STRATEGIC PLANNING MANAGER - F/H

Who are we? 

We believe in the power of brands. In the luxury sector, this power evolves with culture and, at best, should stay ahead of it, creating new rituals, new aesthetics, and new forms of desire. 

Yet true iconic status relies on what endures: heritage, authenticity, and timelessness, rather than constant change. 

This is where our work begins: preserving what matters while accelerating what comes next. 

To bring this vision to life, we adopt a holistic approach: everything is connected, and systems take precedence over silos. We decode global signals to build a comprehensive media strategy, powered by data and platforms that make activation and measurement smoother, more precise, and more responsive. Once these foundations are in place, imagination can take over and forge the media connections where desire begins. 

When rigor meets boldness, whether in craftsmanship or in media, anything becomes possible. 

The role 

We are looking for a Strategy Manager to join our Strategy team and take ownership of the strategic work for one of our flagship accounts: a leading global beauty retailer. 

You will be almost fully dedicated to this account, working alongside the team that leads it and in close, day-to-day collaboration with the client. You will also work hand in hand with our activation teams (traders, digital leads), so the strategies you set must be genuinely actionable, not disconnected from how they are executed. Building trusted relationships, both with the client and across these teams, will be central to your success. 

You will report directly to the Head of Strategy. 

Your mission 

Own and elevate the strategic thinking for a major beauty account: set the annual and campaign-level strategic direction, advise the client on the media topics shaping their category, and contribute to the team's thought leadership and R&D. 

Your responsibilities 

• Build annual strategic guidelines and campaign strategies for the account that are clear, ambitious, and directly activatable by the teams who execute them. 

• Work hand in hand with the client account team and the activation teams (traders, digital leads) to keep strategy and execution tightly connected. 

• Act as a trusted strategic advisor to the client on the emerging topics shaping the media landscape: the influence ecosystem and its evolving role in media campaign planning, social commerce and social search, retail media, the balance between branding and performance, growing role of AI in consumer journey, etc. 

• Translate market, cultural, and consumer signals into clear creative and media angles. 

• Anchor strategy in business objectives: define the role of media against clear KPIs, and feed campaign learnings and effectiveness back into the next planning cycle. 

• Contribute to thought leadership and R&D: trends decks, points of view, case studies, and post-campaign assessments. 

• Support competitive and sector monitoring across Beauty, Retail, Luxury, and adjacent categories. 

• Build compelling presentations, and confidently present and defend recommendations to the client. 

Your profile 

• 3 to 5 years of post-graduation experience in strategy / strategic planning, ideally within a media or communications agency, or on the brand/advertiser side. 

• A solid understanding of the media ecosystem (paid, owned, and earned). Given the client is a retailer, a deeper grasp of the digital media ecosystem (social, commerce, retail media, performance) is a real asset. 

• Prior experience in the beauty, retail, or luxury sectors is welcome but not required; what matters most is strong strategic thinking that transfers across categories. 

• Comfortable moving between numbers and narrative: rigorous with data, sharp with words, and a strong storyteller in your recommendations. 

• Curious about culture, consumers, and the forces reshaping communication. 

• Awareness of the European media context is valued. 

• Fluent English is essential (spoken and written): it is the team's working language day-to-day; a good level of French is an asset for the local market. 

• Strong command of PowerPoint and Excel; familiarity with research tools (e.g. GWI, IGI) is welcome. 

• Excellent interpersonal, presentation, and writing skills, with an autonomous, collaborative, and solution-oriented mindset. 

Contract & practical details 

• 💼 Permanent contract (CDI) — full time  

• 📍 Puteaux, Havas Village (Metro Line 1, Esplanade de la Défense) 

• 📆 Start date: as soon as possible 

Benefits 

• 75% reimbursement of public transportation costs or €600 sustainable-mobility allowance 

• Access to the company restaurant and solidarity café, with employer contribution toward lunch 

• Access to the "Tony Tonic" gym for €5/month (no commitment) 

• Access to CSE benefits 

• Havas Village services: concierge services, electric bikes, shuttle between the Havas Tower and La Défense, movie premieres, and more 

You will be joining a company that promotes equal opportunities and values diversity. 

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