Sr. Strategy Director

UnitedMasters | Translation•New York, NY

1d•$160,000 - $190,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Translation, an independent creative solutions company within UnitedMasters, is seeking a Senior Strategy Director to set strategic direction across key client accounts and lead brand, cultural, and creative strategy. The role is responsible for turning complex business and brand challenges into clear strategic choices, and for translating research, cultural understanding, business context, and audience insight into persuasive recommendations that lead to meaningful outcomes. The Senior Strategy Director will lead multiple engagements and workstreams, shape the strategic approach to major briefs, and collaborate with Data Strategy, Context, Business, and Creative leaders. The role also includes mentoring strategists, raising the quality and standards of the Strategy discipline, and contributing perspectives that advance the company’s understanding of audiences, culture, brands, and business. The position requires four days in the office and one day remote. The listed salary range is $160,000–$190,000 for New York and California; compensation may vary by location and is based on factors including qualifications, experience, skillset, and internal equity. The company also mentions bonus, stock options, and a 401(k) match as examples of compensation and benefits opportunities.

Requirements

At least 8 years of relevant experience in strategy, brand development, communications, cultural strategy, or a related discipline.
Demonstrated experience leading strategy for significant client accounts, campaigns, brand platforms, or integrated engagements.
Proven ability to independently develop and defend strategic recommendations with senior clients and internal leadership.
Demonstrated ability to synthesize research, cultural intelligence, business context, and audience understanding into actionable strategy.
Exceptional strategic judgment and command of brand, cultural, and creative strategy.
Ability to simplify complex challenges into clear strategic choices and build persuasive strategic narratives.
Strong client leadership and ability to build credibility with senior clients.
Ability to lead through ambiguity and bring structure and direction to assignments.
Strong creative instincts and ability to translate strategy into direction that improves and inspires creative work.
Strong understanding of qualitative and quantitative research, including when additional research is needed and how findings should inform strategy.
Ability to lead, coach, and elevate strategists while remaining accountable for their work.
Collaborative leadership style and ability to align different disciplines and perspectives.
Deep curiosity about people, culture, brands, and business, informed by interests and experiences that contribute a distinct point of view.

Nice To Haves

Experience leading strategy across multiple or complex, multi-workstream accounts.
Strong understanding of digital, social, media, and creator ecosystems.
Demonstrated ability to turn cultural understanding into distinctive brand, cultural, and creative strategies.
Proven ability to uncover and translate audience-specific insights into impactful brand, cultural, and creative strategies.

Responsibilities

Set strategic direction across key client accounts, ensuring the work is clear, differentiated, culturally informed, and connected to meaningful business outcomes.
Identify the underlying problems, tensions, opportunities, and strategic choices behind complex business and brand challenges.
Lead the development of brand, cultural, and creative strategy, translating insight into a point of view that inspires clients and creative teams.
Lead multiple engagements and workstreams while maintaining strategic quality and helping teams prioritize.
Shape strategic approaches to major briefs and opportunities, including determining learning needs, questions to answer, and how disciplines should work together.
Partner with Data Strategy, Context, Business, and Creative leadership to create an integrated strategic vision.
Develop and mentor strategists through direction and feedback, helping junior and mid-level talent strengthen judgment, storytelling, and strategic craft.
Establish and uphold strong standards for briefs, narratives, presentations, research, and strategic recommendations.
Contribute to Translation’s intellectual capital with perspectives on audiences, culture, brands, and business.