Director Media Planning

Disney (Disneycareerdc) Open · verified Aug 15, 2026

New York Full-time Director Paid Media

Leadership Paid Media role at Disney (Disneycareerdc). New York · full-time · $132,800–$178,000 base.

SalaryStated by Disney (Disneycareerdc)

$132,800 – $178,000

Base salary for this role, in USD per year, as published in the posting.

This role, from Disney (Disneycareerdc)Our estimate for the market: $143,750–$209,656

In line with the market median of $155,400 for lead paid media roles in New York.

Worked out from 12 postings that stated pay, median $155,400. Last updated Aug 14, 2026.

Role brief

Growth Roles summary, based on the employer's posting.

What you'll do

Shape ESPN’s full-funnel media strategy across paid and owned channels to grow awareness, retention, and acquisition
Read market, fan, and competitor signals to uncover opportunities and new media approaches
Build agency and media-partner relationships that improve spend and create room for testing
Align marketing, league, research, analytics, and sports teams so campaigns execute as one plan
Lead and develop managers and employees while using results to sharpen future media decisions

What you bring

At least eight years shaping strategy for large-scale media campaigns
Three or more years directly leading, developing, and growing teams
Experience building relationships with senior and executive-level leaders, plus strong presentation skills
Knowledge of audience targeting, tagging, campaign implementation, reporting, measurement, and digital and traditional media
A bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, or a related field

Who this fits

This role suits a senior media strategist who can combine audience insight, performance data, creative thinking, and cross-functional leadership. You’ll work full time in New York and manage, coach, and mentor managers and employees. Sports or entertainment experience is preferred, and the role calls for someone comfortable working independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced setting.

From the employer

Job Posting Title:

Director Media Planning

Req ID:

10153184

Job Description:

The ESPN Media team combines the power of brand building and performance marketing through integrated planning, audience understanding and measurement to drive results.

This role is critical in developing and leading holistic full-funnel Media strategy & planning across all media channels & platforms to increase brand awareness, retention & acquisition of ESPN brands & platforms. The ideal candidate is a creative thinker who utilizes collaboration in the highest form to drive business results. This position reports to the Sr. Dir Media Planning. This role is located in New York, NY.

Responsibilities:

Analyzes market trends, fan insights, and competitive landscape to identify opportunities and develop innovative media approaches.
Develop strong partnerships with external media buying agencies and key media partners to maximize spend & alpha testing opportunities.
Develops a comprehensive media strategy that aligns with business objectives.
Stewards effective communication and understanding needs of marketing teams, internal stakeholders, and external league partners ensuring team is set up to effectively execute campaigns across ESPN O&O and paid media channels.
Partners with Research & Analytics teams to evaluate performance and make data-driven decisions to influence future strategies.
Encourages a culture based on teamwork, collaboration, and intellectual ownership to drive results as well as manages, coaches, and mentors managers and employees to inspire career growth.
Provides digital marketing & creative thought leadership based on media results across ESPN Marketing.
Collaborate with Sports Marketing teams to drive audience expansion and reach across various properties.

Required Qualifications:

Minimum 8 years of experience in strategy and planning of large media campaigns.
Minimum 3 years of experience in leadership and development, directly leading, managing, and growing teams.
Experience in engaging, managing, and building relationships with senior and executive level leaders.
A progressive mindset with proven success driving a business forward with innovative ideas.
Excellent verbal and presenting skills to be an effective and persuasive communicator.
Experience with audience targeting, data and tagging needs; implementation, reporting, and measurement.
An eye for emerging industry trends and topics, with an ability to shape business-building opportunities.
Fluency in managing cross-functional collaborators to deliver unified work.
A data-driven mentality, with a hunger to continuously refine strategy, performance, and opportunity through insights.
Deep understanding of the media landscape, consumer behavior, media consumption, and how to connect strategic thought leadership with activation across both digital and traditional channels.

Preferred Qualifications:

Creative thinker who enjoys finding creative solutions by bringing brands together in unique and unexpected ways.
The ideal candidate should be passionate, take initiative, have superior relationship skills, effectively multi-tasks, and is detail oriented.
Sports/entertainment experience preferred.
Demonstrates strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills with an ability to translate complex data into actionable insights in a clear and concise manner.
Driven self-starter who is comfortable working both independently and collaboratively across multiple departments and disciplines in a fast-paced environment.

Required Education:

Bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, or a related field

#ESPNMedia

The hiring range for this position in New York, NY is $132,800.00 to $178,000.00 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.

Job Posting Segment:

ESPN Creative Studio and Marketing

Job Posting Primary Business:

Marketing & Consumer Engagement

Primary Job Posting Category:

Media Planning & Buying - Sports

Employment Type:

Full time

Primary City, State, Region, Postal Code:

New York, NY, USA

Alternate City, State, Region, Postal Code:

Date Posted:

2026-06-25