Senior Strategy Director in London

The Senior Strategy Director, EU Client Strategy is responsible for leading the brand and creative strategy thinking on selected key agency accounts, major new business pitches and, on occasion, speculative new business outreach, reporting to the Head of Client Strategy, EU.

Responsibilities

• Be accountable for ensuring that the strategy work delivered on allocated tasks is original, of high quality, motivating and actionable, and in line with client needs and new business pitch requirements, using internal resources across Advertising, Public/Professional Relations, Digital Communications, Medical Communications and Clinical Trial Recruitment.
• Strategy work may span areas such as insight development, brand strategy, positioning, messaging, and concept testing, depending on project needs.
• Prepare with originality and facilitate with energy internal and external workshops, in new business as well as existing business contexts.
• Collaborate with and contribute to a productive team of Strategists, based in London and Germany.
• Provide strategic support to EU regional in-market offices and offers, and across the broader affiliate network (including US) to support larger global opportunities.
• Work in sync with the Creative Department to ensure all deliverables are on strategy before broader internal presentation, and contribute to concept generation and approval where appropriate.
• Ensure that on allocated accounts all major agency deliverables are on brief prior to internal management and client presentations.
• Collaborate closely with Medical Strategy on allocated accounts to ensure brand strategy recommendations are based on sound science.
• Build strong and influential client relationships, negotiating regarding amendments to strategy in line with client wishes while explaining what is and is not possible.
• Consult across the broad, integrated team to draw on wider expertise when appropriate.
• Lead allocated strategy projects through to delivery in accordance with timelines outlined by Project Management.
• Be an advocate and thought leader on strategy, researching new ways of thinking and evaluating them for inclusion among agency deliverables.
• Collaborate with the Head of Insight to assist in developing new research tools that may add value to the agency's overall strategy offering.
• Flex as needed to support evolving business and client needs.

Experience And Skills

• A proven track record as a strategist within an Omnichannel environment including, but not limited to, Advertising, Public/Professional Relations, Digital, Medical Communications and Clinical Trial Recruitment, in a healthcare focused environment.
• Specific Experience To Include:

• Developing and completing launch strategy frameworks and activity plans.
• Supporting clients in structuring and writing launch or annual brand plans.
• Leading the strategic thinking on significant global as well as regional launches.
• Comfort and proficiency in planning, structuring and running both internal and external workshops.
• Pro-active and conscientious manner with clear and direct strategic thinking and abundance of original and inspiring ideas.
• Ability to create stories for others to work on with awareness of current trends in healthcare communications and society at large.
• Strong interpersonal skills, balancing a crystal-clear strategic vision with openness to others’ ideas.
• Ability to communicate and present persuasively and engagingly to pitch strategies to clients and explain them to creative.