Head of Planning

As the Head of Planning, you will lead the strategy team in developing clear and impactful plans for our brands. Your primary objective will be to understand consumer behavior and cultural trends and utilize this knowledge to drive our creative initiatives. Your role will involve transforming insights into effective strategies to ensure our brands excel and differentiate themselves in the market. You will be responsible for crafting compelling and focused briefs that inspire creative brilliance and provide clear direction to the team. Additionally, you will lead the planning function across various initiatives such as brand campaigns, social content, influencer activations, product launches, and intellectual properties. Your expertise will be crucial in converting complex challenges into creative opportunities that drive business success. Functioning as a trusted advisor to brand owners, you will develop long-term brand strategies, content calendars, and establish category leadership. By identifying white spaces and fresh angles for brand growth, you will leverage cultural, platform, and business insights to drive innovation. Your role will involve leading the discovery of deep behavioral insights and developing planning frameworks to decode consumer journeys, ultimately driving brand affinity. Collaborating closely with creative teams, you will guide the development of campaign pitches, scripts, strategic decks, and compelling narratives. You will work towards inspiring innovative thinking among the creative teams and co-own the delivery of impactful campaigns. Building and mentoring a high-performing planning team will be essential, along with establishing strategic rituals and elevating our strategic product with tools and repeatable systems. Partnering with media, digital, and business leads, you will ensure comprehensive campaign evaluation and performance tracking. By developing compelling case studies and learning decks after key campaigns, you will capture insights on what worked well, areas for improvement, and outline next steps. Your role will also involve building frameworks for testing creative hypotheses and optimizing campaigns in real-time. To excel in this role, you should have at least 5 years of experience in planning, with a strong track record in digital, brand, and social-first agencies. A deep understanding of Indian Tier 2-3 youth culture, passion for human truths, and comfort in navigating dynamic environments are essential. Your ability to lead a team effectively, influence creatives, and foster a collaborative work environment will be key to success in this role.,