Strategy Director

Strategy Director

Independent Brand Packaging Agency – FMCG

London / Hybrid working

80k-100k

Bonus Scheme after 1 year\’s service

Reporting to Owner and MD

Purpose of the role

• To provide strategic thinking and direction on all client projects and new business pitches
• To work in collaboration with client services and senior creatives on added value initiatives on existing clients
• To work in collaboration with new business on upfront thinking pieces to land new clients
• To manage and nurture the Strategy team (currently 1 Junior Strategist)
• To establish and refine best in class strategy processes

Main Job Responsibilities

Existing clients

• Develop relationships with key senior clients
• Ensure clients are consistently impressed with our strategic thinking
• Write and present inspiring creative strategies, platforms and design briefs
• Strategic analysis of categories, brands and consumers
• Extract fresh insights and distil these into a clear brand positioning and portfolio architecture, growth platforms, innovation strategy, and ideation
• Facilitate creative brainstorms and workshops
• Develop naming strategies and copywriting
• Contribute to key design reviews and feedback on creative work to ensure it stays on brief and on strategy
• Work with Client Services team to cost up strategic phases of projects

Business Development / New Business

• Work with New Business Director and Client Services team to land new brands within existing clients as well as client prospects through the following:
• Strong understanding of the client’s marketing and business objectives
• Providing insights and points of view for added value initiatives
• Providing Insights and thinking for new business presentations
• Contribute to pitching by managing the strategic phase of pitches and presenting to clients

Team Management

• Oversee and guide your team members
• In collaboration with MD, set targets and objectives for the team and help them achieve those
• Assist with any issues team members may have
• Inspire and motivate team members
• Oversee their professional development and liaise with MD on training opportunities
• Manage performance of the team and provide feedback
• Develop best practice in strategy

Management Team

• Attend and contribute to management meetings (involvement in financial, people and overall business strategy decisions)

Critical Performance areas

The success of this position will be dictated by:

• Completion of strategic phases of projects on time and within budget
• Client satisfaction
• Proactive growth of client accounts (in collaboration with CS and NB teams)

Skills and Competencies

• A personable team player with ability to deliver results through teamwork
• Excellent relationship building skills
• a Strategic, creative and commercial thinker who can articulate strategic ideas both verbally and visually (e.g. positioning mood boards and design territories
• Fluent clear and articulate in verbal communication with the ability to convey interest and enthusiasm when presenting
• Assertive and able to take charge of a situation when appropriate
• Organised, well prepared and ability to keep calm under pressure
• A positive thinker with a responsive, ‘can do’ and optimistic attitude
• Well informed about clients’ business and general branding/marketing issues
• Motivating and inspiring management skills
• Committed, enthusiastic, passionate

Salary and benefits

• Bonus scheme after 1 year service
• Free breakfast every day (when in the office)
• Subsidised lunch every Tuesday
• Company pension where agency contributes 3% of your qualifying earnings
• Free membership to BUPA CashPlan – a medical cash plan that provides cashback towards every day health bills as well as free counselling
• 25 days holiday
• Hours of work: 9-5:30 Monday to Thursday – 9 to 5 on Fridays
• Flexible working pattern – Monday and Friday flexible and Wed to Thursday in the office
• 3 weeks per year working from anywhere