Junior Planner (Media and Advertising)

Company Description

Are you a curious, inquisitive thinker fascinated with what makes people tick? Do you love to get your teeth stuck into a problem? Are you plugged into mainstream contemporary culture?

If so, this is the role for you. We are looking for a Junior Planner to join our Planning and Insight team that sits within the wider Strategy function. You will step into the shoes of our diverse audience, connecting with their hearts and minds to work out the most exciting, relevant ways for advertisers to connect with them. 

We’re looking for fresh ideas and new perspectives from people from a wide range of backgrounds.

This is a hybrid role, you will be required to work from our Canary Wharf Hub once per week.

So who are we?

We are Reach Plc, you might not have heard of us but we have probably met without you even realising it. We are home to the UK and Ireland’s most iconic digital platforms, magazines and newspapers. From the Mirror, Daily Express, Daily Star and OK!, to our regional titles such as the Liverpool Echo, BirminghamLive and the Manchester Evening News (plus lots more), our brands and the stories we cover are as varied as the people and communities we reach. 

Reach Solutions is the commercial team that brings together our editorial output with media agencies and clients, creating strong connections between our valuable audience, content and advertiser brands. Planning and Insight sits within Reach Solutions, and it’s our mission to fuel the thinking behind award-winning advertising campaigns. Our team of curious thinkers, planners and researchers are a beacon of knowledge in the industry on what really makes mainstream Britain tick. 

Job Description

• You will primarily work on developing strategies for branded content campaigns alongside our Planning Manager.
• Working closely with our insight researchers, you’ll use primary & secondary research to tap into the hearts and minds of our audience - identifying compelling insights that will drive stand-out creative work.
• You’ll be able to understand and absorb data, and transform the complex into something simple. As well as creative strategy, you’ll develop communication strategies, giving campaigns structure and ensuring we’re using our portfolio in the most effective way. From fashion to food & drink, telecoms to travel,
• you’ll work across a wide variety of sectors and brands - no two weeks are the same in our team.
• You’ll do all of this collaboratively, working with creatives, account managers, SEO experts, designers, editorial and project managers. 
• You’ll also keep up to date on developments in the industry and ensure as a team we remain future-focused to maximise opportunities created by emerging trends.

Qualifications

• A passion for strategic thinking that goes beyond facts and figures and can uncover truths at the heart of audience behaviour, coupled with a passion to deliver best in class creativity 
• Effective presentation skills - a strong communicator who is comfortable presenting their thinking 
• Knowledge of using quantitative and qualitative research and distilling it into clear, concise recommendations 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills 
• Experience of contributing to the creative process/brainstorms 
• An excellent commercial thinker, able to identify and maximise opportunities - Collaborative, a strong team player 
• Getting stuck in and resilience to hit deadlines, working on multiple briefs simultaneously often with tight turnaround times and manage workload accordingly (in collaboration with Planning Manager) 
• Strong knowledge of the multi-platform media landscape 
• Fascinated by wider modern culture and cultural issues 
• You may have an understanding of audience and data tools like Google Analytics and TGI (but don’t worry if you don’t, we can train you up) 

Additional Information

We are offering a salary of up to £27,000 per annum + quarterly bonus, and a range of benefits including 

• 25 days’ holiday per year when you join. After three, five and ten years’ service with Reach, you’ll accrue one additional day of annual leave. We also have a Holiday Purchase Scheme
• Giving back day - an additional day’s leave each year to support a cause close to your heart
• Enhanced family leave - including maternity, paternity and adoption - and you’ll be eligible after just six months’ employment
• As one of the UK’s top 50 Inclusive Employers everyone’s invited to join our events, programmes and networks to celebrate diversity and build an environment where all our people can thrive
• Wellbeing support - including a 24/7 assistance programme for you and your nearest and dearest,
• Awesome career opportunities - you’ll have support from your line manager and a range of learning & development programmes
• member of the 30% Club, a global campaign aimed at increasing gender diversity at board and senior management levels
• Help saving for your retirement - join our pension scheme and we’ll match contributions up to 6%

Reach plc believes diversity brings benefits for our customers, our business and our people. This is why we are committed to being an inclusive employer and encourage applications from all suitable applicants irrespective of background, circumstances, age, disability, gender identity, ethnicity, religion or belief and sexual orientation.