Business Analyst - Unified Media Planning / Ad Sales

Hybrid 3-4 days on site ideally in New York, NY or hybrid in NYC 3x a week Our client seeks an independent Business Analyst and Facilitator with unified media planning, ad tech, and ad sales expertise to drive product definition, process transformation, and cross-functional alignment. The role will lead requirements, define future-state unified planning workflows across linear, digital, and streaming, and translate planning pain points into clear product requirements. The analyst will partner with technical teams and SMEs to optimize planning, trafficking, order management, and inventory workflows while facilitating workshops to align planners, sales, and operations. This engagement will guide product teams with rationale, ensure scalable integrations with downstream ad tech systems, and improve forecasting, inventory modeling, and data flows. Due to client requirements, applicants must be willing and able to work on a w2 basis. For our w2 consultants, we offer a great benefits package that includes Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits, 401k with company matching, and life insurance. Rate: $70.00 to $80.00/hr. w2 Responsibilities Lead requirements gathering sessions and facilitate discussions to translate business needs into actionable product direction. Document current-state and define future-state business processes with clarity and alignment across stakeholders. Serve as a subject matter expert in ad sales for planning, trafficking, order management, and inventory workflows. Partner with technical teams to analyze legacy systems, uncover gaps, and define scalable processes. Guide product development by articulating the rationale behind requirements and ensuring outcomes meet objectives. Communicate fluently in ad tech terminology to bridge business and engineering teams. Challenge assumptions, identify opportunities, and propose innovative solutions. Create detailed process maps, user stories, acceptance criteria, and supporting documentation. Facilitate workshops to align planners, sales, and operations on unified workflows. Translate planning pain points into clear product requirements and rationale. Experience Requirements Hands-on expertise with cross-channel planning workflows across linear, digital, and streaming. Deep understanding of unified campaign planning including budgets, allocations, reach and frequency, and pacing. Experience with planning platforms such as Mediaocean/Prisma, Operative, and Freewheel/Strata. Knowledge of planning data flows into order management, trafficking, inventory, and reporting systems. Proven ability to define future-state unified planning processes beyond current-state documentation. Strong grasp of forecasting and inventory modeling across channels. Experience integrating planning tools with downstream ad tech systems. Ability to identify gaps in legacy planning workflows and propose scalable solutions. Comfort leading workshops with planners, sales, and operations to align on unified workflows. Ability to translate planning pain points into clear product requirements and rationale. Education Requirements No specific degree or certification requirements stated. #J-18808-Ljbffr Eliassen Group