Strategy Director (Marketing Agencies)

13+ years’ experience in mix of consulting + agency or industry is great!

Agency strategy/transformation units: WPP, Publicis, Droga, Anomoly, Razorfish, RGA, AKQA, VML/VMLYR…

Tangible business outcomes realized with globally recognized brands in Financial Services (banking, wealth, insurance) … secondary experience in Consumer Markets (CPG, retail, travel)

History of advancing levels of responsibility in 2+ domains like growth and go-to-market strategy, experience strategy, marketing strategy, digital business transformation

Not concerned with leading a large team – happy to be individual contributor operating in a matrixed environment

Easy access to major metros. Open to occasional travel (~20-30%)

Job Description:

• Advise our clients in the areas of growth strategy, experience strategy and experience-led digital business transformation.

• Differentiate our services and elevate our consulting capabilities by codifying methodologies and upskilling cross-functional teams in sales and delivery

• Grow our people in strategic consulting and client relationship development practices

Business Development:

• Lead strategic pursuits and guide teams in pursuing consulting opportunities in the Interactive Strategy offering areas of experience strategy, growth strategy and strategic planning

• Develop perspectives for current and prospective clients on market disruption and opportunity by synthesizing company, competitive, category, channel and customer insights

• In collaboration with creative, design, data, technology and marketing specialists, shape compelling narratives for experience-led digital transformation that will contextualize recommended investments and position as a strategic partner to our clients

• Serve as ambassador of Interactive to other operating teams to build understanding of our capabilities, value proposition and market positioning

Delivery:

• Work with various units to shape engagements focused on improving an organization’s digital business and experience strategy capabilities

• Provide senior-level expertise, guidance and leading practice inputs on transformation engagements, serving as core Program Leader to ensure transformation programs meet client and expectations

• Develop strategic partner relationships with key cross-functional client stakeholders to ensure alignment on vision, direction and path for digital transformation

• Expand relationships and engagements within current accounts and elevate in-flight work to bridge from tactical to strategic

Practice Leadership:

• Develop and advance practice offerings within the growth and experience strategy consulting domain to create competitive advantage and meet emerging market demand

• Manage talent to achieve established growth targets (business development and delivery)

• Serve as a driving force for thought leadership development and represent Interactive in the market from a subject matter and industry perspective by documenting methodologies, creating reusable assets, supporting external publications and participating in events

Qualifications:

This role requires a strategic mindset and a mastery of the operational dynamics between various actors and components within a business ecosystem. The right leader will bring a balance of business, analytical, organizational and interpersonal skills to define and coordinate a complex set of activities and people towards tangible outcomes.

• High level of competency in the strategic drivers behind business growth strategy, customer experience, strategic planning and digital transformation, along with the confidence to engage C-level clients and senior executives

• Ability to shape a transformation program in any and all digital business, growth and experience strategy domains, leveraging existing assets or creating something unique in-tandem with client pursuits

• Demonstrated ability to grow consulting services through development of new offerings/ capabilities and the acquisition/retention of the proper talent to sell and deliver it to the market

• Strong background in the sales and delivery of digital business and experience transformation solutions, knowledge of digital and omnichannel experience strategy, associated processes and organizational implications

• Excellent communication, collaboration and influencing skills to effectively engage a variety of internal and external stakeholders across levels and functions

• Technically savvy, analytical thinker with deep intellectual curiosity

• Ambitious self-starter comfortable with ambiguity and complexity

• 15 years’ experience in consultancy or agency, in steadily advancing roles developing and selling services within digital business strategy, experience transformation, strategic development, growth strategy, go-to-market strategy or similar functional domains

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in business, management or relevant domain; master's degree desirable

• Robust expertise in multiple sectors including either consumer goods or financial services

• In-house client/industry experience a plus

• Substantial experience working in a global, multi-cultural network

• Strong competence in presentation, analysis and collaboration software and familiarity with foundational tools for market research, benchmarking and analysis (e.g. PPT, Excel, Keynote, Figma, Qualtrics, Nielsen, GWI, Euromonitor, MRI Simmons, etc.)

Willingness to travel 30%, primarily domestic, occasionally international