Executive Strategy Director in London

Established in 2004, OLIVER is the world's first and only specialist in designing, building, and running bespoke in‐house agencies and marketing ecosystems for brands. We partner with over 300 clients in 40+ countries and counting. Our unique model drives creativity and efficiency, allowing us to deliver tailored solutions that resonate deeply with audiences.

As a part of The Brandtech Group, we're at the forefront of leveraging cutting‐edge AI technology to revolutionise how we create and deliver work. Our AI solutions enhance efficiency, spark creativity, and drive insightful decision‐making, empowering our teams to produce innovative and impactful results.

Location: London (2‐3 days a week from our London Offices)

About the role

You will set the strategic standard for the studio and ensure it is consistently met. This is a leadership role that combines strategic vision, team management, client partnership, and cross‐functional influence. You will define the approach, build the frameworks, develop the people, and contribute directly to the thinking on the biggest and most complex briefs.

We are looking for someone who brings depth and breadth:

• Depth in social‐first strategy, audience understanding, and cultural fluency.
• Breadth across campaign development, content ecosystems, creator strategy, brand positioning, and data‐informed planning.

Success means a strategic function that is recognised by the client and the studio as indispensable. A team of strategists who are growing, confident, and consistently producing work that elevates the creative output.

What you will be doing

• Strategic Vision and Direction
  • Set and own the strategic direction for Dove's social‐first studio, defining how strategy informs creative, content, community, creator partnerships, and integrated activations.
  • Develop long‐term strategic frameworks and brand narratives for Dove's social presence, ensuring consistency, distinction, and purpose across every platform and output.
  • Lead strategy for the studio's most significant campaigns and briefs, from initial insight and audience definition through to creative briefing and post‐campaign evaluation.
  • Ensure all strategic output connects cultural relevance to brand purpose and commercial objectives.
  • Shape the studio's strategic point of view on Dove's competitive landscape, category dynamics, and the evolving role of beauty brands in culture and social media.
• Team Leadership and Development
  • Lead, manage, and develop the strategy team, setting clear expectations, providing regular mentoring, and building capability across all levels.
  • Recruit, retain, and grow strategic talent within the studio.
  • Review and approve all strategic outputs from the team.
  • Create structured development pathways and learning opportunities for the strategy team.
  • Foster a collaborative relationship between strategy and every other discipline in the studio.
• Insight, Audience, and Cultural Intelligence
  • Build and maintain the studio's insight infrastructure.
  • Lead audience strategy for Dove, developing deep understanding of the brand's diverse audiences.
  • Ensure the studio has a continuous view of cultural trends, platform shifts, audience sentiment, and category movements.
  • Partner with the Senior Data Analyst to build a learning loop between performance data and strategic planning.
  • Guide the team in using social listening, platform analytics, audience research, and competitive analysis.
• Client Partnership and Influence
  • Act as the senior strategic partner to the Dove brand team.
  • Present strategic vision, campaign recommendations, and insight to senior clients.
  • Partner with the Business Director to identify and pursue growth opportunities.
  • Contribute to pitches, proposals, and scope discussions.
• Cross‐Functional Leadership
  • Work as a peer to the Executive Creative Director, Social Lead, and Business Director.
  • Ensure strategy is embedded in the studio's operating rhythm.
  • Collaborate with the influencer, UGC, and creator leads.
  • Champion the role of strategy within the wider OLIVER network.

What you need to be great in this role

• 10+ years of experience in social, brand, or creative strategy, with significant leadership experience.
• Proven experience leading and developing strategy teams.
• A track record of developing strategic frameworks, brand platforms, and campaign strategies.
• Deep platform fluency across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, and emerging social channels.
• The ability to operate at both vision and detail level.
• Confidence and credibility presenting to and partnering with senior brand clients.
• Strong analytical skills, with experience building insight frameworks.
• Fluency across campaign development and content ecosystems.
• A collaborative leadership style.
• Experience working in an in‐house agency or social‐specialist environment is a strong advantage.
• A genuine passion for beauty and inclusive representation.
• Professional proficiency in English; additional languages are a plus.

Gen AI and Agentic Thinking

• Strategic proficiency with Gen AI tools to enhance insight generation and strategic frameworks.
• Agentic leadership: a systematic approach to complex strategic challenges.
• Experience establishing how AI tools are used within a strategy function.
• Understanding of AI capabilities and limitations.
• The ability to articulate the role of AI in strategy to clients and senior stakeholders.
• Experience guiding teams in responsible, effective use of AI.

Qualifications

• Experience working on Dove or Unilever brands.
• Multi‐market or global strategy leadership experience.
• Experience developing brand purpose platforms or social impact strategy.
• A background that spans both social‐first and broader integrated or brand strategy.
• Experience contributing to new business development.
• Knowledge of the evolving regulatory and ethical landscape in beauty marketing.
• Experience with social commerce or community‐led growth.
• Familiarity with the wider OLIVER and Brandtech Group offering.
• Thought leadership or published perspectives on the role of strategy in social‐first marketing.

Our values shape everything we do:

• Be Imaginative to push the boundaries of what's possible.
• Be always learning and listening to understand.
• Be actively pro‐inclusive and anti‐racist across our community, clients and creations.

Equality, diversity and inclusion statement

OLIVER, a part of the Brandtech Group, is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive working environment where all employees are encouraged to reach their full potential, and individual differences are valued and respected.

Sustainability

OLIVER has set ambitious environmental goals around sustainability, with science‐based emissions reduction targets.