Group Director, Strategy

Business Overview

We believe in the power of media to reshape our industry and orchestrate a brand’s entire consumer experience, by balancing both what unites people and what makes them different. When brands unite people in culture, they build Fame, and when brands connect individuals to their unique journeys, they build customer Flow. Initiative builds Fame & Flow for brands like Nike, Amazon, Merck, and T-Mobile. Media responsibility is at the forefront of everything we do, whether it’s creating media plans that reflect the diversity of our communities, promote brand safety, and foster sustainability. Our agency celebrates diversity in an inclusive environment where all of our 6,000+ strong talent across 90+ markets feel seen, heard, and valued. Our vision is to create not only a better media company, but also a better media industry, and maybe even a better world.

We make a promise to our people that we double down on seeing, celebrating & elevating all the things that make you, uniquely you. And just as we do for our brands and clients, we connect our people to the journeys that matter in building a meaningful career.

There are four I’s in Initiative and these represent our core values and behaviors.

· INDIVID[YOU]ALITY – you bring your genuine and unique self to and into the work, every day.

· INSTINCT – you’re tuned in and armed with intelligence; you have a bias for action – shit happens when you’re around.

· IMPACT! – you care deeply about the impact you have on our clients, their customers, our community, the media landscape and our world at large.

· IMAGINATION – your ability to imagine and bring to life the ideas, solutions, and the future of Initiative, makes us THE create media agency in the world.

As Group Strategy Director, you are responsible for the creation of the strategic direction a brand will take in communications to achieve their business goals.  You are responsible for helping to strategize, produce and make sense of the key cultural, consumer and market intelligence required to design the best possible holistic communications plan to deliver on that task.   You have a passion for people, brands and ideas and an innate, almost insatiable curiosity for culture in every sense. You believe that brands can & should mean in the world, and are driven by the desire to understand the changing world and people’s subsequent shifting motivations and behaviors.  

The absolute focus for this role is the quality and creativity of the work. This requires the ability to identify, embrace & sell new thinking, and excellent presentation skills and leadership behaviors are essential to the job.    Equally, you are responsible for ensuring that the Strategy Teams’ work is rooted in genuine insight & business understanding, and are expected to work alongside all Strategists, providing on the ground training where necessary & helping manage them to develop new strategic approaches & frameworks in collaboration with the Analytics, Communications Design and Client teams.

• Translate the client’s business goals into communications jobs that provide the team(s) with clear direction on the task they need to achieve
• Maintain excellent client relationships & truly understanding the clients' key business and challenges
• Ensure the teams deliver best in class work as standard 
• Proactively identify strategic issues before they potentially become real client problems, demonstrating strong analytical & strategic skills to help solve those problems 
• Provide and/or guide strategic input for all plans, internally & externally
• Bring fresh thinking & inspiration into the Strategic Process, actively demonstrating how non-‘media’ inspiration can provide a springboard to better Strategic thinking
• Drive the development & usage of the Cultural Analytical Process/Tools to help teams find new insights that unlock growth
• Work with the Strategy Directors to deliver executable, relevant, on brand platforms with the potential for fame/award entry
• Train, guide & assist the Strategy & Client teams in development and packaging of ideas
• Use qualitative & and quantitative research to develop applicable insights into the consumer connection with the brand 
• Partner with Analytics Strategy team to develop POVs on research, understanding & measurement solutions, inputting into the development of cutting edge planning, research and reporting models required to compete & dominate in the marketplace
• Contribute to Agency/Client revenue opportunities via teams' Strategic output 
• Proactively work with all partners (vendors, academic institutions, creative consultancies) to unlock new growth opportunities for the client &/or the agency
• Participate in new business as required

• Ability to think differently: creative & adaptive, entrepreneurial, independently-minded; deeply immersed in cultural understanding and driven by a desire to know more the world / to better understand people’s motivations & behaviors in the shifting landscape
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, is an experienced presenter and storyteller
• An interest in healthcare and learning more about patient and doctor experience, and how communications can augment their journeys to care.
• Experience working in/collaborating with a media planning team (either internally or in a partner agency)
• Experience in managing and developing junior strategy talent

• Preferably 10+ years in integrated planning role in media, creative, innovation or communications discipline (digital, content, invention, social, activation)
• Knowledge of key media tools such as MRI/Simmons (survey dashboards), comfort in resources such as Mintel, WARC

Wage and Benefits

We offer a Total Rewards package that includes medical and dental coverage, 401(k) plans, flex spending, life insurance, disability, employee discount program, employee stock purchase program and paid family benefits to support you and your family.

The salary range for this position is posted below. Where an employee or prospective employee is paid within this range will depend on, among other factors, actual ranges for current/former employees in the subject position, market considerations, budgetary considerations, tenure and standing with the Company (applicable to current employees), as well as the employee’s/applicant’s skill set, level of experience, and qualifications.

Employment Transparency

It is our policy to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, citizenship, genetic information, veteran status, disability, or any other basis prohibited by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

The employer will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the American with Disabilities Act of 1990. The job description will be reviewed periodically as duties and responsibilities change with business necessity. Essential and other job functions are subject to modification. Reasonable accommodations may be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

For applicants to jobs in the United States: In compliance with the current Americans with Disabilities Act and state and local laws, if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation to apply for a position, please email [email protected].