Senior Director, Strategy - Brand & Creative

Monks • Chicago, IL

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

As a Senior Director, Strategy – Brand & Creative, you'll lead our Brand Strategy discipline within this team. We're looking for someone who is passionate about building breakthrough brands, developing bold strategic thinking, and creating impactful work that moves businesses and culture forward. This role involves leading the Brand Strategy discipline, developing bold strategic thinking, and creating impactful work. The ideal candidate has experience with global brands, major decision-making, and a deep understanding of brand truth versus brand claim. They should be able to build brand strategy that extends beyond the brief into integrated campaigns, digital experiences, product launches, and customer touchpoints. The role also involves building and growing a modern Brand Strategy practice within a collaborative, AI-forward agency.

Requirements

• 12+ years in Brand Planning or Creative Strategy at a top agency.
• At least 3 years in a senior leadership role.
• Experience working on major global brands and campaigns that ran everywhere, on briefs with real stakes.
• Experience building brand strategy that extends beyond the brief into integrated campaigns, digital experiences, product launches, and customer touchpoints.
• Direct experience on high-profile, high-stakes campaigns: Super Bowl, Olympics, global product launches, or equivalent moments.
• Ability to build a global brand platform—not just a campaign, but the idea underneath it.
• Ability to take complex data and research and turn it into a simple, compelling idea that a creative team is excited to run with.
• Experience partnering closely with Executive Creative Directors and knowing how to challenge, inspire, and elevate creative work from brief through execution.
• Experience winning new business and comfort leading the strategic portions of pitches and executive client presentations.
• A track record of building and leading high-performing strategy teams.
• Empathetic leadership skills to get the best out of people.
• Excitement about building and growing a modern Brand Strategy practice.
• Ability to command a room, sell a brave idea to a skeptical stakeholder, and articulate the 'why' behind the work.
• Genuine curiosity about AI as a creative and strategic tool.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of foundational brand strategy, architecture, and positioning for this industry-defining tech giant across its full product portfolio.
• Ensure brand consistency, clarity, and relevance across global markets (São Paulo, Seoul, San Francisco).
• Drive the strategic vision for highly-visible campaigns (e.g. Super Bowl spots, Olympics moments, global product launches, major repositionings).
• Act as the right hand to Group Creative Directors, writing provocative and inspiring briefs.
• Stay deeply engaged through the creative process to protect and elevate the core idea from brief to final cut.
• Maintain a genuine pulse on cultural trends and integrate this understanding into the work.
• Manage and mentor a team of brand strategists (directors, seniors, and beyond).
• Foster an environment of rigorous thinking, creative ambition, collaboration, and curiosity.
• Establish best practices, elevate the discipline, and contribute to building a world-class strategy organization.
• Build trusted relationships with senior marketing leaders at a multi-platform digital consumer and enterprise company.
• Facilitate strategic conversations, confidently present recommendations, and influence key business decisions.
• Partner with Client Leadership and Creative teams to identify new opportunities, support proactive thinking, and lead strategic components of new business pitches.
• Collaborate with media, data, and AI teams to ensure brand platforms translate into full-funnel consumer experiences.
• Work with the speed and agility expected by a pioneering, fast-paced Silicon Valley innovator.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package
• Opportunities for professional growth
• Excellent, full coverage medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Generous PTO
• 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: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed