Paid Media Planner/Buyer

Paid Media Planner/Buyer

Midtown Manhattan · Hybrid (3 days in office / 2 remote)

A large, well-established, full-service advertising agency in Midtown Manhattan is hiring a Paid Media Planner/Buyer. What makes this agency different: it's family-run, and it still feels that way. The culture is collaborative and personal, and people are truly hands-on. Planners here don't hand off the buying, and buyers don't sit behind a planning team. You build the plan, you place and optimize the buys, and you talk with the client directly.

You'll own paid media for a mix of Higher Education and consumer brand clients from end to end: strategy, media plan, buying, launch, optimization, reporting and the client conversation that follows. If you want more ownership, more client contact and more room to grow than a big holding-company agency usually gives you, this is that role.

What you'll do

• Build multi-channel paid media plans: channel mix, audience strategy, flighting and budget allocation


• Personally execute buys across Paid Search (Google Ads), Paid Social (Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok and more), Display, Programmatic and CTV


• Manage budgets, pacing and optimization across several client accounts at once


• Track performance and deliver clear, timely reporting with recommendations to improve ROI


• Present media plans, performance and recommendations directly to clients


• Work side by side with agency leadership on strategy, with real autonomy over your accounts

What you bring

• 3–5+ years of hands-on paid media planning AND buying, ideally at an advertising or media agency


• A track record of executing buys yourself, not just coordinating campaigns or managing social content


• Hands-on experience in Google Ads, Meta Ads Manager, LinkedIn Campaign Manager, TikTok, Snap and Reddit Ads


• Hands-on campaign experience across Display, Programmatic and CTV


• Strong analytics skills: GA4, Looker Studio and advanced Excel, used to measure performance and prove ROI


• Experience presenting plans and results to clients; polished, articulate and confident with senior stakeholders


• Organized and calm when managing multiple accounts and deadlines


• A plus: Higher Ed marketing experience or traditional media buying (TV, radio, print, OOH)

Why this role

• A family-run, collaborative culture inside a large, stable, long-standing agency


• True ownership: you plan, you buy and you own the client relationship


• Autonomy and visibility with leadership, with clear room to grow


• Competitive base salary plus annual bonus and profit sharing


• Annual salary increases, 401(k) and health benefits

If you're a hands-on media planner/buyer who wants more ownership and direct client contact, apply here or message me directly to talk confidentially.