Head of Digital Strategy & Innovation

Our client is an independent, founder owned healthcare communications agency serving pharmaceutical and life sciences brands, with nearly two decades of history built on the quality of its work and the depth of its client relationships. The agency has grown primarily through referrals and word of mouth, expanding around 70 percent annually to a fully remote team of more than 100 people across the United States.

Its people first culture values sustainable workloads, long term development, and shared ownership of the work, and leadership is focused on building something lasting rather than chasing short term profit. As the agency prepares for greater market visibility and expands the services it offers clients, it is investing in the technology and talent to compete with much larger organizations, and this leader will set the direction for that effort.

This is a rare opportunity to step into a newly created executive role that will define how a fast growing agency approaches digital, technology, and AI for the next decade. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer and partnering closely with the founder and senior leadership team, the Head of Digital Strategy & Innovation will set the vision and roadmap for AI and digital across the organization.

First, this leader will hold true ownership of AI and digital strategy, with direct access to ownership, a receptive leadership team, and the authority to build the function in a way that suits their strengths. Second, the role carries a significant build opportunity, bringing outsourced digital production in house to support a growing pipeline of new websites and digital advertising while shaping the Innovation Services team from the ground up with approved headcount for dedicated technology and AI hires.

Third, it offers a visible, client facing platform, as digital strategy becomes a larger part of how the agency wins and grows client relationships and how prospective clients perceive its capabilities. Depending on how the organization evolves, the scope may extend to enterprise systems and data and analytics. The role is fully remote within the United States.

• Define and lead the agency’s innovation and AI strategy and roadmap, aligning priorities with business growth and client demand and partnering with the founder and executive team to embed innovation into broader business plans.
• Build an in house digital practice that brings website development, digital advertising, and related production under agency control, setting the operating model, vendor strategy, and quality standards needed to deliver work quickly and reliably at scale.
• Present and sell digital strategy to clients, shaping offerings, scope, and pricing that become a growing part of the agency’s value proposition, and translate technical possibilities into clear business outcomes.
• Build and lead the Innovation Services team, including selecting an AI enablement leader and other specialists, and define roles, accountabilities, and collaboration models across AI, digital, creative, and existing department leadership.
• Own, in partnership with executive leadership, a strategic talent and resourcing plan tied to the innovation and AI roadmap, revising it as the technology landscape evolves.
• Guide the organization through AI adoption with clear communication of the why, the what, and the how, building confidence through practical value and reinforcing that human judgment remains central.
• Evaluate emerging technologies, develop business cases for significant investments, and guide initiatives from pilot through scale, with sound judgment on when to build, buy, or partner.
• Establish governance for responsible AI use that accounts for…