Board-Level Planning Director in London

At Quiet Storm, we’ve been turning creativity into business transformational lightning for 30 years. Now we’re searching for a Head of Planning who can help shape our next chapter and start a few storms of their own. Quiet Storm is an employee-owned agency that uses creativity to start a storm and drive transformational change for businesses and brands. We have an exciting array of clients, an inclusive and friendly culture, a great benefits package (including a wellness allowance, enhanced holidays and a shared profits bonus scheme) and all our staff have an active voice as an employee ownership trust.

This is a key hire for the agency and an important part of our longer-term succession plan. This is an exciting moment for strategy at Quiet Storm. The department is evolving and there is real ambition for the new Head of Planning to shape what comes next. You’ll have the space to make your mark, understand what the team needs and develop the planning function around your vision. As the agency grows, you’ll play a central role in building the team and creating the right mix of talent for the future. We’re looking for someone ambitious, entrepreneurial and genuinely excited about leading the next phase of Quiet Storm. You’ll guide our strategic capability, grow the planning function and bring people together around clear, purposeful thinking.

You won’t be expected to know everything. What matters is your ability to get to strong answers, galvanise others and involve the right specialists when deeper expertise is needed. You’ll report directly into the CEO and have advisory access to former shareholder and company director Jon Howard, who currently supports the business across several areas as part of a planned transition. You’ll have access to freelance and specialist support including CSOs, researchers and planners, which you’ll use flexibly to strengthen thinking and support the team where it matters most. You’ll work closely with the board to help drive agency growth through thoughtful, collaborative strategic leadership across both existing clients and new opportunities.

Responsibilities:

• Provide inspirational leadership of the planning department and set a high standard for insight, brand thinking, creative briefs and campaign effectiveness.
• Work closely with senior clients to understand their brands, business objectives, audiences and communications needs.
• Lead major pitches and strategic output, winning people over quickly, building confidence and giving the agency a clear competitive edge.
• Bring the ability to win and grow business and build long standing client relationships.
• Establish best in class planning practices where needed, including an appreciation of where Ai can supercharge our output, fostering a strong strategic partnership mindset across the agency.
• Work extremely closely with the ECD & CD to inspire the creative teams and help drive outstanding work that delivers transformational business impact across all channels and agency fame.
• Stay hands on with client business and be comfortable leading complex accounts; current responsibilities include Chicago Town Pizza, Haribo, Warner Bros Studio Tour London and On The Beach.
• Be resourceful under tight budgets and time pressures, and know when to bring in the right people, tools and methods to uncover meaningful and surprising insights.
• Keep aware of market trends, brief creatively and collaborate openly with media, creative, research and client teams.
• Help build and nurture a team of experts, and know when to pull in specialists to deepen the thinking and get to better answers.
• Bring multi-channel, media neutral experience, ideally with a mix of FMCG and broader category experience.
• Balance existing client commitments with new business demands and pitch preparation.