Develops digital and audio media plans, manages advertiser requests throughout the RFP process, and advises Sales and Strategy teams on advertising products, inventory, KPIs, and market information. The role coordinates internal workflows, supports proposals and presentations, serves as an order management system expert, mentors Sales Planners, and leads onboarding and strategic projects across the advertising business.
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.
The Sales Planner will act in partnership with our Advertising Sales & Strategy teams to lead and support thoughtful and compelling programs that deliver successful outcomes for our Advertisers. The Sales Planner will be knowledgeable of digital and audio advertising platforms, tools, and products to create compelling media offerings. The Sales Planner will work with The Athletic clients externally and be a partner to sales and other operational teams internally.
Responsibilities
- Support development of RFP (Requests for Proposal) process utilizing the full scope of The Athletic’s ad products that strategically address the advertiser’s needs and campaign objectives for digital and audio business lines.
- Build and revise media plans, check avails, reserve fixed placements and update associated fixed placement calendars, and negotiate Terms & Conditions; Enter final plans into online proposal systems.
- Manage the digital process workflow from RFP to IO and liaise with key approval stakeholders in AdOps, Revenue Analytics, Legal, Ad Product, Research and Strategy.
- Adhere to process controls and ensure all approvals are accurately secured.
- Maintain proper documentation of all IOs, T&Cs and Campaign activities.
- Attend all Product trainings and develop a deep understanding of the full suite of The Athletic’s products across all platforms.
- Assist with campaign kick off management.
- Coordinate handoff of digital campaigns to AdOps to ensure pre and post sales continuity.
- Field customer complaints and work with the appropriate department to resolve them.
- Respond to servicing and information requests from team members and clients: work with various internal teams to gather information for customers and fulfill requests.
- Provide excellent customer service to both internal and external clients.
- Communicate detailed and specific account information to Sales and Operations management as needed.
- When other team members are out of office or low on bandwidth, Planner is responsible for coverage and resourcing assistance to support larger department needs.
- Planner is expected to surf the TA site regularly and frequently to ensure our Client’s ads are delivering as expected.
Requirements
- 1-2+ years media experience
- BS/BA degree or related degree
- Attention to detail and organized
- Excellent knowledge of advertising and digital media
- Proficiency in Microsoft and Google office applications; sales and data management tools such as Salesforce are also desirable
- 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 larger team
- This is a remote-based position in the United States or Canada
The annual base salary range for this role is $75,000.00 - $85,000.00 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.
For roles in the U.S., dependent on your role, you may be eligible for variable pay, such as an annual bonus and restricted stock. Benefits may include medical, dental and vision benefits, Flexible Spending Accounts (F.S.A.s), a company-matching 401(k) plan, paid vacation, paid sick days, paid parental leave, tuition reimbursement and professional development programs.
For roles outside of the U.S., information on benefits will be provided during the interview process.
We are excited to learn more about you and your experience. To keep our hiring process as fair and authentic as possible, we ask that you submit your own work and not use GenAI tools to generate substantive content during the application and interview process. If you are a candidate for a technical role, we will let you know what specific tools you are permitted to use for your technical assessment.
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.
Click here to review our Applicant Privacy Notice, which describes how and when The Athletic Media Company collects, uses, and shares certain personal information of job applicants and prospective employees.
Beware of fraudulent job recruiting schemes! Our recruiters use [email protected] exclusively, and our team members will use an email address with @theathletic.com domain. We do not conduct interviews via text or instant message and we do not ask candidates to download software, to purchase equipment through us, or to provide sensitive personally identifiable information, such as bank accounts or social security numbers. If you have been contacted by someone claiming to be a member of the recruiting/HR team at The Athletic but operating from a different email address about a job offer, please report it as potential job fraud to the law enforcement and to [email protected].
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