Strategy Director

We’re VaynerMedia! We are a contemporary global creative and media agency built for the now. Born in social, our work is now full service, simply loving big ideas that connect and create real change for our clients business. We are independently owned, founded in 2009 with offices in London, Amsterdam, New York, Los Angeles, Singapore, Tokyo, Sydney, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Mexico City. We are recognized for our work in Cannes Lions, the Clios, D&AD and The Webbies to name a few.

Culture is our key and Empathy is how we build it. VaynerMedia EMEA is strong with a world-class combination of diverse backgrounds collaborating to put forward innovative, creative and strategic solutions to the one advantage that stands the test of time – PEOPLE. Day in and day out, we propel some of the biggest brands in the world to the intersection of attention and culture. In EMEA, we are proudly 250+, servicing multi-brands across the region.

The PITCH.

Our Strategy Directors are tasked with leading strategic brand planning for their client, combining an understanding of consumer behaviour, marketing challenges, the creative opportunity and the media landscape into a simple and clear communications plan of action. 

They are the strategic advisor to our clients when it comes to their business and how creative and communications can help address business challenges and deliver results. This role is heavily focused on how we do that across Europe, with the director coordinating a team of strategists and liaising heavily with creative and  media teams to translate consumer behaviour and the media landscape into campaigns with the customer at the heart. 

The Strategy Director is expected to lead from the front, but not be afraid of helping to own detail, grow a team’s potential and contribute their strategic philosophy to how a client delivers advertising and marketing.

An experienced strategist with 10+ years of experience of developing wider creative and brand strategy across EMEA markets. Candidates should be comfortable collaborating with creative, media and client teams, as well as managing a team. 

Previous experience in developing multi-market campaigns and creating and applying brand strategy is a necessity. Candidates must be adept in managing/presenting to senior client stakeholders. An excellent understanding of social, experience with creative campaigns and developing audiences is mandatory. 

Our ideal candidate is comfortable with change and evolution of plans and activations, understanding the importance of collaboration and adjusting approaches to achieve maximum results. Ideally they would have had experience working with fast-changing clients across several EMEA markets. 

Here’s where you come in…

• Lead the strategic thinking of our Consulting offering and New Business team. Identifying and addressing client challenges while driving innovation and opportunities for the business. You will be leading and coordinating strategy for our consulting clients so need to be able to handle fast turn around deadlines and multiple projects at the same time. 
• Contribute to the growth and culture of VaynerMedia, serving as a leader in helping to continuously update our strategic product.
• Manage a team of up to 5+ strategists in varied locations across Europe to ensure regional and local efforts reflect the strategic thinking in execution.
• Work with creative teams to help form creative ideas which can develop into larger campaigns over time.
• Monitor effectiveness and continuously show where we can strategically improve with data analysis and visualisation.

We treasure Personality and Experience yet we do know that these qualifications lead to what WE KNOW as a success:

• 10+ years experience in brand and campaign planning.
• 5+ Years experience leading teams and developing junior strategists through leadership, delegation and mentoring, with a preference for any leadership roles around performance or direct response teams
• Excellent social media knowledge and understanding.
• The ability to conduct research and identify relevant cultural trends. 
• Multi-market European market experience, direct experience in the UK and Germany would be an advantage.
• Strong capabilities around managing and presenting to senior client stakeholders
• Experience and examples of creative and wider strategic thinking, building integrated campaigns working with creative and media teams in either one agency or multi-agency groups.
• Examples of thought leadership and proactive thinking to address client challenges and industry trends.

Here’s how We Support You

We regularly review our benefits and are committed to providing a comprehensive programme for our people.

• Unlimited Holiday + 1 Day Birthday Leave
• Perkbox (online discount platform with 250 perks available).
• Journey EAP - proactive and crisis support with life concierge services
• Enhanced Parental Leave
• Collaborative and inclusive work environment
• Professional development opportunities and ongoing training and development
• Unlimited Coaching sessions, which can be private and team class sessions
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee Assistance Program (Financial, Mental and Physical Wellbeing)
• Cash Plan with Medicash - Level 1 cover, option to add partner, 4 children can be added for free
• Virtual GP, Skinvision, 24/7 Health and Stress Helplines, Discounted Gym, Medicash Extras
• Life Assurance
• Income Protection
• Group Personal Pension

What you SHOULD KNOW about VaynerMedia

Think “lab” and not “agency”. We get excited about solving business problems, not creating advertising for the sake of making advertising. Our entrepreneurship DNA runs deep. We’re willing to break rules, try new things, and test hypotheses if it means better understanding our craft. It’s fun!

We believe 100% that brands can be built on digital platforms and part of our model is built bottom up, flipping the traditional advertising model and process on its head. We don’t play to agency/industry norms and our culture and energy reflects that.

Our environment (and pace) feels much more like a start-up than most agencies you might be used to. Hopefully that, and the opportunity to collaborate with the talented and enthusiastic crew, work with big brands excites you, as it does us. We can’t wait to meet you.

VaynerMedia is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This means that VaynerMedia provides equal employment opportunities to all staff members and job applicants without regard to gender, pregnancy, marital or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, race, disability, sexual orientation, religious belief, part time or fixed term employment, age or any other legally protected class. 

Candidates must be authorised to work in the U.K.