Assistant Vice President, Strategy - Spirits

About Us
Established in 1984, Nike Communications is a female-founded creative communications firm specializing in the marketing of prestige brands. We create meaningful connections between some of the world’s most iconic brands and their audiences by utilizing diverse perspectives to develop culturally relevant client campaigns. We believe differences fuel the creative spirit; that by embracing diverse perspectives and cultures, innovation can flourish, and creativity will shine through in each story we tell.

More About the Role
Join our Spirits team as a New York-based Assistant Vice President, Strategy! You will be leading strategy for Bacardi Brands such as Bacardi Rum, Grey Goose and St-Germain and building communications plans across markets and working with inter-agency teams to deliver best in class and award winning campaigns.

Responsibilities    

• Strategic Leadership & Counsel: Lead strategy across the spirits portfolio, setting direction for key brand initiatives, campaigns and 360° activations. Advise senior clients and internal teams with a clear, insight-led point of view.
• Creative Strategy & Briefing: Lead the development of clear, inspiring briefs that give teams a focused problem to solve. Help evaluate and strengthen ideas so they are strategically sound, differentiated and culturally relevant.
• Campaign & Communications Strategy: Partnering with the PR & Digital Leadership, develop integrated strategies that connect business objectives, audience insights, brand positioning and cultural opportunity. Identify the communications challenge, strategic proposition, messaging, channel roles and activation principles.
• Brand Positioning & Messaging: Shape differentiated brand positioning, messaging frameworks and storytelling territories that support broader brand ambitions and create culturally relevant opportunities.
• Insights & Intelligence: Synthesize research, data, cultural intelligence and marketplace information to uncover meaningful audience insights and actionable opportunities. Develop a deep understanding of priority audiences, including their behaviors, motivations, cultural context and relationship with the brand and category. Translate these insights into clear strategic implications.
• Cultural & Competitive Intelligence: Monitor culture, consumer behavior, the spirits category, competitors and the broader communications landscape. Translate emerging trends and whitespace opportunities into strategic recommendations.
• Integrated Agency Leadership: Partner with creative, media, social, experiential and other agencies within brand IATs to create connected strategies and define each discipline’s role in bringing them to life.
• Strategic Storytelling & Presentations: Turn complex thinking into clear, persuasive narratives. Lead the strategic story for major presentations and influence senior clients through well-supported recommendations.
• Innovation & Thought Leadership: Bring forward emerging consumer, cultural and communications thinking that creates value for clients. Develop POVs that position the agency as a forward-thinking strategic partner, utilizing AI, consumer insights, and new technologies.
• New Business & Growth: Lead strategy for priority new business opportunities, shaping the central challenge, strategic point of view and pitch narrative.
• Adaptability & Leadership: Navigate ambiguity and changing client needs while maintaining strategic focus. Provide clarity and direction across senior clients, agency partners and internal teams.
• Approach Flexibility: Adjust way of working based on client contacts and account team members

Qualifications

• Professional Experience: Brings at least eight years of full-time experience in PR, advertising or Creative services, with at least three years of experience in a leadership role in creative brief response
• Passion & Industry Knowledge: Genuine enthusiasm and in-depth knowledge of Luxury, Lifestyle and/or Entertainment industries, with a proven track record of delivering impactful large scale public relations campaigns. Priority verticals include Fashion, Music, Sports, Arts and Culture. 
• Project Manager: At least two years of experience collaborating with multiple cross functional teams across multiple accounts and inter-agency teams and leading projects internally, and also as a lead communicator with clients. Responsive and strong organizational skills in multitasking various workstreams
• Leadership & Activation Management: Exemplifies proficiency in team management and developing strategiest for activations/programs exceeding a budget of $1M+, showcasing adept organizational skills and strategic resource allocation.
• Travel Flexibility: Embraces opportunities to travel for work-related events or meetings, allowing for engagement and collaboration across diverse settings.
• Communication Skills: Exceptional written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, as well as a comfort in communicating with global brand executives. Understands when a process or next step is unclear, able to ask clients and IAT the right questions or challenge a brand on deliverables if expectations are no clear or reasonable.
• Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Embodies the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion; demonstrates self-awareness, cultural competency, and the ability to work with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds.
• Adaptability: Ability to thrive in a dynamic workplace, showcasing adaptability and resilience.

The salary range is $130,000 - $145,000 annually.  

Benefits

• Health Benefits: Options for medical coverage through UnitedHealthcare, and Dental and Vision coverage through Principal
• Financial Security: Contribute to 401(k) plan for retirement with the potential agency contribution via year-end profit sharing
• Time Off: Enjoy 15 vacation days, with an extra day off on your birthday month
• Holiday Closure: Agency closed between Christmas and New Years for a well-deserved break, as well as 10 other holidays throughout the calendar year
• Summer Flexibility: Summer Fridays offer shorter work hours from Memorial Day to Labor Day
• Family Support: Benefit from 12 weeks of paid parental leave and formal policies to support working parents
• Phone Expenses: Receive business line, or have personal phone number covered on agency plan 
• Technology: Company provided laptop and accessories, along with IT support
• Bonuses: Potential for discretionary end-of-year bonuses
• Agency Bonding: Engage in happy hours and our annual agency-wide offsite for camaraderie and celebration
• Emphasis on DEI: A variety of specialized employee resource groups, DEI programming and other initiatives

Nike Communications, Inc. provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Nike Communications, Inc. is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities.

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