Position Summary As a Strategy Director, you are responsible for the creation of the strategic direction a brand will take in communications to achieve their business goals. You are responsible for helping to strategize, produce and make sense of the key cultural, consumer and market intelligence required to design the best possible holistic communications plan to deliver on that task. This work should be held up as best practice both within the agency and externally – recognized by winning awards and client scores. You have a passion for people, brands and ideas and an insatiable curiosity for culture in every sense. You believe that brands can & should mean in the world, and are driven by the desire to understand the changing world and people’s subsequent shifting motivations and behaviors. You are responsible for creating the strategic recommendations and engaging with the client in an advisory capacity. It is not your responsibility to manage the client relationship & you will – by Brief – report to the Client Lead to deliver brilliant strategic thinking for the client team. Creative thinking, sound presentation skills & leadership behaviors are critical in delivering success in this role. You should produce work that drives re-appraisal of communications and what media can do in the world, and your work should be seen as driving the agency forward. You are responsible for ensuring that the Strategists’ work is strong and sound. That it has considered all consumer, category and culture trends, helping them to think about new ways to respond to a brief and encouraging them to work – with you – alongside the Analytics, Communications Design and Client teams to deliver better, smarter and more innovative work. Key Responsibilities Client Maintaining excellent client relationships & understanding of the clients’ key business and challenges Being considered a valuable contributor during client meetings with the ability to challenge others’ opinions in the right forum/manner Delivering innovative thinking that inspires leading edge solutions and award-winning breakthrough work – best in class work as standard (internally & externally) Arming the client team with knowledge & expertise to speak confidently about the strategic direction where required Measurable client & strategy business KPIs Internal Identify, develop & oversee the delivery of unique and innovative strategies to deliver the client’s desired results Demonstrate a good understanding of consumers & their behaviors Clearly demonstrate how the strategy delivers on the business need and focus on results and measurement Lead Infinity Planning for the team and client base Bring fresh thinking & inspiration into the Strategic Process to help the teams springboard to better Strategic thinking Drive usage of the Cultural Analytical Process/Tools to help teams find new insights that unlock growth Deliver executable, relevant, on brand platforms with the potential for fame/award entry Write cohesive communications architectures that deliver on the platform and give guidance for how the brand will play in culture Train, guide & assist the Strategy & Client teams in development and packaging of ideas Positively collaborate with SBU and independent creative partners, contributing to their/our client work Use qualitative and quantitative communications channel & cultural tool research to develop applicable insights into the consumer connection with the brand Partner with Analytics to develop new tools, inputting into the development of new & cutting edge proprietary planning, research and reporting models for Initiative Lead ideation team sessions in conjunction with the Communications Design team and relevant SBUs to generate creative & compelling communications ideas Commercial Contribute to Agency & Client revenue opportunities through Strategic output Proactively work with all partners (vendors, academic institutions, creative consultancies) to unlock new growth opportunities for the client &/or the agency Prioritization: 20% Client 70% Internal 10% Commercial Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s): Client Positive client relationships; understands clients’ business and challenges Aids in elevating Initiative’s profile with clients Deliver innovative thinking that enable award-winning &/or breakthrough work, helping to orchestrate, identify & write and win awards submissions Measurable client & strategy business KPIs met Internal Inclusion of Strategy management in client business Lead team member providing quality control/best practice in the presentation of ideas Able to translate the client’s business goals into Strategic Communications Tasks Able to deliver a full strategy with insight, audience profiling, targeting info, strategic platform and communications architecture Deep working knowledge & usage of the Infinity Planning Process Positive feedback on ability to collaborate with other agencies, partners, teams & SBUs Able to brief the CD team with executable, on brand platforms that inspire Collaborates with all teams to steward campaign strategic rigor Commercial Contributor to client KPI delivery through the provision of best practice, best in class thinking & insight/idea generation that can propel a brand through culture New Business (for Director level and up) Participation in active contribution to new business as required (local market) Desired Skills & Experience 8 years in integrated planning role in media, creative, innovation or communications discipline (digital, content, invention, social, activation) Ability to think differently: creative & adaptive, entrepreneurial, independently-minded; deeply immersed in cultural understanding and driven by a desire to know more the world / to better understand people’s motivations & behaviors in the shifting landscape LI-DNI Wage and Benefits We offer a Total Rewards package that includes medical and dental coverage, 401(k) plans, flex spending, life insurance, disability, employee discount program, employee stock purchase program and paid family benefits to support you and your family. To give you the ability to better meet your personal needs, and in support of your physical and emotional well-being, you will receive discretionary time off days and company-wide Appreciation Weeks and Wellness Days.We also offer a competitive Total Compensation package, including a competitive salary and eligibility for an annual discretionary incentive award or a relevant incentive award.The salary range for this position is $150,000 to $160,000. Where an employee or prospective employee is paid within this range will depend on, among other factors, actual ranges for current/former employees in the subject position, market considerations, budgetary considerations, tenure and standing with the Company (applicable to current employees), as well as the employee’s/applicant’s skill set, level of experience, and qualifications. Minimum Salary 150,000 Maximum Salary 160,000 Employment Transparency It is the policy of Mediabrands, division of the Interpublic group, to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, citizenship, genetic information, veteran status, disability, or any other basis prohibited by applicable federal, state, or local law. Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice. The employer will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the American with Disabilities Act of 1990. The job description will be reviewed periodically as duties and responsibilities change with business necessity. Essential and other job functions are subject to modification. Reasonable accommodations may be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. For applicants to jobs in the United States: In compliance with the current Americans with Disabilities Act and state and local laws, if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation to apply for a position with Mediabrands, please email accommodationmbww.com. LinkedIn Recruiter Tag LI-DNI