Associate Director, Strategy - Events and Experiences

Monks • San Francisco, CA

22h • Hybrid

About The Position

As an Associate Director, Strategy - Events and Experiences, you’ll deliver customer-centric, spatial, and retail strategic expertise for one of our top-tier technology clients. You will bring hardware and digital products to life through best-in-class events, global trade shows, pop-ups, in-store activations, and on-device content working closely with internal leadership to turn brand campaigns into welcoming interactive experiences. We are looking for a dynamic candidate to champion the "phygital" (physical + digital) landscape who is passionate about creating immersive environments and seeking new opportunities to create impactful work in an ever-evolving space. Your job is to define how our clients’ brands live, behave, and sell in the real world—and how those moments seamlessly connect to the purchase journey.

Requirements

• 5 - 7 years of experience in strategy, specifically at least 4 years in experiential marketing, brand activation, and/or retail strategy.
• Must be based in the US (California or New York preferred).
• Current or recent experience working in an agency environment.
• Deep knowledge of consumer electronics, hardware, or tech brands, with an understanding of how to market a physical product in a physical space.
• Strong spatial awareness with the ability to look at a floor plan or a render and identify user journeys, dwell times, and engagement opportunities.
• Understand how to design for dopamine, belonging, and memory, not just for aesthetic appeal.
• Led or supported strategy for major global rollouts or high-impact "drop" culture activations.
• A proven track record of successfully winning new business and leading or supporting complex pitch processes for events or experiential agencies.
• Exceptional ability to articulate complex ideas (like AI integration or ecosystem connectivity) into simple, human-centric physical experiences.
• Resilience and adaptability to work in a fast-paced environment where event deadlines are immovable.

Nice To Haves

• Experience working specifically with large-scale tech ecosystems.
• BA/BS/MA degree in marketing, business, communications, or a related field.
• A portfolio demonstrating success in major trade shows (e.g., CES, MWC) or large-scale retail installations.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate client objectives and product roadmaps to design compelling physical footprints, defining how attendees move through a space—whether it is a global trade show booth or a local retail pop-up.
• Develop retail engagement strategies that drive product understanding and consideration, specifically for consumer electronics, phones, wearables, and smart home devices.
• Go beyond the data. Determine how people actually move through spaces to identify friction points and "magic moments" with these devices in a physical space.
• Strategize the connection between physical events and digital ecosystems, ensuring on-ground activations are amplified socially and digitally to drive earned media and long-term loyalty.
• Define what "success" looks like across the various experiences. Move beyond foot traffic to measure dwell time, sentiment, and digital behavior and conversions.
• Lead the strategic narrative for new business pitches within the experiential and retail sector, translating complex business challenges into innovative, spatial strategic visions that win work.
• Identify and pursue proactive growth opportunities within the US market to expand the agency's experiential portfolio.
• Cultivate strong relationships with senior marketing leaders at prospective client organizations, acting as a trusted advisor on the future of retail and events.
• Collaborate hand-in-glove with Creative Directors, Technologists, and Fabrication partners to ensure strategic concepts are feasible, buildable, and impactful.
• Champion high standards for interactive design, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in physical brand activations.

Benefits

• Excellent, full coverage medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Generous PTO and 15 company-wide holidays
• 401k with company contribution
• Paid parental leave
• Work-life balance with an emphasis on personal well-being
• Career growth in a disruptor space & entrepreneurial opportunities within the Monks network
• A globally diverse & inclusive culture with employee resource groups such as S4 Melanin, Pride.Monks, Cultura.Monks, and more!
• Authentic commitment to DEI efforts and sustainable growth.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree