Head of Strategy – Brand & Digital

Job Overview

Our client, a leading independent digital advertising and innovation agency, is looking for a Head of Strategy to lead the development of consumer-led brand, communication, digital, and customer-experience strategies.

The successful candidate will be responsible for transforming business challenges, consumer behavior, research, culture, and data into clear strategic direction. This person will lead a multi-level team of strategists and collaborate with creative, client services, media, analytics, content, experience-design, and technology teams.

The role requires an experienced agency leader who can develop strong strategies, influence senior clients, manage people, support business growth, and strengthen the organization's strategic capabilities.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Lead the development and execution of brand, communication, digital, channel, and customer-experience strategies.
• Ensure that strategic recommendations support client business goals and can be executed effectively by multidisciplinary teams.
• Oversee strategic briefs, planning frameworks, customer journey maps, channel strategies, and experience ecosystems.
• Improve cross-functional processes related to consumer insights and strategic service delivery.
• Partner with experience-design and innovation teams on consulting and service-design initiatives.

Consumer Insights and Integration

• Lead or oversee consumer research, data collection, and insight-development activities.
• Identify meaningful consumer behaviors, motivations, barriers, and opportunities.
• Develop customer journey maps showing how target consumers interact with brands, offers, digital platforms, and experiences.
• Translate research and data into practical strategic recommendations.
• Help internal teams improve the quality and relevance of their consumer insights.

Client and Cross-Functional Leadership

• Serve as a senior strategic adviser to Marketing Directors, Business Heads, and other client stakeholders.
• Present, explain, and defend strategic recommendations clearly and confidently.
• Collaborate with creative, client services, media, analytics, content, production, and technology teams.
• Build alignment among stakeholders and ensure that teams work toward a shared strategic direction.

People and Capability Development

• Manage and develop Senior Strategists, Strategists, and Junior Strategists.
• Review strategic outputs and maintain high standards of thinking and delivery.
• Coach team members in consumer insight, research interpretation, strategic planning, and client presentation.
• Develop partnerships and learning opportunities that strengthen the agency's strategy capabilities.

Thought Leadership and Business Growth

• Monitor developments in consumer culture, digital marketing, commerce, brand innovation, customer experience, and technology.
• Produce trend reports, strategic perspectives, and internal learning materials.
• Represent the organization in relevant industry or academic events when required.
• Support new-client scoping, business-development pitches, and expansion opportunities within existing accounts.
• Contribute to the development and pilot implementation of new agency services or capabilities.

Qualifications

• At least 10 years of experience in brand strategy, digital strategy, communication strategy, or a closely related discipline.
• At least seven years of experience in a digital strategy leadership role within an agency environment.
• Proven experience leading strategists or strategic-planning teams.
• Experience developing strategies for major local and multinational brands.
• Strong knowledge of:
  • Consumer insights and research
  • Brand and communication strategy
  • Digital and channel strategy
  • Customer journey mapping
  • Social media strategy
  • E-commerce strategy
  • CRM and customer relationship strategy
  • Influencer marketing
  • Business-results analysis
• Strong presentation, negotiation, stakeholder-management, and communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple complex projects and priorities.
• Degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, Behavioral Science, or a related course.
• Digital marketing certification.
• Relevant specialized training or certifications in business strategy, data, business design, or product development.

Nice-to-have 

• Postgraduate studies in Business Administration or a related discipline.
• Experience developing new consulting, strategy, innovation, or digital service offerings.
• Experience participating in industry talks, publications, research reports, or thought-leadership initiatives.
• Strong network within advertising, digital marketing, research, technology, or customer-experience communities.

What Makes This Opportunity Different?

This position offers the opportunity to influence more than individual campaigns. The Head of Strategy will help shape the direction of client brands, develop the next generation of agency strategists, strengthen strategic services, and contribute directly to the organization's long-term growth.

Interested candidates may submit an updated resume highlighting their agency strategy leadership, major brands handled, team-management experience, and examples of brand, digital, communication, or customer-experience strategies they have led.