Strategic Planning Director

About the Role and How We’ll Work Together

As Strategic Planning Director, you are adept at identifying and developing compelling insights that fuel brand strategies, stakeholder engagement, and consumer behavior change. You facilitate and analyze research to gain a deep understanding of human behavior and motivators. You forecast trends and deliver innovative approaches that transform business.

Our top candidates will express aptitude and hunger. You see no problem as too big or small. You’re inspired and excited, whatever the subject matter, scope, or medium. You likely grew up in planning, but account management works, too. And you enjoy mentoring others.

We are less rigid about tenure and experience and care more about how you think, your drive, and what you can do. While we’ve been in business for decades, we champion a startup mindset and those who don’t wait to be told to act — who are comfortable moving outside assigned lanes. We value frankness, honesty, and positivity.

You’ll report to our agency president, and may supervise 2-3 strategy team members and interns — if management is among your aspirations. In any case, we expect you will help others succeed, celebrate their success, and be competitive on behalf of your team, the agency, and our clients.

Responsibilities:

• Principal lead on our client-related strategy and research
• Monitor consumer, business, and social behaviors and trends, and share insights; advocate a consumer-first approach
• Facilitate and/or moderate collaborative working sessions 
• Inspire great work and work with all members of the integrated team to strategically bring it to life
• Demonstrate good listening skills, fostering an environment of professional commitment and mutual trust, communicating upstream and downstream in a manner that is timely, respectful, and productive
• Write accurate, thorough briefs, reports, decks, or other forms of insight sharing
• Coordinate, optimize, and grow the strategic planning practice and processes; guide strategic capabilities/services we provide to clients
• Create confidence with each and every client interaction; find opportunity to continually develop the agency’s role as strategic partner and advisor across ongoing initiatives
• Key member of new business team responsible for helping identify opportunity, building our reputation and on-going thought leadership sharing
• Manage strategy staff, including career development, performance, strategic skills, agency utilization, and scope/financial investment
• Collaborate with account services and project management to ensure initiatives have appropriate resources for development and services are delivered on time and on budget
• Recruit talent to support ongoing agency needs, with the goal of growth and financial success

Preferred Background:

You likely have some form of post-secondary education, but that is not mandatory, and at least 5 years of experience in strategic planning or account service in an agency or enterprise internal creative team.

We hope you’ve had some experience with branding, advertising, digital, social, experiential, and non-traditional brand programs. And if you’ve worked in retail, CPG, healthcare, technology, and/or finance, that would be icing on the cake.

Additional Details:

We are currently working in a hybrid, employee-choice manner at this time. No one is required to come into the office, particularly while the pandemic continues. We do encourage vaccinated employees to work in person part-time if they are comfortable and/or able. Our team is MSP-based, though we may consider relocation for the right candidate.

The salary for this position will likely be in the range of $100-130K related to your level of experience. Benefits include 401K, health/dental insurance, paid time off, performance-based bonuses, and more.

We are committed to providing a work environment that is free from discrimination. In accordance with all requirements of federal, state, and/or local law, we are an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. Accordingly, any recruitment, selection, promotion, transfer, discipline, compensation, training, and other personnel actions shall occur without regard to race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy status, veteran/military status, disability, age, genetic information, status with regard to public assistance, or any other legally protected status.