Associate Media Planner

Job title: Associate Media Planner

Location: Irvine, California Country: United States Category: Marketing Workplace

Location

Remote Employment Type: Contract Posted Date: October 23, 2026 Job ID: 653143

Job Description

The Planet Group is seeking an Associate Media Planner to join one of our well-known global pharmaceutical clients.

• Pay: $42.25-$47.81/hr depending on experience (W2 and benefit options)
• Location: Onsite in Irvine, CA or Remote
• Duration: 1 year to start - potential to extend / convert

Associate Media Planner Responsibilities:

• Play a critical role in translating media plans and emerging business initiatives into compliant, execution-ready campaigns
• Work closely with Media Planners, Media Managers, Operations, Finance, Procurement, Legal, Data Privacy, vendors, and account teams
• Coordinate contracting, campaign activation, documentation, financial tracking, and issue resolution
• Help clarify requirements and dependencies, maintain accurate records, flag risks related to timing, budget, compliance, and resourcing, and support continuous optimization across media initiatives
• Support the development and implementation of media strategies, plans, and activation recommendations alongside Media Planners and Media Managers
• Own and maintain campaign documentation, including media calendars, contracting status trackers, finance and invoice trackers, creative trackers, buy authorizations, work orders, insertion orders, and purchase-order records
• Coordinate end-to-end media contracting and change requests, including intake, vendor onboarding, work-order and POCN development, data-privacy requirements, QA, signature routing, SNAPP submission, approvals, and final filing
• Coordinate campaign activation and advertising-material trafficking; confirm specifications and handoffs, monitor launch readiness, verify placements are live, collect proof-of-performance screenshots, and maintain accurate campaign records
• Serve as a day-to-day contact for media vendors and internal partners across Procurement, Legal, Data Privacy, Finance, Operations, and account teams; clarify next steps, required information, owners, and dependencies, and resolve issues promptly
• Track and report campaign spend, budget status, purchase orders, invoices, monthly amounts, savings, and variances; reconcile records and escalate financial risks or discrepancies
• Ensure work complies with pharmaceutical, privacy, procurement, contracting, and media-delivery requirements; proactively flag risks related to timing, budget, resourcing, approvals, and dependencies
• Support reporting, optimization, and planning discussions by gathering launch updates, placement documentation, vendor inputs, and campaign-status information
• Provide day-to-day executional support to Media Planners and Media Managers, help establish efficient intake-driven workflows, and contribute to onboarding or guidance for junior team members and interns as assigned

Associate Media Planner Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, advertising, communications, or related field
• 2-4 years of experience in marketing, healthcare, media planning, media buying, campaign operations, or a related field
• Exceptional organizational skills, attention to detail, sound judgment, and the ability to manage multiple deadlines and dependencies
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365, especially Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and shared tracking tools
• Excellent written and verbal communication, vendor-management, and cross-functional relationship-building abilities
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, regulated environment, proactively escalating risks and resolving issues

LI-AW2 #CDM

EEO Statement

The staffing industry has seen an increase in people falsely representing themselves as recruiters to gather personal information from job seekers. For your safety, do not provide sensitive data to anyone you have not spoken with thoroughly, never provide banking information during the application process, and always double check the email address of the Recruiter to ensure it’s from an official Planet domain (@theplanetgroup.com or @launchcg.com) - and not a domain with an alternative extension like .net, .org, or .jobs.

The Planet Group and our companies are equal opportunity employers. It is our practice not to discriminate against any employee or applicant based on any criteria, condition or basis protected by laws or regulations in the locations where we do business. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply. We celebrate diversity and are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect. We believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion enable us to better meet our mission and values while serving our clients across the globe. If you have a disability or handicap and would like us to accommodate you in any reasonable way, please inform your recruiter, or contact us, so that we can discuss the appropriate alternatives available.