-to-day problems.
• Financial Fidelity: Rigorously manage the client media plan and budget details, including flowcharts, budget trackers, media authorizations and billing accuracy.
• Tactical Negotiation: Guide the team in drafting RFPs, developing partner vetting criteria, proposal evaluation and leading tactical negotiations for specific media placements.
• Plans & Presentation: Lead the build-out and presentation of media plan recommendations, performance recaps and account thought leadership to clients.
• Reporting & Insights: Manage reporting deliverables, ensuring accuracy & comprehensiveness of data, provide guidance on performance insights & optimization opportunities.
• Timeline & Operations: Manage all planning documents, budgets, timelines, and operational content required for brief deliverables, check-ins, launch, QA and reporting.
• Team Development: Directly manage, mentor, and guide the professional development of assigned team members, providing performance feedback and fostering expertise.

REQUIREMENTS

• 8+ years of experience working in media planning/buying within an agency/client environment.
• Demonstrated ability to translate client objectives into actionable media strategies.
• Proficiency in implementing media measurement frameworks, employing test-and-learn approaches and driving optimizations is required.
• Prior experience managing and mentoring junior staff.
• Experience in planning both national & local media, encompassing large-scale executions and tactical media initiatives.
• Strong understanding of digital media planning & buying processes, campaign trafficking and reporting.
• Experience with media planning tools such as DCM, Comscore, Nielsen, MRI/Simmons, Prisma, Media Tools, MOAT, IAS and DV is necessary.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and a high degree of attention to detail and accuracy are critical.
• Ability to manage timelines, multiple workstreams and prioritize effectively.

$100,000 - $125,000 a year The salary range for this position is $100,000 - 125,000. Exactly where a prospective employee will be paid within this range will depend on, among other factors, the candidate’s depth of experience and qualifications about the job description and the actual job duties of the role. In addition to salary, we offer comprehensive benefits (covering 100% medical, dental, vision, open PTO, and more). The range above is for the expectations as laid out in the job description, however, we are often open to a wide variety of profiles to find the right candidate for Zambezi Our recruitment process relies on human evaluation and judgment to ensure a fair and equitable experience for all candidates. We do not utilize AI-powered tools or automated decision-making systems for screening, evaluation, or hiring decisions Our recruitment process relies on human evaluation and judgment to ensure a fair and equitable experience for all candidates. We do not utilize AI-powered tools or automated decision-making systems for screening, evaluation, or hiring decisions.