Operations Executive - Media

Also known as...

Media Assistant, Media Executive, Trading Assistant, Trading Executive, Buying Executive, Buying Assistant

The role in brief...

The Operation Executive focuses on the tracking and monitoring of media briefs and deals; providing responses to off-line media briefs within agreed timelines, managing bookings and the tracking and the financial administration relating to approval and reconciliation/invoicing of campaigns across all media. This may be across specific media channels.

 Working with...

• Internal: Media Teams, Media Directors/Head of Trading across the different media channels such as TV Buying; Media Planners, Finance Team; Strategists
• External: Other agencies; Media Owners; Client Finance teams
• The Operations Executive may report into the Media Manager/Media Director/Head of Trading.

Responsible for...

• Assisting with responding to media briefs across various online channels (TV, Out of Home, print and radio) in a timely fashion.
• Managing and accurately updating the master tracker across all media channels.
• Assisting with inventory tracking by client, by media type, by deal type.
• Maintaining the central agency shared directories and uploading approved plans, Purchase Order numbers, templates and deal trackers on a daily basis.
• Supporting the media team across key areas of the campaign lifecycle, from uploading media plans to the agency systems, ensuring campaign checklists are complete and assisting with campaign reporting.
• Working with the media team(s) to compile end of campaign, weekly, monthly and quarterly reports.
• Managing the Media owner scorecard to track and analysis of performance against set criteria.
• Ensuring all booking conditions are accurate and in place.
• Providing agency buyers/operations team with a monthly bookings status
• Collaborating with the finance team to reconcile end of month campaign. delivery, ensuring all media activity is invoiced accurately and paid on time.
• Investigating and resolving any billing/invoice queries in a timely manner.
• Assisting with case studies to demonstrate media performance.

Those who succeed are...

Highly numerical, accurate and organised in their approach to their work. They are proficient in using Excel, ideally with the ability to use pivot tables, sumifs and vlookups. Adept at interpreting data and identifying themes and inconsistencies. They can assimilate information quickly and adhere to processes/best practices. They are proactive in their response to requests and solve problems. They have an interest in learning about working in a media environment.

Where they come from, and where they go…

Ideally, they have 1-1.5 years’ in a finance/admin/media investment role.

At larger agencies this is done via formal graduate recruitment schemes, typically on an annual basis. Operations Executives may also be taken on following agency apprenticeship schemes (such as Advertising and Media Executive) where there is no requirement for a degree, although A-Levels, or equivalent, are still expected.

With an interest in working with data and figures and curious about all of the different media channels (TV, AV, radio, cinema, Out of Home and Print) and how they are traded they go on to become Media Managers, Media Directors, Head of Trading.