Associate Strategy Director

M+C Saatchi Group•New York, NY

26d•$130,000 - $150,000•Hybrid

About The Position

M+C Saatchi is building the agency model of the future. At the heart of this transformation is CEP — our global engine that unites Consulting, Experience, and Performance into one culturally powered growth platform. We’re looking for a Associate Director to work in our Consulting team with experience and passion for insight-led brand, business and growth strategy. As an Associate Director, you will play a pivotal role in delivering high-quality, high-value work for clients across Consulting. The role is for someone who can confidently lead a range of brand insight and strategy projects with senior clients across categories, driving clear recommendations on how they can grow their business and brand. This role will report into a Senior Director and is a full-time role is based in our Dayton, OH or New York, NY offices on a hybrid working basis (typically, 3 days a week in the office). About M+C Saatchi Consulting We are a global brand, strategy and design consultancy with offices in the US, UK, UAE, Australia and Singapore. We build enduring brands that move at the speed of culture and shape what’s next. We work across verticals and have an amazing list of clients including, PepsiCo, McDonald’s, Toyota and the NFL to name a few. We’re committed to an ethos of excellence – championing, challenging and supporting one another to stretch and grow. No egos here, simply a diverse group of brilliant, creative people working together every day to create real impact for the world’s biggest brands. Our New York office is steps from Manhattan’s Madison Square Park. We have a collaborative open-plan space full of natural light, free drinks and snacks, and Team Tuesdays where we all get together for lunch. Our Dayton office is located in a southern residential suburb with ease of access to major highways. Our cozy office offers us a collaborative working space and weekly lunch with the team! About the Role The Associate Director role sits within our Brand & Experience Strategy Consulting team and stretches across a breadth of brand/marketing strategy projects (customer strategy, innovation, positioning, portfolio strategy, brand experience strategy & design, commercial growth), qualitative and quantitative research and strategic insight work. As an Associate Director, you will lead key projects as well as helping champion best practice across the team, developing our consultants and proactively managing support from more senior colleagues. You will also play a key role in building client relationships with some of our biggest multi-market client accounts as well as identifying new opportunities and clients to grow. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES: Lead the strategic thinking at the heart of our most complex and challenging projects. Ensuring quality and clarity of recommendations – based on deep understanding of data and insight – by giving clear direction to supporting consultants and actively managing upwards to optimize senior support Manage top-table ‘pillar clients’ from big picture account planning through to overseeing best-in-class project work New business generation; identifying new opportunities, and contributing significantly to winning new clients by leading high-profile proposals and pitches with data at their core Help to develop new, disruptive approaches and methodologies, that contribute to the evolution of our offer Coach and progress our team of consultants, helping to develop their technical competencies and elevate their work Create inspiring, commercially rigorous client deliverables – distilling large volumes of data into powerful insights and compelling strategic narratives Thought Leadership – contribute to our marketing programme by creation of thought pieces and content to engage clients and development of content About You This role is a fantastic opportunity to be part of an ambitious business where the opportunities are endless. We’re looking for someone with a stellar mix of relevant experience and skills. Ideally, the successful candidate will have the following experiences and strengths: 7+ years’ experience working within strategic brand and innovation consultancies A deep passion for using research and data to tackle complex insight, strategy, and innovation challenges Highly skilled in developing inspiring strategic narratives from rigorous insight analysis, with extensive experience of writing and structuring clear and inspiring presentations Knowledgeable and comfortable with application and analysis of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies A passion for winning new business, and proactively cultivating client relationships at the highest level Experience of facilitating inspiring and strategic client workshops Experience in leading projects with a high degree of responsibility, and a willingness to be “sleeves rolled up” to guide junior consultants and deliver the best client outcomes § The ability to think laterally and creatively, inspiring others to do the same § Sound understanding of and passion for brand, experience and innovation strategy § Excellent presenting, communication and influencing skills

Requirements

7+ years’ experience working within strategic brand and innovation consultancies
A deep passion for using research and data to tackle complex insight, strategy, and innovation challenges
Highly skilled in developing inspiring strategic narratives from rigorous insight analysis, with extensive experience of writing and structuring clear and inspiring presentations
Knowledgeable and comfortable with application and analysis of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies
A passion for winning new business, and proactively cultivating client relationships at the highest level
Experience of facilitating inspiring and strategic client workshops
Experience in leading projects with a high degree of responsibility, and a willingness to be “sleeves rolled up” to guide junior consultants and deliver the best client outcomes
§ The ability to think laterally and creatively, inspiring others to do the same
§ Sound understanding of and passion for brand, experience and innovation strategy
§ Excellent presenting, communication and influencing skills

Responsibilities

Lead the strategic thinking at the heart of our most complex and challenging projects. Ensuring quality and clarity of recommendations – based on deep understanding of data and insight – by giving clear direction to supporting consultants and actively managing upwards to optimize senior support
Manage top-table ‘pillar clients’ from big picture account planning through to overseeing best-in-class project work
New business generation; identifying new opportunities, and contributing significantly to winning new clients by leading high-profile proposals and pitches with data at their core
Help to develop new, disruptive approaches and methodologies, that contribute to the evolution of our offer
Coach and progress our team of consultants, helping to develop their technical competencies and elevate their work
Create inspiring, commercially rigorous client deliverables – distilling large volumes of data into powerful insights and compelling strategic narratives
Thought Leadership – contribute to our marketing programme by creation of thought pieces and content to engage clients and development of content