Director of Brand Media

About FINN Partners
FINN Partners is a fast-growing, global independent marketing agency recognized for its bold ideas and collaborative spirit. Our expertise spans integrated marketing, media, and creative services, offering clients a unified team focused on business and brand growth. The Performance Media team leads performance strategy across paid search, social, programmatic, and audience insights, while the Brand Media team leads brand strategy across narrative and channel selection. The two teams build every media plan together, aligned to a single business outcome. Media joins client engagements at the earliest stages, working alongside strategy and creative to develop one integrated campaign.

Position Summary
As Director of Brand Media, you will own brand media strategy across the agency's client roster, leading upper-funnel channel selection, narrative development, and innovation partnerships. You will build every media plan in lockstep with the Performance Media team, ensuring brand and performance are planned as one connected, interdependent system.

You will manage and develop the Brand Media team, own new business planning for brand media, and represent FINN's media perspective and point of view externally. You will surface media landscape insights and media channel context in the strategy brief, shaping how campaigns come to life from the outset.

What You'll Do

Lead brand media strategy and channel selection across multiple client accounts, ensuring narrative and channel choices connect directly to business objectives

Partner with the Performance Media team to build every plan as one integrated system, aligned to a single business outcome

Champion integration between Brand Media, Account, Strategy, and Creative teams throughout client planning and development

Interrogate the client brief, evaluating whether it's asking the right questions and grounded in the right audiences and objectives

Lead relationships and negotiations for custom media vehicles, sponsorships, franchise opportunities, and emerging partnership formats

Develop thought leadership and market perspective applicable across clients, establishing a distinct FINN point of view

Represent FINN's media expertise externally, including client presentations, new business pitches, panels, and industry platforms

Lead new business planning for brand media, partnering with senior media colleagues on client retention

Champion the use of AI and automation across planning, strategy development, and reporting

Manage and develop the Brand Media team: interview, hire, delegate, mentor, conduct performance reviews, and recommend compensation decisions

Evaluate staff development needs in terms of rotation and promotion, ensuring role definition keeps pace with the team's growth

Coordinate with Account leads on day-to-day client direction, while retaining ownership of your team's development, performance management, and discipline standards

What You'll Bring

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

7+ years of media, brand strategy, advertising agency, client-side, or publisher-side experience

Proven experience leading brand media strategy and channel planning across multiple accounts

Experience across brand channel formats: premium video (linear/CTV/streaming), programmatic video and display (DSP), audio, OOH, brand partnerships, integrations, sponsorships, brand social, emerging media, and custom activations

Experience managing significant client budgets and investment decisions

Strong leadership experience, including hiring, mentoring, performance management, and career pathing for a growing team

A track record of gaining trust through sound judgment, including under pressure or ambiguity

Experience partnering with performance media counterparts to build genuinely integrated plans across brand and performance

Experience collaborating across multiple disciplines, such as creative, strategy, SEO/GEO, web development, and PR, within a full-service agency or an integrated client-side marketing organization

Strong new business pitch experience, from strategic ideation through proposal development and delivery

Strong client-facing storytelling and presentation skills, able to translate complex strategy for varied audiences

Proficiency with FINN's reporting and dashboard platforms, including Ninjacat and Funnel, or similar tools

Familiarity with AI tools used across the agency, including Gemini, OpenAI, Copilot, and Claude, to support planning, research, and reporting workflows

Familiarity with audience research and competitive intelligence platforms such as GWI and MediaRadar, or similar tools

Experience with social listening and publishing platforms such as Sprout Social, or similar tools, given Brand Media's ownership of brand social

Knowledge & Skill Requirements

Strong understanding of the brand marketing funnel and upper-funnel channel strategy

Strong proficiency in Google Workspace and Microsoft Office, particularly Sheets/Excel and Slides/PowerPoint

Ability to translate media strategy into clear, compelling narrative for senior client stakeholders

Comfort partnering with Account leads and cross-functional teams outside your direct reporting line

Strong problem-solving skills, with the initiative to challenge clients and internal teams to raise the bar

Excellent written, verbal, and visual communication skills

Ability to manage multiple accounts, priorities, and deadlines

Where You’ll Work
Anywhere in the U.S. We're a remote-first workplace with optional in-office days in Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, Portland, Washington DC, and more. Eastern Time Zone working hours are preferred to best align with team and client collaboration hours .

Anticipated Salary:
$130,000 - $150,000. Compensation is based on experience and depending upon workplace location.

Why Join FINN Partners?

Competitive salary, health, dental, and vision insurance

401(k)

Generous PTO policy, plus paid holidays

Wellness stipend for physical and mental health programs

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