Director Of Strategy - Ny

Agency Purpose
We are a dynamic and innovative marketing and advertising agency, committed to delivering exceptional client results. Our purpose is to discover and unleash the untapped potential in our world with our SMARTS and HEARTS.

• LISTEN. Before anything else, we seek to understand.
• PROVOKE. Proactively question assumptions.
• SIMPLIFY. Strive to take the complex and make it simple.
• PERSEVERE. Expect obstacles. Overcome them and keep going.
• BELIEVE. Trust that, together, we can do anything.
• LOVE. Love what we do, respect, and lift each other up.

Purpose

The Director of Strategy role is a shepherd for the department and a steward of growth for the agency as a whole. Your job is to untap potential wherever you see the opportunity: for our clients, for the agency, even for the community and industry we are in. This could be anything from proposing and implementing new ways of working within the agency, to creating and presenting thought-pieces for industry-wide panels. To do this, you must have a strong point of view, tempered with flexibility and empathy, and you must apply strategic principles to every decision you make.

Responsibilities

This is what the job entails, versus what the job requires, which is listed below as Competencies.

Vision Setting

• Beyond what is asked of a Director of Strategy, you not only set the strategic vision for the brands you lead, but you also work with the Chief Strategy Officer to set a vision for the strategy department (and often the agency), and make a plan to see it through to manifestation.

Managing

• Part of untapping potential is seeing it and uncovering it in others we work with. It is your job to do that for your direct reports, of course, but also for the department as a whole—looking at the mix of passion, talent and areas of improvement, and being strategic about who you cast for which client/project and when.
• Helping the team build skills and practices that strengthen the growth mindset so that we're not just teaching and exemplifying hard skills, but also encouraging our fellow strategists to be life-long learners.

Relationship Building

• Just as a Director of Strategy is expected to, you lead by example and set the tone for cross-functional and cross-agency integration. Building rapport quickly with clients and agency partners is important, and helpful to get everyone moving in the same direction.
• The further you advance, the more your job overlaps and blends with your creative and account partners—you should have the kind of respectful relationship with your partners that allows you to provide strategic input on the client relationship and creative direction.
• You should be looking at your client's business from a higher altitude to help identify business opportunities, even when/where your clients may not see them. Because of your strong client relationship, they look to you for this guidance and partnership.

Leading While Doing

• Do the work that needs to be done to lead the brands you lead. Sometimes, that means delegating responsibilities and playing a support role to lift others up. Other times, that means rolling up your sleeves and showing how it's done.
• Lead pitches strategically, including providing a strong point of view on the strategic direction, the case studies and the narrative, all while navigating and synthesizing the swirl of input from your partners.
• Constantly (re)evaluate what you can do to optimize the work, the growth of our people, the relationships with our clients and the work process that ties it all together.
• Your measure of success as a Director of Strategy is the depth and breadth of your impact on making this place and our people better at what they do.

Competencies

Now that you know what the role entails, here's what you need to be able to do to thrive in it.

• Big picture thinking. In this role, you have to be able to see the forest through the trees and think about the broader implications of what we're doing for our clients and agency.
• Efficient problem solving. It's not enough to be a resourceful and nimble thinker, you have to be able to do it on myriad projects and clients, juggling multiple priorities at a time. To do this, you have to know questions to ask, how to ask them, and of whom to ask them to get what is needed, fast.
• Managing. Can speak to past experience managing multiple direct reports with varied skills, growth goals, strengths and needs.
• Systems Thinking. Able to organize strategic ideas and marketing imperatives into clear frameworks to help guide creatives and clients alike.
• Creative Perspective. Has a clear creative point of view and the ability to evaluate work, make lateral connections between ideas, and provide pointed direction to make the creative better.
• Interpersonal Savvy. Demonstrates high EQ and the ability to relate to all kinds of people—on the team and off, inside the agency and out—as well as build rapport that can be leveraged to create consensus and diffuse tense situations.
• Writing and Storytelling. Has proven persuasive narrative, logic, and presentation skills.
• Research Acumen. Can speak to a breadth of research experience, including non-traditional research methodologies.
• Growth Orientation. Eager to learn from experiences—both wins and losses—and can speak to examples of how s/he has taken learnings from one experience into the next.
• Perseverance. Demonstrates resolve and resilience that can inspire the team at large.

Experience

12+ years of Strategy work at a creative agency, with proven brand strategy and retail banking experience.

Salary Range
Our estimated range for this role is $200 - $250k

Compensation packages are based on the skill level and experience each candidate brings to their role. There may also be a more senior or junior position available that could be a better fit with your expertise. Each level has its own compensation range.

We pride ourselves on competitive salaries, and ensuring pay equity exists across our organization. We benchmark each position against existing employee competencies and 4As compensation data which includes geographic and agency size benchmarks. We also meet with department leaders 3x/year to ensure we are supporting employees in living into their full potential. Our promotions are not limited to a specific time per year. Promotions are tied to performance.

Right To Work In The US

You must be authorized to work in the US for any employer. At this time, we are not sponsoring or providing assistance with obtaining work authorization. McKinney is a place where everyone can grow. Studies have shown that marginalized communities such as women, LGBTQ+ and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. However you identify, and whatever background you bring with you, please apply if this is a role that would make you excited to come into work every day.

We are in the office Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday on a hybrid schedule. We look forward to meeting you!