Strategist in Manchester

Location: Our offices are in London, Macclesfield and Manchester. We are open to applications from all over the UK as we have remote and flexible hybrid working policies.

ABOUT LUCID GROUP: We are a global healthcare communications agency with deep therapeutic expertise that traverses the asset lifecycle, delivering transformative outcomes for healthcare brands for over 20 years. Our more than 500 highly trained professionals work with speed and agility to craft and execute breakthrough strategies that maximise performance and unlock a brand's full potential.

Our position is aligned to one of our three capabilities:

• Scientific and Medical Communications: Translating scientific insight into impactful strategies and compelling narratives that inspire change.
• Commercial Communications: Accelerating a brand's trajectory with data-driven strategies and creativity that moves markets.
• Consulting: Specialized life-sciences consulting - empowering clients to optimise operating models, maximise asset potential and drive sustainable transformation.

About the role: Strategists at Lucid translate insights into strategic and tactical recommendations. They partner with clients and cross-functional teams to build, execute and optimise discrete components of programme solutions aligned to commercial/medical strategy and with demonstrable impact to health outcomes.

A Strategist at Lucid:

• Applies curious questioning and active listening to uncover discrete client challenges and ensure Lucid has what it needs for effective strategic proposals and tactical implementation.
• Influences client to enable the curation of existing relevant insights required for strategic decision making and tactical planning.
• Writes (co-creating with clients and colleagues) briefs for components of programmes that articulate the root cause client and healthcare problems that need to be solved.
• Generates and extracts meaningful insights from qualitative and quantitative data, and presents to client with clear recommendations for tactical and strategic solutions.
• Develops responses to client briefs including RFPs, applying a strategic framework to pull through insights, strategy, tactics and metrics.
• Collaborates with different specialists across the healthcare communications team where appropriate to deliver an aligned response.
• Drafts clear objectives and metrics, ensuring the approach ladders up to Lucid’s vision of transforming lives and the visions of our client organisations.
• Champions mechanisms to collect these metrics.
• Builds long-lasting, meaningful partnerships with clients through curiosity, problem-solving, joining-dots and rapport.
• Effectively briefs (with a clear strategic direction) other functions including client services, project management, medical and creative.
• Collaborates with GenAI to drive efficiencies and scope of outputs.
• Implements multi-/omnichannel programmes in line with strategic/tactical and measurement plans.
• Considers digital marketing best practices including design thinking, UX/UI design, SEO, content design, data-led design.
• Drives effective use of channels such as meetings and events, email, social media, paid media, website and virtual meetings.
• Directs the structure of effective content design (including video, visual, written, meeting and workshop content) with the user and format in mind.
• Identifies trends and insights in metrics collected, suggesting programme pivots where required.
• Is aware of Lucid methodologies, applying them to drive efficient tactical and strategic planning.
• Contributes innovative thinking to better address client and Lucid challenges.
• Is typically spread across programmes and accounts.
• Coaches strategic thinking and consultative partnerships and teaches subject matter expertise.

What we're looking for:

Essential criteria:

• Able to translate insights into strategic and tactical recommendations, shaping the direction of programme components and ensuring alignment to commercial/medical strategy and meaningful health outcomes.
• Demonstrated experience in healthcare communications and/or the pharmaceutical industry, with the ability to apply therapy area and market understanding to inform strategic proposals.
• Strong strategic thinking, problem framing and solution development skills, including the ability to uncover root-cause client challenges through curious questioning and active listening.
• Soft influence and consultative skills, able to shape client thinking and guide cross-functional teams (medical, creative, digital, client services, PM) toward aligned strategic solutions.
• Able to manage multiple strategic and tactical workstreams, prioritising effectively and taking ownership of discrete components of programme delivery.
• Confident communicator, able to craft and deliver clear narratives and strategic recommendations in written and oral form, including client presentations and briefing sessions.
• Competent in the use of core business and productivity tools, including Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Able to brief effectively, providing clear strategic direction to colleagues and ensuring alignment across internal and external stakeholders.
• Comfortable interpreting data and metrics, identifying trends and applying insights to optimise programme components.

Desirable criteria:

• Strong digital and omnichannel fluency, with the ability to connect digital behaviours, user journeys, and platform insights to overarching strategic recommendations.
• Working knowledge of digital marketing and analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Search Console, Tag Manager, Brightcove, CMS, Veeva, CRM, email automation, paid social tools), with the ability to draw out implications for strategic planning.
• Experience with qualitative and quantitative insight generation, including the ability to interpret behavioural, engagement, or market data to shape recommendations.
• Understanding of pharmaceutical regulatory frameworks, including the ABPI Code of Practice, and ability to apply this to strategic content and programme design.
• Experience designing or contributing to strategic frameworks, client workshops, customer journey mapping, or insight-led planning processes.

We encourage you to apply and discuss the role with us. We value inclusive workplaces.

Benefits of working with us:

Our culture is fundamental to the delivery of transformation. Harnessing the talent and ambitions of those we work with empowers us to deliver our magic. On top of this, our benefits include:

• Discretionary bonus scheme;
• Contributory pension with Lucid contribution up to 5% of basic salary (enrolment after 3 months of employment);
• Cycle to work scheme;
• 25 working days holiday, 1 Celebration Day of your choice, 4 Christmas closure days plus 8 Bank Holidays per annum (pro-rata for part-time);
• Flexible holiday buy and sell scheme;
• Family friendly policies;
• Private family health and dental cover, including Employee Assistance Programme and a comprehensive employee rewards scheme;
• 4x basic salary life assurance cover;
• Medicash Healthcare Cash Plan (Level 1 company cover);
• Season Ticket Loans;
• Regular incentive schemes aligned to individual and team performance;

We are Lucid Group – we let your whole self shine. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and welcome applications from all backgrounds, regardless of race, colour, sex, age, pregnancy, marital status, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression or disability.