Brand Engagement Strategy Director - Advantage Solutions

Brand Engagement Strategy Director

Job description:

AMP, a full-service marketing agency is looking for a multidisciplinary brand engagement strategist with proven experience at building brands, crafting disruptive creative briefs and designing consumer journeys to help deliver breakthrough creative campaigns for clients while also ensuring that the most contextual messages are experienced at the right place and time.

The right candidate will bring a modern approach to designing connected experiences for brands by converging the divergent paths that consumers take today to discover, consider, engage and commit to a brand.

What we offer:

• Full-Time Benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision, Life)
• 401(k) with company match
• Training and Career Development
• Generous Paid Time-Off 

Qualifications:

This role requires at least 7-8 years of experience either in a traditional brand strategy role or a comms strategy role at an advertising agency. Please note that candidates who have not worked for a considerable time in the strategy department will not be considered. The position requires the person to be:

• A provocative storyteller – bring fresh human insights and cultural perspectives to help lay the foundation for breakthrough creative and channel execution.
• A true dot connector – proven experience collaborating with media team, technologists, experience designers and creative teams to build and bring a cohesive communication architecture to life.
• A strong analytical thinker and research translator – must be conversant with research tools such as MRI/Simmons, Google Analytics and Kantar Monitor to uncover insights that drive communications and channel planning.

A student of culture and technological platforms, and perspectives on how they guide and shape consumer perceptions and actions.

Responsibilities:

Strategic Planning:

• Develop brand and communication strategy that help clients grow their business and elevate cultural relevancy for their brands.
• Craft inspiring creative briefs to guide creative team to execute powerful marketing campaigns.
• Well conversant with research tools and resources that help in crafting brand/campaign strategy.

Connections Planning:

• Design consumer engagement eco-systems that informs when, where and how a brand should connect with its audience to help the creative team move from big idea development to create specific communications along the consumer journey.
• Partner with research analysts to deliver data-informed engagement plans.

Job Will Remain Open Until Filled

The Company is one of North America’s leading sales and marketing agencies specializing in outsourced sales, merchandising, category management and marketing services to manufacturers, suppliers and producers of food products and consumer packaged goods. The Company services a variety of trade channels including grocery, mass merchandise, specialty, convenience, drug, dollar, club, hardware, consumer electronics and home centers. We bridge the gap between manufacturers and retailers, providing consumers access to the best products available in the marketplace today.

Position Summary

The Director Strategic Planning is to contribute at a senior level to the strategic planning partnership between internal client service and creative and assigned clients.  The role of the Director, Strategic Planning, is to identify opportunities, help solidify objectives, apply analysis and develop insights for key businesses as assigned. They are also responsible for the supervision and professional development of strategic planning team associates.  The goal of the Director is to build a strategic voice within the agency /client team through a higher level of strategic abilities.

Essential Job Duties and Responsibilities

• Partner with Account Service and Creative Teams to identify client needs with regard to competitive insights, syndicated/research data analysis, and custom client research to drive creative strategy development and client shopper communications. Provide recommended levels of resourcing to support client planning efforts.
• Lead and author presentations, independently as well in collaboration, that demonstrate the ability to “connect the dots” of research, data and information, yielding actionable conclusions that result in strategically sound marketing solutions/programs and breakthrough creative.
• Interface with clients and client marketing research groups to promote and build deeper client partnership in order to and advance marketing connectivity across client departments as well as to garner access to client specific resources and information for marketing use.
• Provide supervision to the strategic planning staff at the Supervisor level and below. Responsibilities include working closely with staff to provide support and direction. Daily supervisory duties include staffing, performance management process, and oversee daily work to ensure clients' needs are being met.
• Lead ongoing process improvements, including the identification of new resources and operational systems to best manage strategic planning, insight and data requests from clients.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Direct Reports

Hires, retains, trains, coaches, guides, directs, and develops direct reports using company-wide processes, tools and resources

Indirect Reports

May delegate work of others and provide guidance, direction and mentoring to indirect reports

Travel and/or Driving Requirements

• Travel is an essential duty and function of this job. Driving is not an essential duty or function of this job.
• Travel up to 15%

Minimum Qualifications

The following are the minimum job-related qualifications which an individual needs in order to successfully perform the essential duties and responsibilities of the job

Education Level: (Required) Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience

Field of Study/Area of Experience:  Business, Marketing, Communications or equivalent job-related experience

• 10+ years of experience in progressive brand marketing, promotion agency, shopper marketing or consumer marketing building strategy
• Clear understanding of and ownership of the creative development process
• Adept at analyzing IRI, Nielsen, and other syndicated research data tools in order to translate Intel into actionable marketing plans
• Previous direct client interaction and account management experience
• Previous experience in managing and developing teams of 2+ associates

Skills, Knowledge and Abilities

• Analytical and research Skills
• Ability to exercise sound judgment
• Ability to visualize and plan objectives and goals strategically
• Strong written communication and verbal communication skills
• Ability to make oral presentations
• Ability to work independently and prioritize duties with minimal supervision, in order to meet deadlines
• Ability to direct, lead, coach, and develop people
• Good interpersonal skills
• Skill in supervising to include delegating responsibility, training and evaluating performance
• Ability to complete multiple duties with accuracy shifting from one to another with frequent interruptions and competing deadlines
• Strong computer skills including proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook, and web-browsers

Environmental & Physical Requirements

Office / Sedentary Requirements

Incumbent must be able to perform the essential functions of the job.  Work is performed primarily in an office environment. Typically requires the ability to sit for extended periods of time (66%+ each day), ability to hear the telephone, ability to enter data on a computer and may also require the ability to lift up to 10 pounds.

Additional Information Regarding The Company Job Duties and Job Descriptions

Job duties include additional responsibilities as assigned by one’s supervisor or other manager related to the position/department. This job description is meant to describe the general nature and level of work being performed; it is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required for the position. The Company reserves the right at any time with or without notice to alter or change job responsibilities, reassign or transfer job position or assign additional job responsibilities, subject to applicable law. The Company shall provide reasonable accommodations of known disabilities to enable a qualified applicant or employee to apply for employment, perform the essential functions of the job, or enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment as required by the law. 

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of associates so classified.

The Company is committed to providing equal opportunity in all employment practices without regard to age, race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion, physical or mental disability, or any other category protected by law. As part of this commitment, the Company shall provide reasonable accommodations of known disabilities to enable an applicant or employee to apply for employment, perform the essential functions of the job, or enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment as required by the law.