Associate Director, Strategic Planning

Job Description

The Team One C.O.R.E.

C = Collaborative
Builds and sustains strong, genuine relationships with people of all levels and takes positive steps to extend network 
and cultivate connections.  

O = Optimism
Is utterly reliable, always delivering on promises and maintains the highest standards of honesty and integrity. 

R = Results-Driven
Acts strategically to exceed goals and has the ability to adapt to changes in process and execution.  

E = Entrepreneurial
Constantly looking for and identifying actionable and thought-provoking opportunities for the company and executing them. 

GENERAL SUMMARY
Responsible for day-to-day leadership of the client's strategic planning and additional opportunities in categories like but not limited to Financial Services, Wine and E-Commerce. Hands-on oversight of briefs, strategies, research outputs, POVs, and other core strategic deliverables. Drive integration between departments; work closely with creative, media, and account leads to guide the ultimate output of projects and campaigns. Day-to-day point of contact with client teams. Subject matter expertise in home building space preferred. Business savvy, culturally fluent, great writer and presenter. Experience with Brand Strategy, CRM and Comms Planning preferred. A digital native is a strong plus.

This role is a growth opportunity in the Strategy Department. The ideal candidate would earn the opportunity to become a Director, beyond an Associate Director, over time. From the outset, the role will report into the Management Director and have interactions with the CSO too. Thought leadership and new business contributions are expectations of the role. 

Day to Day:
1.    Uncover compelling insights (with an emphasis on contextual insights).  Search for new, fresh ideas, insights and observations that help to inspire creative thought. Be an instigator for change within the agency and with our clients. Inspire and guide the teams to create excellent briefs. 

2.    Lead research projects. Organize, design, and run qualitative research groups (especially as this relates to supporting context strategy). Actively get involved in the research projects: qualitative and quantitative that are being led by the client.  

3.    Support new business when time permits. Take active role in helping to guide strategic thought on new business projects. Play a key role in new business pitch meetings. 

4.    Present and write brilliantly. Will be in the position of having to present their thinking in internal meetings, client meetings and new business pitches. More than simply having good ideas, will need to be able to persuade others of their thinking.

5.    Act as a mentor. Needs to work collaboratively and support thought leadership and strategic thinking of the account, media, and creative teams. More than working independently, it is the expectation that the Associate Director, Strategic Planning will coach and mentor others through the strategic process. 

6.    Foster trust, confidence, and respect from our clients. Partner with them to deepen our relationship and open the doors to more remarkable work. 

7.    Partner within the agency and drive integration. It is critical for the Associate Director, Strategic Planning to foster high level relationships within the agency to help create and see through the vision for our client’s brands and businesses. This needs to occur with Creative Directors, Media Directors and Account Directors in all disciplines.  

8.    Write successful business effectiveness award case studies. One of Team One’s agency goals is to win business effectiveness awards alongside of creative awards. 

Experience:

• 6+ years’ experience working as a strategist and 2-3 years managing other strategists at an integrated agency
• Home building experience preferred
• Digital fluency strongly desired

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree strongly recommended
• Graduate degree a plus

Skills and Abilities: 

• Needs to be experienced with basic computing tools including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel
• Need to be hardworking, inspiring, entrepreneurial, articulate, analytical, and interested in people and ideas
• Strong writer and presenter
• Fluent across qualitative and quantitative research methodologies
• Charismatic leader and mentor
• Willing to travel. Business savvy

Additional Information

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.