Senior Sales Planner (Remote)

About Us

Powered by one of the largest global newsrooms in sports media, The Athletic brings sports fans the most comprehensive stories about the teams, sports and athletes they love. The Athletic’s newsroom of 500+ full-time staff delivers in-depth coverage of hundreds of professional and college teams across more than 47 North American markets and all 20 football clubs in the English Premier League, as well as many Championship clubs.

About The Role

The Senior Sales Planner will be a strategic partner to our Advertising Sales team and provide thoughtful and compelling programs that deliver successful outcomes for our Advertisers. The Senior Sales Planner will be knowledgeable of digital and audio advertising platforms, tools and products and advise our advertiser and agency partners of New York Times solutions that meet their goals. The Senior Sales Planner will engage with our customers to ensure excellent customer care.

The Sr. Sales Planner will work seamlessly with other pod members across Sales, Strategy, and all internal partner teams. As a senior team member, the role is expected to support the team in any way possible and must foster a best-in-class relationship with partner teams. They will actively bring strategic ideas to the forefront to help individual pitches and influence the overall approach of the larger business.

The role will also support the growth and development of the entire Planning department by onboarding and mentoring individual Sales Planners. This role will play a crucial role in training and ‘upskilling’ Sales Planners through coaching, 1:1 training, and being an open resource for ad hoc questions. Senior Planners will also be required to take on stretch projects and become Subject Matter Experts (SME) in various areas/products/processes.

• Strategize and develop media plans from inception to completion, understanding the role of inventory in addition to the KPIs and metrics behind our product offering.
• Act as a trusted planning expert to Sales, Strategy, and Program Management within pod structure, supporting 1-2 pod groups.
• Manage client requests throughout the RFP process, inclusive of: plan changes, budget revisions, distribution asks, marketplace and industry information, specs, timeline development.
• Utilize internal resources and tools to add relevant, informative data to presentations and proposals.
• Become a ‘Super User’ of the Order Management System - this is a task force of cross department system experts for anything concerning the tool, including feature testing and bug fixes. This team also is responsible for testing the system during critical updates to ensure stable functionality
• Develop a deep, exemplary understanding of the NYT Product Catalogue.
• Expected to carry a minimum of two stretch projects at any given time, which can include: Subject Matter Expert work, Taskforce participation, ‘Mentor’ program, building training materials, Media Mint support, or other key projects as identified by management.
• Participation in Mentor program:
• Mentor 1-2 Sales Planners and impact their day-to-day training and development
• Help assign and assess the work of Sales Planners, ensuring deadlines are met, quality of work is satisfactory, and Sales Planner performance is at an acceptable level. 
• Work with Sales Planners to help train and foster their growth in the following areas: OMS/Workflow, NYT Product Knowledge, T&Cs
• Consistently foster a relationship with Sales leaders based around trust through reliability, product and strategic expertise, and open communication.
• Assume a leadership role in On-Boarding of new Sales Planners
• Assist in larger team discussions as necessary and be ready and willing to support the entire portfolio.
• Manage interdepartmental workflow to ensure that all elements are handled according to process and schedule.
• Manage ad hoc projects that shape the future of the Advertising business and position NYT as a thought leader.
• Display knowledge and understanding of the advertising landscape outside within NYT and the industry as a whole (e.g. deep understanding of: Viewability, Terms & Conditions, Reporting, Brand Safety, Data Privacy, etc.).
• When other pod team members are OOO or low on bandwidth, Sr. Planner is responsible for coverage and resourcing assistance to support larger pod needs.

• 2-5 years of related experience in Digital advertising (Audio experience an added bonus)
• Digital Planning experience is a prerequisite
• BS/BA degree 
• Attention to detail and organized
• Working knowledge of online proposal systems such as Lineup/Adpoint, DSM, Fat Tail, Operative is desirable
• Proficiency in Microsoft and Google office applications, and sales and data management tools such as Sales Force are also desirable
• Advanced knowledge of media math
• Motivated self-starter and quick learner
• Collaborative, responsive and accountable   
• Excellent communication skills both with external clients as well as internal stakeholders
• Excellent relationship-building skills and the ability to work effectively in a team environment
• Strong ability to communicate end-to-end planning process and share that knowledge with the rest of the team
• This is a remote-based position in the United States or Canada

The annual base salary range for this role is $72,000.00 - $80,000.00 USD. The total compensation offered for this position may vary based on factors such as education, experience, skills, and location. It may also include non-cash rewards and benefits. The base salary range is subject to change and may be modified in the future.

The Athletic offers unique perks and benefits to all full-time employees based on their country of residence. Our comprehensive US benefits package includes:

- Highly competitive, employer-contributed medical, dental, vision, basic life and disability insurance plans.

- Savings accounts for medical, wellness, and childcare expenses.

- 401k retirement savings plan and employer match.

- Paid time off including paid sick leave, 12 paid holidays, 15 days of accrued vacation to start, and up to 20 weeks of Paid Parental Leave.

For international candidates: Our global benefits packages offer similar benefits and perks, competitive to the local market.

The Athletic Media Company is an equal opportunity employer and enthusiastically encourages people from all backgrounds and experiences to apply. The Athletic will consider all applicants without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical and/or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

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