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- Tasks: Lead strategic output and creative strategy for a global football media brand.
- Company: Join Rising Ballers, a dynamic brand at the intersection of football culture and strategy.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, pension scheme, free Nandos Thursdays, and WFH Fridays.
- Why this job: Make an impact in sports culture while shaping strategies that resonate with youth audiences.
- Qualifications: 6-10 years in brand strategy with a passion for sports culture and audience insights.
- Other info: Opportunity for rapid career growth and mentorship in a vibrant, collaborative environment.
The predicted salary is between 43200 - 72000 £ per year.
Rising Ballers is hiring a Strategy Director to own and lead our strategic output at a pivotal growth moment. This role is for a cultural strategist fluent in football subcultures, tribal dynamics, and fan behaviour, ready to lead strategy at a brand reaching 100M+ people monthly. You’ll own both insight and creative strategy across our full portfolio, from pitch to delivery. From defining our POV on audience behaviour to shaping creative strategies that win business and influence culture, this senior role offers the platform to build career-defining work.
About Rising Ballers
Founded in 2017, Rising Ballers Group is a global football media brand and cultural impact studio reaching over 100M accounts monthly. We operate at the intersection of football culture and brand strategy, helping global brands connect authentically with youth audiences. With platforms including Rising Ballers, She’s A Baller, Rising Ballers USA, and Yalla, we create award-winning campaigns embedded in football culture. Our ambition is to be the definitive bridge between youth football culture and brands.
Role Overview
This is not a support role. As Strategy Director, you’ll lead insight and creative strategy end-to-end. You bring 6–10 years’ experience across sports and culture, confidently lead workstreams and senior clients, challenge briefs, and turn audience insight into strategies that win pitches and drive results.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead Insight & Creative Strategy
- Own the audience insights and cultural analysis that informs the strategic direction of both client work and our own brand by spearheading, conducting and synthesizing qual & quant research to uncover human truths driving breakthrough strategies.
- Drive creative strategy from brief through campaign, translating insights into compelling narratives; shape creative briefs that inspire exceptional work and align strategic, creative, and commercial objectives.
- Establish our POV on sports audiences, fan behaviour, and cultural trends; present and defend strategic recommendations to senior clients.
- Own Strategic Output & Business Development
- Take full ownership of strategic workstreams without constant oversight; make strategic decisions confidently, knowing when to push back and when to adapt.
- Develop winning pitch strategies demonstrating strategic differentiation and cultural authority; own strategic narrative in new business presentations.
- Collaborate with commercial teams to identify and pursue strategic opportunities aligned with business goals.
- Drive Client Relationships & Collaboration
- Build and maintain relationships with CMOs, Brand Directors, and senior marketing leaders; act as strategic counsel bringing proactive thinking and cultural foresight.
- Partner seamlessly with creative, production, and commercial teams to ensure strategic alignment; facilitate workshops bringing teams together around shared objectives.
- Navigate complex client dynamics and translate strategic thinking in ways that inspire other disciplines.
- Develop Strategic Capabilities
- Mentor junior strategists and cultivate strategic thinking across the wider business.
- Set quality standards ensuring all outputs reflect strategic rigor and cultural intelligence.
- Maintain deep fluency in sports culture, fan dynamics, and youth marketing; position the business as a thought leader at the intersection of youth, sports, culture and brands.
Required Experience & Skills
Essential
- 6-10 years in brand strategy, advertising strategy, or communications planning with proven track record leading strategic workstreams independently.
- Experience in sports marketing, entertainment, or culture-led brand strategy (either sports-focused work or demonstrable passion/fluency in sports culture).
- Portfolio demonstrating both insight strategy and creative strategy across multiple campaigns.
- Senior client management (CMO/Brand Director level) and pitch leadership experience.
- Strong research skills (design and synthesize qual/quant research).
- Agency or in-house brand experience with understanding of strategy in commercial environments.
- Excellent communication/presentation skills with ability to inspire and persuade senior audiences.
- Cultural curiosity and anthropological approach to understanding human behaviour and audience dynamics.
Desirable
- Direct experience with major endemic sports brands (Nike, adidas, Puma, etc.), brands in the football space (Visa, Heineken, Lucozade) or sports properties (clubs, leagues, federations).
- Familiarity with gaming/entertainment brands (EA Sports FC, PlayStation, Football Manager) or FMCG/CPG brands.
- Understanding of fan engagement strategies and audience-first marketing.
- Experience in multi-discipline cross-agency team collaboration.
- Sponsorship, partnership, or rights holder strategy experience.
- In-depth football culture and global football marketing knowledge.
- Track record winning pitches and contributing to business growth.
- Experience mentoring or managing junior strategists.
Our Benefits
- Competitive salary with pension scheme.
- Central London office & WFH Fridays.
- Free Nandos Thursdays + fortnightly company drinks.
- Additional perks like Cycle to Work scheme.
- Unparalleled access & opportunity in the football industry.
- Rapidly growing company with long-term role progression.
Ideal Candidate Profile
You see strategy as cultural anthropology, driven by curiosity about human behaviour, fan passion, and the emotional power of sports culture. You understand tribal dynamics, challenge briefs with confidence, and bring provocative POVs that move conversations forward. Intellectually restless and culturally fluent beyond sports, you connect insights from psychology, sociology, and lived experience. Collaborative but decisive, you turn strategy into inspiration and bold work. This senior leadership role offers a clear path to Global Head of Strategy, with autonomy to build your reputation through high-profile sports and culture work. Reporting to the Rising Ballers Founders, you’ll sit on the leadership team, partner across creative and commercial functions, and build the strategy function as the business scales.
How to Apply
Submit:
- CV/resume highlighting strategic leadership experience.
- Cover letter explaining why you’re the right person to lead our strategic output.
- 2-3 case studies demonstrating strategic work you’ve led (insight and/or creative strategy).
We’re particularly interested in work demonstrating cultural intelligence, sports/entertainment sector experience, and your ability to lead strategic thinking independently.
Strategy Director in City of London employer: Rising Ballers
Contact Detail:
Rising Ballers Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Strategy Director in City of London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with people in the industry. Attend events, join online forums, and don’t be shy about reaching out to folks on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on your dream job!
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your expertise! Create content that showcases your knowledge of football culture and strategy. Whether it’s a blog post, a video, or even a podcast, let your voice be heard. This not only builds your personal brand but also attracts potential employers.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews like it’s game day! Research the company inside out, understand their recent campaigns, and come armed with ideas on how you can contribute. Confidence is key, so practice your pitch until it’s second nature.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t just apply anywhere—apply through our website! We’re all about finding the right fit, and applying directly shows your enthusiasm for joining our team. Plus, it gives you a better chance to stand out from the crowd!
We think you need these skills to ace Strategy Director in City of London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Craft a Compelling CV: Your CV should highlight your strategic leadership experience clearly. Make sure to showcase your achievements in sports marketing and cultural strategy, as we want to see how you've made an impact in previous roles.
Write a Standout Cover Letter: This is your chance to shine! Explain why you're the perfect fit for the Strategy Director role. Share your passion for football culture and how your insights can drive our strategic output at Rising Ballers.
Showcase Your Case Studies: Include 2-3 case studies that demonstrate your strategic work. Focus on projects where you’ve led insight and creative strategy, especially those that reflect cultural intelligence and your ability to engage with youth audiences.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for this exciting opportunity to join our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Rising Ballers
✨Know Your Audience
Before the interview, dive deep into understanding Rising Ballers' audience and their cultural dynamics. Familiarise yourself with football subcultures and fan behaviours to showcase your fluency in these areas during the discussion.
✨Showcase Your Strategic Thinking
Prepare to discuss specific examples from your portfolio that highlight your insight and creative strategy work. Be ready to explain how you turned audience insights into successful campaigns, demonstrating your ability to lead strategic workstreams independently.
✨Engage with Cultural Trends
Stay updated on current trends in sports culture and youth marketing. Bring fresh perspectives to the table by discussing how these trends can influence brand strategies, showing your cultural curiosity and anthropological approach.
✨Build Relationships
Emphasise your experience in managing senior client relationships. Prepare to discuss how you've collaborated with CMOs and Brand Directors in the past, and be ready to share your approach to navigating complex client dynamics.
