Associate Director, Media Strategy

New Jersey · United States · USD 105,000-120,000 · 7+ years experience · Hybrid · Posted Sep 24, 2026

At a glance

Monks is a new kind of agency, built from the ground up by award-winning creatives, top data scientists and cutting-edge media people willing to defect from the old agency model to create smarter work. Challenging convention, we bridge the gap between meaningful storytelling, data-led optimization and commerce. A spirit of curiosity, relentless creativity and data-informed decision making define our culture and people.

The Associate Director, Media Strategy leads key strategy and planning workstreams on one of Monks' most important client relationships.
This role owns deliverables end to end and serves as a trusted day-to-day client contact.

Serve as a lead day-to-day point of contact with media client stakeholders.
Develop go-to-market strategies and integrated, full-funnel media plans informed by rich consumer and industry insights with a laser focus on outcomes.
Lead briefings, brainstorms, presentations and reporting calls to represent and support the team.
Prepare executive-level deliverables on performance, strategic POVs and competitive analysis.
Analyze data, craft insights and make recommendations internally and externally in deck form.
Use AI-enabled tools to accelerate research, insight generation, plan development and reporting.
Maintain executional and performance excellence through ongoing collaboration with Activation, Investment and Data & Measurement teams.
Establish relationships with platform partners to stay current on offerings and maximize media value.
Track and manage the client scorecard to ensure the team is set up to hit performance goals.
Lead and manage 1–3 direct reports; regularly meet to establish priorities and offer guidance and feedback.

7+ years of industry experience focused on media strategy, planning and client service.
Proficient in media strategy with experience across digital direct, programmatic, social and search plus fluency in brand and offline channels.
Ability to craft compelling, data-driven narratives for client deliverables.
Experienced with syndicated planning and competitive insight tools (e.g., Comscore, GWI, Pathmatics, Nielsen).
Comfortable adopting AI-enabled tools and helping the team work smarter.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills; desire to grow as a leader and mentor.
BA or equivalent with emphasis on marketing, advertising, or business.

Subject to Return to Office (RTO) policy requiring work from the office a set number of days per week if residing within a commutable distance of an office location.