Account Director

Company description With a history that dates back over 80 years, Starcom is a global communications planning and media leader. We are an agency still grounded in our founding principle that people are at the centre of all we do. Each day, we apply this belief to harness the transformative power of data and technology to inspire and move people and business forward.

With more than 7,000 employees in over 100 offices around the world, we are the flagship Publicis Media agency that uses our ‘Power of One’ business model, with teams that span multiple disciplines across clients such as Aldi, P&G, Primark, Samsung, Stellantis, and Visa. We place a huge focus on our People, and have driven flagship D&I and L&D programmes within Publicis Media; our goal is to help every individual reach their fullest potential, and we encourage everyone to make “Brave Plays” in how they approach their work and their own career development.

As a result, we have an exceptionally energised and committed talent base, all of us proud of our welcoming and supportive culture, as evidenced by our recognition as one of Campaign’s Best Places to

Work for five years in a row, Media Week's Agency of the Year 2025 and one of the Sunday Times Best Places to

Work 2025. Overview Account Director – Media Planning We are hiring an Account Director to lead planning across three incredibly different and exciting brands, each offering a unique opportunity to shape culture, influence consumer behaviour and drive measurable business growth. You'll work at the heart of strategic media planning for Twinings, FrieslandCampina and Kärcher, partnering with household names that span food and drink, and innovative home technology.

This is a role for someone who loves combining strategic thinking with strong client partnerships, helping brands stay relevant, distinctive and commercially successful. Based within Starcom's collaborative planning team, you'll have the freedom to influence business direction while working alongside some of the industry's leading specialists.

• Lead the development of integrated media and communications strategies across a portfolio of brand-focused clients. Act as the senior day-to-day client contact, building trusted relationships and providing confident strategic guidance. Translate audience, market and media insights into clear planning recommendations backed by evidence and measurable rationale.
• Drive planning excellence through robust frameworks, playbooks, planning principles and best-practice approaches.
• Work closely with activation and specialist teams to deliver connected media solutions across channels including TV, audio, out-of-home, social and digital media.
• Support and develop team members, providing clear direction, coaching and feedback to help them succeed. Partner with senior leadership to identify opportunities for growth and continuously improve the quality of planning output.

Proven experience in a media agency communications planning role, operating at Account Director level or ready to step into the position. Strong understanding of above-the-line media planning, including channels such as TV, audio, out-of-home and social media. Ability to explain planning decisions clearly, using data, audience insight and commercial rationale to support recommendations. Experience building strong client relationships and managing stakeholders with confidence and credibility.

Demonstrated experience creating planning frameworks, playbooks or best-practice guidance that improves consistency and effectiveness. Experience managing and developing team members, providing direction whilst creating an environment where people can grow. FMCG experience would be beneficial, although we welcome applications from candidates with transferable consumer brand planning experience. Why this role stands out Few roles offer the chance to work across such a diverse collection of brands.

One day you could be helping Twinings connect with evolving wellbeing trends, the next supporting FrieslandCampina's iconic brands such as Yazoo and Chocomel to win in competitive FMCG categories, before turning your attention to Kärcher, a global leader in innovative cleaning technology. You'll gain exposure to very different consumer audiences, business challenges and media opportunities, making this an exceptional platform for broadening your strategic experience and accelerating your career.

Starcom offers a wide range of benefits to support our employees. Full details are shared when you join, but highlights include core benefits such as Pension, Life Assurance, and Private Medical cover, alongside enhanced policies like Reflection Days and Shared Parental Leave. You’ll also have access to a range of additional initiatives, including: 📖 Please check out the Publicis Career Page which showcases our Inclusive Benefits and our EAG’s (Employee Action Groups). Publicis Groupe works primarily from the office or our clients' office four days per week.

At Starcom, we are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, and do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion or belief, disability, age, citizenship, relationship status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected characteristic. We are committed to providing a fair, accessible, and inclusive recruitment process. If you have any access needs

• for example, related to disability, neurodivergence, or a health condition
• please let us know. We’ll work with you to ensure the process works for you. Sharing this information will never impact your application. Guided by our values, we listen with empathy, uplift each other, take responsibility, and embrace change
• building a culture where everyone feels seen, respected, and genuinely included. #LI-ER Lead the development of integrated media and communications strategies across a portfolio of brand-focused clients. Act as the senior day-to-day client contact, building trusted relationships and providing confident strategic guidance. Translate audience, market and media insights into clear planning recommendations backed by evidence and measurable rationale.

Drive planning excellence through robust frameworks, playbooks, planning principles and best-practice approaches.

Work closely with activation and specialist teams to deliver connected media solutions across channels including TV, audio, out-of-home, social and digital media.

Support and develop team members, providing clear direction, coaching and feedback to help them succeed. Partner with senior leadership to identify opportunities for growth and continuously improve the quality of planning output. Proven experience in a media agency communications planning role, operating at Account Director level or ready to step into the position. Strong understanding of above-the-line media planning, including channels such as TV, audio, out-of-home and social media.

Ability to explain planning decisions clearly, using data, audience insight and commercial rationale to support recommendations. Experience building strong client relationships and managing stakeholders with confidence and credibility. Demonstrated experience creating planning frameworks, playbooks or best-practice guidance that improves consistency and effectiveness. Experience managing and developing team members, providing direction whilst creating an environment where people can grow.

FMCG experience would be beneficial, although we welcome applications from candidates with transferable consumer brand planning experience. Why this role stands out Few roles offer the chance to work across such a diverse collection of brands. One day you could be helping Twinings connect with evolving wellbeing trends, the next supporting FrieslandCampina's iconic brands such as Yazoo and Chocomel to win in competitive FMCG categories, before turning your attention to Kärcher, a global leader in innovative cleaning technology.

You'll gain exposure to very different consumer audiences, business challenges and media opportunities, making this an exceptional platform for broadening your strategic experience and accelerating your career.