Strategy Director

We are a globally recognised, award-winning strategic brand design consultancy with studios in London, New York, Singapore and Shanghai. Every day, we partner with some of the world's most ambitious consumer, corporate, and healthcare brands to craft high-impact creative that moves people and markets. Rooted in purpose and powered by creativity, our mission is simple: get our clients from intent to impact — faster. As proud members of the MSQ Group and B Corp certified, we unite strategy, design, and experience to shape brands that are not only standout but stand FOR something.

The Department: At Elmwood, our strategy team creates meaningful brand, business and design strategies. We provoke new thinking and see possibilities that go beyond category norms. We bring clarity to each challenge, crystallising convictions to prioritise what's critical. And we craft compelling and intuitive brand stories that empower clients and engage consumers. That's how we help brands get from Intent to Impact faster - translating opportunity into tangible outcomes through agile strategies that you can see and make happen.

The Role: We are looking for a strategy director to join our team. You will play a crucial role in defining, leading and delivering large strategy projects and workstreams for our clients. You will be both a leader and natural collaborator, becoming an indispensable partner for global businesses, confident in classic brand strategy such as purpose, positioning, innovation, architecture, and portfolio strategy, as well as powerful design strategies.

Requirements:

• Deliver the highest quality strategic content across insight and opportunity mapping; to brand and portfolio strategy and creative strategy.
• Demonstrate deep understanding of client audiences, categories, objectives, priorities - transforming insight into ideas with intent.
• Craft compelling stories that make the link between business and brand strategy and show how design can help to deliver this.
• Present with confidence and conviction at all levels, bringing strategic narratives to life.
• Lead workshops and collaborative sessions that inspire teams, generate ideas and help clients to think differently.
• Provoke new thinking, proactively identifying the future agenda for our clients and leading discussions on next.
• Work in partnership with the client and design project leads to direct beautiful, effective work that delivers results for our clients.
• Inputs into creation of new platforms or processes that create opportunity and elevate our strategic output.
• Ensure that every strategy workstream is set up to achieve our creative and commercial ambitions.
• Develop a strategic expertise that becomes a signature capability for Elmwood.
• Bring a T-shaped attitude - balancing left brain organisation with right brain creativity.

What You'll Bring:

• Proven impact at c-suite level with clients as a strategic lead that has helped to drive change within an established business or upscale a fast growth challenger.
• Extensive experience in brand design with a deep expertise in the fundamentals of brand strategy as well as a confident understanding in how to design and refresh brand identities.
• Confident in the use and application of Ai tools and platforms to enhance strategy delivery.
• Speak the language of design and with knowledge of its powerful role in digital content and brand experience.
• Rich experience of different clients and sectors at reputable agencies or consultancies.
• Experience in culture/employee engagement, innovation, digital platforms and/or research insights and analytics.

You Will Be:

• A true team player who knows their way around brand strategy but retains a passion for learning about and trying new ideas for the benefit of both the team and the client.
• Someone who, whilst has the senior level experience, is willing to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in with some of the lower level staff.
• A brilliant collaborative communicator, able to connect with clients and quickly win their trust and confidence, talking their talk to provide solutions to their brand challenges.

If your experience looks different from what we've described, but you believe you'd make a great fit — we would love to hear from you.

Benefits: We care about our people, and that's why we create a collaborative culture where new thinking is celebrated, ambition is supported, and people are rewarded for their contribution. Whilst a competitive package, professional development and the opportunity to shape our next chapter is all standard here at Elmwood, we thought we would highlight a few of our favourite benefits:

• Hybrid working with flexi start/end time (8-10am / 4-6pm).
• A vibrant studio space in the heart of Covent Garden with unlimited tea/coffee, fruit baskets, showers, bicycle storage etc.
• 26 days annual leave + wellbeing days + 3 additional days over Christmas & New Year + Enhanced parental leave.
• Workcation (work from anywhere for up to 4 weeks per year).
• Private health insurance.
• Wellbeing initiatives like subsidised Gym, Physio Sessions, GP Services, Life Coaching.
• Apple MAC and iPhone hardware.

If you're ready to help shape the future of brand consultancy by growing purposeful, performance-driven partnerships, we would love to hear from you.

Our Commitment to Inclusion: Elmwood is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate and value difference, and we're committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels they belong. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences — including underrepresented groups.