Senior Associate, Investment (Integrated)

About the Role

As the Senior Investment Associate, you will handle day-to-day management—negotiating, managing, and executing—of the integrated video spend and negotiations for assigned clients. You will provide strategic market insights, trends, and pricing benchmarks, while overseeing and managing spending across major vendors and monitoring client budgets and adherence to KPIs. You will work closely with Planning teams to ensure final buys deliver on the approved plan objectives and strategy.

Responsibilities

• Integrate with the Communication/Strategic Planning team to gain insights on objectives, KPIs, strategies, and audiences to ensure tactical buys deliver against goals.
• Participate in vendor RFP selection and help manage the RFP process (all digital channels, where applicable).
• Centrally manage negotiations, rate tracking, planning costs, benchmarking, and budget management of assigned account(s).
• Demonstrate better pricing, efficiencies, and impact by consolidating buys across partners, Agency, and GroupM.
• Manage vendor relations (inventory avails, IOs, notify if included/excluded from buy).
• Develop a Partner Scoring Model (ranking for buy development).
• Gain approval for all supply sources on tactical buys internally.
• Develop tactical buys with the larger Investment team.
• Assist the Associate with entering partner buys into Buy platforms, sending out IO/Contracts, and preparing campaigns for launches (trafficking, setting up ad serving, etc.).
• Ensure all buys are entered correctly into Prisma (naming conventions, budgets, placements, compliance, updates, etc.), campaign launches, and delivery/pacing is occurring.
• Build relationships and meet with vendors on an ongoing basis to provide updates and/or recommendations.
• Create Partner POVs and keep current on partner and marketplace innovations, ad models, and technologies.
• Proactively follow up on client team requests with awareness of client deadlines.
• Follow key investment tenets around KPIs and actively participate in department projects/committees.
• Estimate, update, and adjust all ratings per demographic, per quarter.
• Analyze upfront network proposals and create recommendation books; issue order letters.
• Negotiate all rates, special placement, and added value per the determined strategy.
• Negotiate optimum buys in terms of cost efficiency, goals delivery, and vendor agreements.
• Ensure the documentation of all negotiations, makegoods, and credits.
• Ensure the accuracy of Donovan inputting, buys, and order forms.
• Analyze buy performance, including post-buys and positioning reports.
• Collaborate with Analytics to identify and activate buy optimizations.
• Track media expenditures to ensure agency and budget compliance.
• Manage monthly billing and run commercial time period rotation and pod position reports.
• Oversee management of commercial inventory allocation and maintenance process, including monitoring audience delivery and negotiating makegoods.
• Maintain communication with Communications Planning team to ensure timely delivery of requests.
• Maintain working relationships with vendors to ensure quality buys.
• Collaborate with media team members to resolve media billing issues.
• Attend media presentations internally and outside the Agency.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of the national broadcast marketplace and its opportunities.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in advertising, marketing, business administration, communications, or equivalent professional work experience.
• 1+ years of prior digital or video investment experience.
• Assist the Associate and guide them on their roles, responsibilities, workload, and development.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with media, technology, analytics, and internal teams, as well as media and technology publishers.
• Foster camaraderie within the Investment team and with all key stakeholders.
• Educate media teams on the investment process and provide guidance to team members.
• Train employees on tools and best practices.
• Capable of working successfully within a team as well as independently.
• Thorough understanding of the media landscape and fast-moving digital trends.
• Strong quantitative and analytical/results-oriented skills.
• Strong understanding of interactive research tools.
• Solid negotiation skills and tactics.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work in a team environment that promotes collaboration.
• Adept at communicating effectively across all levels.
• Ability to multi-task, work successfully with teams, and work under pressure.
• Excellent time-management and follow-through skills.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel with intermediate PowerPoint and Word skills.

Benefits

• Competitive medical, vision, and dental insurance.
• Group retirement plans.
• Significant paid time off.
• Preferential partner discounts.
• Employee mental health awareness days.
• Hybrid work approach (teams in the office around four days a week).
• Inclusive culture with employee resource groups and frequent in-office events.
• Opportunities for professional growth and development through global WPP networks.

Pay

US Pay Range: $45,000 - $90,000 USD