Brand Strategy Director

BRAND STRATEGY DIRECTOR

Who You Are
You’re a critical thinker gifted with a healthy dose of curiosity, intellect and vision.You believe that any business problem can be solved with creativity. You’re a strategist because you love solving complex problems and take a ‘can-do’ approach. Your ability to identify and follow macro and micro trends in culture is unmatched. And you love digging into market research data just as much as riffing with a creative team on the next big idea.

What You’ll Do
As a Brand Strategy Director at Madwell, you’ll be responsible for developing creatively-led strategies across all phases of the client relationship including initial brand strategies, ongoing campaigns, one-off activations, or new product launches. You’ll balance your time between rolling up your sleeves to work with your internal colleagues and working directly with the client to sell, promote, and defend our work. You’ll be our in-house expert on everything related to the client’s business, brand, and target audience and you’ll routinely identify new opportunities and cultural insights to inspire our team. You’ll utilize our existing tools and processes while adding your own unique expertise to ours, leading and mentoring others along the way.

As an experienced strategy leader, you are someone who knows how to play within a structure, but also knows how to break the rules to make things happen. You can inspire teams through a strategic narrative to push creative thinking and ideas to have greater potency. And not only can you inspire the larger teams, you can also inspire a team of strategists, while providing mentorship, training and guidance. More than anything else, you are flexible, quick on your feet and you know a good idea can come from anywhere.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Developing unmatched insights and larger strategic platforms across multiple clients and industries. Inspires cross-discipline team members by gathering trends and data from multiple sources (news outlets, qual and quant research, subscription tools like Resonate, Mintel, Canvas8, etc) and crafts a story in interesting ways.
• Effectively communicating, both internally and externally. Writes and speaks clearly and intelligently about complex ideas, frameworks, and strategies.
• Manages team dynamics, by influences cross-discipline agency teams and is an invaluable resource for the larger strategy department. Mentoring junior strategists by guiding across varied strategic needs. Partnering with creative teams through the briefing, idea development, and evaluation phases, along with setting up the work for success in presenting to clients. Collaborating with the Media and Comms Planning teams on strategic foundations and mapping messaging and creative needs to comms and media plans. Partnering with Account Directors to uncover future opportunities for our clients.
• Trusted business counsel for our senior clients. Listens to our client’s business needs and works with internal teams to meet and exceed their objectives and KPIs. Able to unearth a valuable new opportunity in the midst of a conversation with clients and develops a thoughtful solution.
• Leading research efforts. Overseeing, and conducting if necessary, primary field research including interviews, focus groups, or other innovative methodologies. Utilizing data from tools such as Resonate, but also being able to author, execute and analyze quantitative and qualitative research plans.
• Creating a variety of strategic recommendations and thought leadership for different stages within a client relationship or project workstream. Those recommendations could manifest as brand fundamentals, positioning, consumer profiles + behaviors, creative briefs, interpretation + recommendations of campaign results, etc.
• Dynamic presentation skills across different audiences.
• Being able to pivot without losing sight of the strategic objective.

Our Must-Haves

• Varied experiences developing strategic approaches across strategy disciplines: brand, comms, digital, etc.
• Proven ability to build a strong story within brand and/or marketing strategies.
• Strong working knowledge of consumer insight tools and resources.
• Experience in authoring and conducting qualitative and quantitative research methodologies.
• Exposure to advising and working with VP and executive level clients.
• Bonus points for any of the following skills:
  • Understanding of multicultural consumer insights
  • Previous experience with with start up or technology companies
  • Experience pitching & winning new business
  • Extreme passion for a hobby or interest outside of your career
• Able to balance a strong point of view with an ability to listen, learn and adapt.
• Impeccable collaboration and communication skills.
• Must be located within commuting distance of our Denver or Brooklyn office, and able to come into one of our offices twice a week on Tuesday + Thursday every week.
• Commitment to embrace diversity and change, and engage with empathy and an open mind.

Where You’ve Been

• Bachelor's degree in communications, marketing, or a related field (advanced degree preferred).
• Proven track record (8+ years) as a Brand Strategist or similar role, preferably in a creative agency or related industry.
• Demonstrated success in creating and implementing effective communications plans and strategies.

Lines of Report
Reporting to: Group Brand Strategy Director

Direct reports may include: Strategist and/or intern management, as it arises

Madwell Values

• Adaptability
• Experimentation
• Independence
• People
• Diversity
• Initiative
• Partnership
• Safe Space
• Open Mindset
• Discipline of Vision

If you’re interested in learning more about our values, check out our website: https://www.madwell.com/values/index.html

Our Diversity Commitment

The stress of job searching can make you wonder if you’re enough. Studies have even shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs when they don’t meet every qualification. We believe that you ARE enough, and that it’s okay not to meet every requirement.

At Madwell, we are committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. If you’re excited to work with us but not sure you check every box, apply anyway! You may be just right for this role or other roles.

Salary Range: $125,000 - $150,000

* This is a hybrid role based out of our Brooklyn office, you must be located within a reasonable commuting distance of Brooklyn, NY to be considered for this role.*

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