This is a Head of IMAA & Direct Sales role with Are Media based in Sydney, NSW, AU Are Media Role Seniority - senior More about the Head of IMAA & Direct Sales role at Are Media Who Are We? Are Media is Australia’s leading omnichannel content company for women. Every day we influence, inform, inspire, and connect with 6 in 10 Australian women across magazine media, digital, video, social, e-commerce, customer review sites, podcasts, events and experiences. Our brands include The Australian Women’s Weekly, Better Homes & Gardens, Woman’s Day, marie claire, TV WEEK, New Idea, Now to Love, Australian Gourmet Traveller, BEAUTY/crew and ELLE. Through our Change AREgenda we drive meaningful and positive change for women. Are Media employs Australia’s best content creation talent and we are proud that our greatest strength is our people. Why Are Media? Join Australia’s leading content company for women and be part of an inspiring, creative and collaborative team. We offer excellent people programs including: A day of leave for your birthday, 4 days of volunteering leave each year, An inclusive parental leave program that supports all parents, families & carers, FREE digital access to all our titles, and Our unique Are Media Learning Academy (Digital Academy, Lunch N Learns, Mentoring and much more). At Are Media, you'll be in the office four days a week, with one day to work from home. About the Role: The Head of IMAA & Direct Sales (NSW) is Are Media’s market facing senior leader for the Independent Agency (IMAA) & Direct Client segments. They are responsible for positively representing the business in market, networking within this market sector to ensure our brand is well known, well respected and ultimately well placed to deliver on our revenue goals and market strategy across NSW. This role owns the IMAA & Direct sales budgets and leads both the IMAA & Direct teams. They are focused on driving new business growth, ensuring strong client retention and developing deeper commercial partnerships with advertisers. Reporting to the Director of Advertising Sales, the role ensures Are Media is consistently delivering high‑quality, insight‑led, solutions‑focused outcomes for clients, while building a strong pipeline of future revenue and long‑term partnerships. This is a role for a leader who inspires, connects and delivers. Driving growth through bold ideas, brilliant partnerships and a relentless focus on results. Duties IMMA & Direct Revenue Strategy, Client Leadership & New Business Growth Own the NSW IMAA, Direct & Directories sales revenue and performance. Lead Are Media's Senior IMAA & Direct Advertiser relationships. Proactively identify and lead on new business growth and development. Build and maintain trusted relationships with senior decision-makers. Dive long-term client value through strategic, multi-year partnerships. Lead and support on high-value patches, complex negotiations and commercial discussions, client growth planning. Partner with Client Strategy & Solutions to deliver consistently high-quality client experience. Set clear standards for how the IMAA & Direct Sales Team engages with clients, ensuring consistency and commercial rigor. Analysis & Reporting Own forecasting, reporting and revenue performance, ensuring accuracy. Analyse performance against budget, working with IMAA & Direct Sales Teams to maintain strong pipeline visibility and forecasting discipline. Proactively identify shortfalls and develop gap mitigation plans to reduce revenue risk. Provide regular performance updates to Director of Advertising Sales. Ensure strong CRM discipline and accuracy across the team. Team Leadership Complete the Performance, Coaching & Development Cycle with all direct reports including objective setting aligned with the broader team strategy, mid and end of year catch ups. Create a regular cadence of team meetings to enable strong communication within the team; including regular 1:1s to provide feedback, coaching, mentoring and support. Effectively lead the team throughout end-to-end employee lifecycle. Actively participate in People Leader briefings and training to continue to develop leadership skills. Drive a positive, engaged and high-performance culture. Skills and experience Essential Senior media sales or client leadership experience, typically 10 years in media, advertising, or direct client partnership environments. Demonstrated senior direct‑to‑client experience, including: Building and leading relationships with senior client‑side stakeholders Influencing client strategy, budget allocation, and media investment devisions. Proven commercial and revenue leadership experience. With accountability for significant revenue targets, delivering strong forecasting and pipeline discipline. Strong consultative selling and negotiation capability, with experience leading high‑value pitches, renewals and complex commercial discussions. Digital and data fluency, including: Understanding of multi‑platform advertising solutions Ability to use performance and audience insights to inform client strategy and value conversations. Established people leadership experience, typically 5 years leading sales professionals, with evidence of coaching, performance management, and capability uplift. Proven ability to operate within matrixed organisations, collaborating effectively across Sales, Client Strategy, Product, Solutions, Operations and Content. Desirable Experience leading strategic Independent Agency & Direct client portfolios, spanning multiple categories or brands. Exposure to state or portfolio‑level sales strategy, contributing to broader go‑to‑market, revenue, or new business planning. Experience driving new business acquisition and structured growth planning for direct advertisers. Familiarity with publishing, content‑led, or premium media environments. Experience representing a business in senior client forums, industry events, or external stakeholder engagements. Are Media is committed to a diverse, respectful, collaborative & inclusive workplace. We know & value the success this brings for everyone and we welcome & encourage applications from diverse backgrounds. When you apply, please let us know of any reasonable adjustments you may need during the interview process. Please apply now and send your CV via the link. Before we jump into the responsibilities of the role. No matter what you come in knowing, you’ll be learning new things all the time and the Are Media team will be there to support your growth. Please consider applying even if you don't meet 100% of what’s outlined Key Responsibilities Owning revenue strategy Leading client relationships Driving new business growth Key Strengths Senior media sales experience Consultative selling and negotiation capability Digital and data fluency Experience leading strategic Independent Agency & Direct client portfolios Familiarity with publishing or premium media environments Exposure to state or portfolio-level sales strategy A Final Note: This is a role with Are Media not with Hatch.
