Director, Creative Strategy, Contract

THE ROLE:

As the Director, Creative Strategy, you are a critical strategic architect responsible for shaping how iconic brands show up in the world. You excel at developing sharp brand positioning at the campaign level and translating high-level business goals into inspiring creative briefs and messaging territories.

We are seeking a proactive, visionary leader who understands how to craft creative strategies that come to life across modern, 360-integrated media plans—specifically driving awareness and consideration across upper- and mid-funnel touchpoints. You will bridge the gap between brand strategy, media, culture, and creative execution, inspiring internal creative teams and leading high-stakes client relationships.

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

• Brand Positioning & Campaign Strategy: Develop compelling campaign-level brand positioning that differentiates clients in crowded markets and resonates with targeted audiences.
• Creative Briefs & Territories: Craft sharp, inspiring creative briefs and define creative territories that fuel breakthrough ideas across creative, production, and design teams.
• 360° Integrated Strategy: Design holistic creative strategies tailored for full-funnel media plans, with a strong focus on driving upper-funnel brand awareness and mid-funnel consideration.
• Cross-Discipline Collaboration: Partner closely with Creative leads, Comms Planners, and Cross-Discipline Media Activation specialists to ensure strategic alignment from concept through execution and optimization.
• Client Leadership & Pitching: Lead high-stakes client presentations, workshops, and share-outs, establishing trust with senior marketing stakeholders and executive leaders.
• Audience Insights & Culture: Uncover deep audience, cultural, and competitive insights through qualitative research and social listening to inform creative direction.

WHY DEPT®?

• 8+ years of experience in creative strategy, brand strategy, or integrated planning within a fast-paced agency or brand environment.
• Proven track record of developing campaign-level positioning, creative briefs, and creative territories that result in award-winning or business-driving creative execution.
• Deep knowledge of 360-degree integrated campaigns, specifically how creative strategy adapts to upper- and mid-funnel media channels (e.g., CTV/OOH, social, creator/influencer, digital, content, experiential).
• Exceptional storytelling and presentation skills, with a history of confidently pitching to and managing relationships with C-suite and senior client stakeholders.
• Mastery of qualitative and research methods to synthesize complex data into simple, actionable creative springboards.
• A value for curiosity and creativity, with a drive to make things that are new, culturally relevant, and compelling—not just sensible.
• A proactive, resilient mindset that thrives in fast-paced, dynamic environments with minimal processes.