Associate Media Director (Pharma)

Role Overview: As an Associate Media Director (AMD), you are the strategic bridge between our clients’ business goals and our media team's execution. You aren’t just managing plans; you are leading a vision. You will serve as the primary point of contact for high-level clients, guiding them through the complex media landscape with precision, creativity, and data-driven insights.

The ideal candidate is a seasoned media professional with a "player-coach" mentality—someone who can architect a sophisticated multi-channel strategy one hour and mentor a rising Media Planner the next. This role requires deep experience in pharmaceutical marketing, including an understanding of regulatory considerations, healthcare audiences, and pharma-specific media strategy.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Innovation : Visionary Planning — Lead the development of holistic media strategies that align with brand goals, ensuring every tactic drives measurable business impact within the pharmaceutical landscape

Strategic Leadership & Innovation : Forward-Thinking — Drive media innovation by identifying and implementing key initiatives such as AI/ML integration, custom algorithms, and omni-channel audience segmentation

Strategic Leadership & Innovation : Thought Leadership — Stay at the forefront of industry trends (including pharma-specific regulations and advancements) to author and socialize POVs, keeping both the internal team and clients ahead of the curve

Strategic Leadership & Innovation : New Business — Partner with new business team to support growth efforts, contributing to brainstorms, tactical strategy, and high-stakes pitches—particularly within pharma and healthcare verticals

Client Partnership & Advocacy : Trusted Advisor — Serve as a strategic partner to senior-level clients (CMOs and Procurement), translating complex media data into actionable business narratives, with a strong understanding of pharmaceutical marketing dynamics

Client Partnership & Advocacy : Education & Guidance — Lead "Media 101" sessions and Media Days to empower clients with a deeper understanding of the landscape, including pharma-specific considerations such as compliance and audience targeting

Client Partnership & Advocacy : Performance Storytelling — Oversee high-level reporting and campaign wrap-ups that clearly demonstrate value-add wins, savings, and ROI

Team Management & Culture : Mentorship — Directly manage a diverse team (Planners, Supervisors, AMPs), creating personalized growth plans and fostering a culture of high performance and "team happiness."

Team Management & Culture : Operational Excellence — Standardize workflows and templates across brands to ensure efficiency and consistency

Team Management & Culture : Resource Management — Work with leadership to build staffing scenarios, ensuring proper resource utilization and agency profitability

Partner & Vendor Relations : Strategic Negotiation — Lead large-scale account or agency-wide negotiations with media, data, and measurement partners, including those specific to healthcare/pharma

Partner & Vendor Relations : Financial Stewardship — Oversee media budgets in partnership with Account leads, ensuring fiscal responsibility and optimal payment terms (Ts and Cs)

Partner & Vendor Relations : Framework Development — Guide teams in evaluating partner proposals using scorecard-based frameworks and SQAD benchmarking

Qualifications

Experience: 5–8 years in media planning with at least 2+ years of direct people management experience

Pharma Experience (Required): Demonstrated experience working on pharmaceutical and/or healthcare brands, with a strong understanding of regulatory environments, compliance, and audience nuances

Communication: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills; ability to present persuasively to C-suite executives

Expertise: Deep knowledge of the media landscape, competitive tools, and emerging technologies

Soft Skills: Strong negotiation and influence skills, a high level of attention to detail, and the ability to remain calm and effective under pressure

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, or a related field (preferred)

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