Chief Strategy Officer in London

Company Overview

Zinc Network has over fifteen years of experience helping governments and businesses navigate complex challenges through communications, technology, and behavioural science. We tackle tough briefs such as protecting children online, strengthening democratic resilience, and preventing violent extremism. Working in partnership with a global network of media outlets, communities, and influencers, we help clients understand complex issues, design and deliver behavioural interventions, create compelling campaigns, activate trusted grassroots networks, and evaluate impact. We are building Kora – an AI‑powered platform that systemises this expertise into scalable technology, enabling clients to work faster, more impactfully, and more cost-effectively.

Role Overview

Zinc is seeking a Chief Strategy Officer to lead our strategic, research, creative, and digital capabilities. Reporting to the Managing Director, the Chief Strategy Officer will oversee the Head of Research and MREL, Creative Director, Head of Digital, and a team of strategists, working closely with the Kora team to integrate AI and technology into our work. They will lead the technical vision for business development, ensure technical excellence across all our project outputs, drive innovation in how we work, reinforce Zinc as a thought leader around the emerging issues of the day, and ensure Zinc remains at the forefront of behaviour change and strategic communications practice. This role demands deep expertise in intervention design, behaviour change, and strategic communications, as well as the ability to lead multidisciplinary creative and insight teams. We seek a systems thinker who can translate complex problems into compelling solutions and build rigorous and scalable methodologies. The ideal candidate is motivated by delivering real impact for our clients, has an agile, campaign‑mindset, and wants to win.

Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership and Innovation
  • Lead the Head of Research and MREL, Creative Director, Head of Digital, and team of strategists — ensuring these functions operate as a high‑performing, integrated unit.
  • Drive technical excellence and innovation across all of our project delivery including strategy, research, evaluation, digital, and creative work.
  • Work closely with the Kora Director to advance our AI and technology capabilities, ensuring the teams use Kora to enhance how we deliver insight, design interventions, and measure impact.
  • Champion quality standards across all client deliverables.
  • Codify and continuously improve Zinc's methodologies across research and analysis, strategic planning, creative, digital, and campaigning.
• Technical Leadership for New Business
  • Lead and write technical sections of major bids and proposals, ensuring they are strategically sound, methodologically rigorous, and creatively ambitious.
  • Ensure programming and strategy teams are developing new opportunities with existing clients by providing a steady drumbeat of ideas for innovations and uplifts.
  • Work with our Head of BD to map future opportunities, based on emerging policy issues and priorities.
  • Design innovative methodologies that differentiate Zinc's offer and demonstrate our expertise to government clients.
  • Work with the Head of BD to identify opportunities where Zinc's technical capabilities create competitive advantage.
  • Identify and attend fora where Zinc can build its reputation and convert that into new clients and projects.
• Strategy, Research, and Measurement
  • Ensure tight integration between research, strategy, and MREL functions — so insights inform design, evaluation demonstrates impact, and learning is used to optimise our approach.
  • Oversee development of strategic frameworks and behavioural change approaches that advance Zinc's practice.
  • Drive quality assurance for research design, data analysis, and evaluation methodologies.
  • Ensure all of our analytical products are rigorous, concise, compelling, and actionable.
  • Build Zinc's reputation for thought leadership in behaviour change, strategic communications, and influence operations.
• Digital and Creative Excellence
  • Guide digital innovation, ensuring Zinc adopts emerging technologies and platforms that advance client outcomes.
  • Ensure digital marketing and campaign success, ensuring work reaches target audiences and drives measurable behavioural change.
  • Oversee creative strategy and production, ensuring campaigns are compelling, culturally resonant, and strategically aligned.
  • Promote experimentation and learning — creating space for teams to pilot new approaches and tools.
  • Champion a campaigns mindset across our projects, ensuring everything we do is focused on delivering meaningful, measurable wins for our clients.
• People and Culture
  • Build and mentor heads of department and strategists, fostering a culture of intellectual curiosity, rigour, and collaboration.
  • Contribute to executive-level discussions and decision‑making.
  • Support personal development across technical functions, and build our bench of freelance talent.
  • Represent Zinc at high‑level meetings with clients and project partners.

All while embodying the values of Zinc Network.

Requirements

Essential

• 10+ years' experience in leadership across behaviour change, strategic communications, behavioural science, or related fields including communications, product/service design or management consultancy.
• Proven track record leading the strategy function at an organisation or business that changes attitudes and behaviours.
• Familiarity with digital product design and change management.
• Experience developing and using, or significant exposure to, innovative technology to change audience behaviours.
• Demonstrated ability to direct and integrate multidisciplinary teams spanning research, strategic planning, digital marketing, and creative and production functions to deliver high impact, integrated campaigns and interventions.
• Deep expertise in behaviour change frameworks (e.g., COM‑B, EAST, B=MAP) and their application to complex interventions.
• Outstanding written and oral communication skills, with ability to translate complex issues into actionable strategies.
• Track record of leading and writing technical sections of major bids for government, defence, or international development clients.
• Strong and demonstrable interest in international affairs, security, and defence.
• Experience working with or strong interest in technology platforms, digital tools, and AI applications.
• Collaborative, intellectually curious mindset with commitment to excellence and innovation.

Desirable

• Experience in defence, security, and/or countering disinformation.
• Understanding of creative production and content strategy.
• Experience with product development or platform‑based services.
• Experience with tech‑first change management.
• Active SC or DV security clearance (or eligibility to obtain).

Location and Working Arrangements

London-based, with regular office attendance expected (minimum 3 days per week). Some UK and occasional international travel required.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Opportunity to lead a growing, mission‑driven organisation at a pivotal moment.
• Collaborative, intellectually curious team committed to positive impact.
• Involvement in cutting‑edge work combining behavioural science, strategic communications, and AI innovation.

Area of Selection

We're committed to hiring a diverse workforce from different professional and cultural backgrounds, and to that end we encourage a variety of people to apply to join our company to represent the diverse range of subjects associated with our projects.

Conditions of Employment

• Disclose any previous disciplinary action against them resulting from a substantiated safeguarding (including any breaches involving trafficking‑related activities) or workplace investigation.
• Undergo background checks including employment verification, sexual offender registry (as available), identity confirmation, and anti‑terrorism vetting.

How To Apply

Please include a cover letter stating how you meet each of the requirements. If you require an accommodation to be made at any point throughout the recruitment process, please advise us when contacted. This role will close on 7th January 2026.