ZS is a professional services firm that works side by side with companies to help develop and deliver products that drive customer value and company results. From R&D to portfolio strategy, customer insights, marketing and sales strategy, operations and technology, we leverage our deep industry expertise and leading-edge analytics to create solutions that work in the real world. Our most valuable asset is our people-a fact that's reflected in our values-driven organization in which new perspectives are integral and new ideas are celebrated. ZSers are passionately committed to helping companies and their customers thrive in industries ranging from healthcare and life sciences, to high-tech, financial services, travel and transportation, and beyond.
Are you passionate about understanding the human experience? Do you have a track record of bringing information to life by turning it into compelling stories? Are you that rare combination of strategic and creative thinker who loves to collaborate, inspire and motivate people to take action based on the stories you tell? Are you the type of team member who likes to roll-up-the-sleeves? If so, the ZS Creative and Design (C&D) team could be just the place for you to apply and grow your skills.
The ZS C&D team was created to enrich and evolve our consulting approaches and offerings. Our clients look to us to express ideas, concepts and emotions in ways that engage, excite, and drive them to action. This action comes from our strategic planners having a deeper insight into people, culture and brands. This deeper understanding brings information to life through storytelling and immersive experiences. We help make information more accessible and immediately understandable for all those involved. As a result, the information is more actionable, memorable and is shared more consistently and easily both internally and with client partners. By being the engineers and architects that bring information to life, C&D creates impact where it matters for our teams and clients and we do so by expressing insights, strategies and executional ideas through creative platforms.
C&D is comprised of a diverse team of talented individuals who are on a mission to address the evolving needs of our clients using a human-centered design approach. The C&D team has three areas of focus: Design, Strategic Planning and Creative Expression. As a strategic planner on the team, you'll be collaborating with various members of C&D, as well as a broader team of consultants.
STRATEGIC PLANNER
We seek a Strategic Planner to join our West coast team who can support our clients in developing a vision, ideas, and roadmap for how to activate marketing strategies. The Strategic Planner will partner with internal teams and clients to conceive innovative methods to connect business and marketing strategy to execution. You will synthesize insights, strategies and executional ideas for clients, and work with our visual and experience designers to bring them to life.
Responsibilities:

• Develop and articulate relevant marketing implications from strategic consulting engagements across multiple projects simultaneously;
• Design, facilitate, and, including brand identity, brand positioning, creative prototypes, segmentation, customer journey, and customer experience;
• Work with other consulting team members and design team to bring strategic and tactical recommendations to life for clients;
• Orchestrate the design process with visual designers and experience designers;
• Bring specific knowledge, skills and processes in strategic planning, including:
  • Crafting customer personas from segmentation data and analysis,
  • Mapping customer journey and ecosystem,
  • Developing communication platforms aligned to segments and journey stages,
  • Drafting creative and experience briefs;
• Support thought leadership on new and innovative programs, tactics and customer experiences in the marketing world, both within and outside pharmaceuticals;
• Serve as an active member of the Expertise Center.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree required, advanced degree welcomed;
• The ideal candidate would have worked for an advertising agency or digital agency, and have a solid understanding of brand building and digital strategy / journey work;
• 2-4 years of relevant work experience in strategic planning for a branding firm, advertising agency or digital agency, pharmaceutical industry experience is required;
• Understanding of account, creative, and operational agency processes;
• Ability to effectively partner with end clients, consultants and agency personnel across disciplines (i.e., marketing, sales, account and creative) to orchestrate effective pull-through strategies in the development of customer engagements/experiences;
• Understanding of strategic brand segmentation, targeting, positioning, customer journey and customer experience;
• Adept at distilling complex concepts and communicating a big idea;
• Ability to take business insights and strategies and conceive of innovative, relevant, and tangible activation ideas;
• Eagerness to build a new capability within a consulting organization;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, ability to guide construction of compelling visuals for presentations across a variety of contexts;
• Willingness to travel to meet client needs (Potentially 10-25%).

MORE ABOUT ZS
ZS's Business Consulting group partners with clients to design and deliver solutions to help them tackle a broad range of business challenges. Our teams work on multiple projects simultaneously, leveraging advanced data analytics and problem-solving techniques. Our recommendations and solutions are based on rigorous research and analysis underpinned by deep expertise and thought leadership.
ZS is a global consulting firm. Fluency in English is required; additional fluency in at least one European or Asian language is desirable.
Candidates must possess work authorization for their intended country of employment. An on-line application, including a full set of transcripts (official or unofficial), is required to be considered.
ZS offers a competitive compensation package with salary and bonus incentives, complete medical/dental/life insurance programs and retirement savings benefits. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.
ZS is committed to providing and maintaining a safe workplace. Must have received or be willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccination by date of hire to be considered. Proof of vaccination will be required. Religious/Medical Exemptions can be requested on a limited basis upon hire.
NO AGENCY CALLS, PLEASE.