Brand Strategist

POSITION SUMMARY

• Support the Strategy Director to effectively manage timelines, deliverables, and process for strategy projects and/or phases. 
• Become the central hub for market intelligence: curating and organizing our internal best practices and insights to deliver timely knowledge to Account and Design teams. 
• Support the Strategy Team but translating client asks and objectives into meaningful, actionable insights for our teams. 
• Making the strategy process, fun, inspiring and informative for everyone that you work with. 

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

CLIENT EXPERIENCE: Proactive client partnerships to meet objectives and deliver exceptional outcomes 

• Cultivates strong partnerships internal teams. Establishes relationships in which colleagues proactively seek out your support. 
• Is a partner with Strategy Director and creative teams on projects, developing a deep understanding of the brand, the category, and the brief. 
• Advocate for Equator with client and suppliers – guides them through Equator’s process with ease 
• Accurately capture and communicate project details through internal/external workflow systems 
• Brand advocate for multiple brands/client contacts through dedicated categories of business; understands category insights and trends to inspire design 

ADDING STRATEGIC VALUE: Providing solid strategic foundations on which exceptional brand solutions can be developed 

• Conduct market audit, desk research, and other exercises to collect and curate relevant trends, contexts and insights that support strategy, account, and design teams. 
• Monitor and read specific industry press and published thinking on branding, market trends, industry business activity and share with the wider agency team. 
• Curate and become a trusted resource for existing knowledge estate: Trends, newsletters, articles, etc.; supporting teams with ad-hoc requests for market intelligence. 
• Can communicate and adapt language complexity to ensure key messages resonate.  

EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE: Cross-team partnerships and employee satisfaction 

• Work with wider strategy team to assess client briefs and translate them into actionable plans for creative development. 
• Applies strong people skills to expertly manage resources and stakeholders to deliver excellent outcomes. 
• Effectively communicate with teams and senior leaders, escalating issues were appropriate. 
• Creates strong and effective internal partnerships with the Creative and Client Service teams; collaborates across the business to ensure client needs are met and projects stay within scope, budget, timeline, quality and other Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). 

OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE: Internal collaboration to inspire design and efficiently deliver under one roof model 

• Support and manage the process for the development of Equator thought leadership around trends, brand strategy and creative strategy, ensuring consistent and timely delivery. 
• Support Strategy Director in the development of proposals and processes for strategic initiatives. 
• Own the details of the strategy projects and/or phases, ensuring effective communication, timeline and budget management, and resource allocation. 
• Identify and seek to resolve any issues or problems that may arise in the strategy process. 

FINANCIAL GROWTH: Fuel business growth delivering exceptional outcomes to drive sales and control costs  

• Able to assess project scope and ensure delivery within timeline and agreed budget. 
• Provide accurate reporting for current and future project work as requested by AD or Directors. 

QUALIFICATIONS / REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Graphic Arts, Marketing, Advertising or related field.
• 3+ years Brand Strategy experience in a Creative Design Agency, Market Research firm, or similar consulting environment.
• Experience; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Occasional travel either locally, nationally, and/or internationally may be required.
• High degree of proficiency in MS Office Suite, Outlook & Internet applications.
• Strong analytical, prioritizing, interpersonal, problem-solving, presentation and project management skills.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills (including analysis, interpretation, & reasoning).
• Ability to work well autonomously and within a team in a fast-paced and deadline-oriented environment.

PHYSICAL ASPECTS / WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Regularly required to stand; walk; sit; and talk, hear and see.  
• Occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. 

* Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals to perform the essential functions.