Company Description
Are you a curious thinker with a fascination for what makes people tick? Do you love to get your teeth stuck into a problem? Or are you deeply attuned to mainstream culture?
If so, this could be the perfect role for you. We’re looking for a Junior Planner to join the Planning and Insight team. You’ll step into the shoes of our diverse audience, understanding their motivations and finding the most engaging, relevant ways for advertisers to connect with them. This is a hybrid role that will require you to work from our Canary Wharf Hub once or twice a week.
So who are we?
We are Reach Plc, you might not have heard of us but we have probably met without you even realising it. We are home to the UK and Ireland’s most iconic digital platforms, magazines and newspapers. From the Mirror, Daily Express, Daily Star and OK!, to our regional titles such as the Liverpool Echo, BirminghamLive and the Manchester Evening News (plus lots more), our brands and the stories we cover are as varied as the people and communities we reach.
Reach Solutions is the commercial team that brings together our editorial output with media agencies and clients, creating strong connections between our valuable audience, content and advertiser brands. Planning and Insight sits within Reach Solutions, and it’s our mission to fuel the thinking behind award-winning advertising campaigns. Our team of curious thinkers, planners and researchers are a beacon of knowledge in the industry on what really makes mainstream Britain tick.
Job Description
What you’ll be doing:
As a Junior Planner, you’ll step into the shoes of our diverse audience, getting to know what makes them tick and finding the most exciting ways for advertisers to connect with them. Your primary focus will be working alongside our Planning Manager to develop strategies for branded content campaigns. You’ll collaborate closely with our insight researchers, tapping into primary and secondary research to uncover compelling insights that drive standout creative work.
You’ll have the opportunity to transform complex data into clear and simple insights, whether it’s for creative strategy or communication strategies that provide structure for campaigns. With your finger on the pulse of various sectors—fashion, food & drink, telecoms, travel—you’ll work across a wide variety of brands, meaning no two weeks are the same. You’ll also get the chance to work collaboratively with creatives, account managers, SEO experts, designers, editors, and project managers to deliver high-quality campaigns.
You’ll stay up to date with industry developments and trends, ensuring that the team remains future-focused, always looking for ways to maximise opportunities created by emerging trends. Your work will shape how we connect with audiences and will have a direct impact on the creativity and effectiveness of the campaigns we produce.
Qualifications
What you’ll need to succeed:
To thrive in this role, you’ll need a passion for strategic thinking that goes beyond just facts and figures—you should love uncovering the truths behind audience behaviour. You’ll also need a passion for creativity, always striving to deliver the best ideas. Effective presentation skills are a must, as you’ll be presenting your thinking clearly and confidently to a variety of stakeholders. Your communication skills, both written and verbal, will be key to ensuring that your ideas are understood and acted upon.
You’ll be able to use quantitative and qualitative research to distill insights into clear, actionable recommendations. Previous experience in contributing to the creative process and brainstorms will be an advantage. You’ll be an excellent commercial thinker, always identifying and maximising opportunities, and you’ll thrive in a collaborative environment, working with teams across multiple disciplines.
You’ll be resilient under pressure, able to juggle multiple briefs at once, often with tight deadlines. Strong knowledge of the multi-platform media landscape is essential, and a fascination with modern culture and cultural issues will help you connect with our audiences in meaningful ways. Experience with audience and data tools like Google Analytics and TGI is helpful, but if you don’t have it, don’t worry—we’ll help train you. We’re looking for fresh ideas and new perspectives from candidates with diverse backgrounds to join our team.
This is a hybrid role, with one day per week required at our Canary Wharf Hub. If you’re ready to bring your passion and creativity to the team, we want to hear from you!
Additional Information
We are offering a salary of up to £27,000 per annum + quarterly bonus, and a range of benefits including
- 25 days’ holiday per year when you join. After three, five and ten years’ service with Reach, you’ll accrue one additional day of annual leave. We also have a Holiday Purchase Scheme
- Giving back day - an additional day’s leave each year to support a cause close to your heart
- Enhanced family leave - including maternity, paternity and adoption - and you’ll be eligible after just six months’ employment
- As one of the UK’s top 50 Inclusive Employers everyone’s invited to join our events, programmes and networks to celebrate diversity and build an environment where all our people can thrive
- Wellbeing support - including a 24/7 assistance programme for you and your nearest and dearest,
- Awesome career opportunities - you’ll have support from your line manager and a range of learning & development programmes
- member of the 30% Club, a global campaign aimed at increasing gender diversity at board and senior management levels
- Help saving for your retirement - join our pension scheme and we’ll match contributions up to 6%
Reach plc believes diversity brings benefits for our customers, our business and our people. This is why we are committed to being an inclusive employer and encourage applications from all suitable applicants irrespective of background, circumstances, age, disability, gender identity, ethnicity, religion or belief and sexual orientation.
