Director Strategy

Who We Are

VML, part of WPP, is a leading creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce, creating connected brands to drive growth. VML is celebrated for its innovative and human‑first, award‑winning work for blue‑chip client partners including AstraZeneca, Colgate‑Palmolive, Dell, Ford, Microsoft, Nestlé, The Coca‑Cola Company, and Wendy's. The agency is recognized by the Forrester Wave™ Reports, as a Leader among Marketing Creative and Content Service Providers, Commerce Services, Global Digital Experience Services, Global Marketing Services and, most recently, Marketing Measurement & Optimization.

In addition, VML’s specialist health network, VML Health, is one of the world’s largest and most awarded health agencies. VML’s global network is powered by 26,000 talented people across 55+ markets, with principal offices in Kansas City, New York, Detroit, London, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, and Sydney.

WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. We unite cutting‑edge media intelligence and data solutions, world‑class creativity, next‑generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel in a single company – powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open, to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth. For more information, visit

The Director of Strategy plays a pivotal role within the VML Brand Strategy team, leading the development and execution of innovative brand strategies for key clients. This individual will help lead a newly secured global portfolio of CPG brands. This role requires a strategic thinker with a proven ability to translate complex business challenges into actionable marketing solutions that deliver measurable results.

The Director will lead strategic engagements from inception to completion, fostering strong client relationships, collaborating with internal teams, and driving business growth for VML and its clients. This individual will be a key contributor to the new business process, including strategy development, client engagement, and onboarding.

• Strategic Leadership: Develop the strategic approach and outcomes to effectively solve client challenges, ensuring alignment with business objectives and market factors, leveraging VML's strategic processes and resources.
• Strategic Craft: Develop compelling insights, strategic frameworks, and clear, concise narratives, translating complex data into actionable opportunities.
• Research & Analysis: Proficiently use various research methodologies (qualitative and quantitative) and actively leverage VML's tools and resources, while proactively exploring new ones. Identify significant research findings and synthesize them into actionable analyses, insights, and strategies that inform impactful creative solutions.
• Strategic Activation: Translate approved strategies into compelling and effective activations, ensuring seamless execution across all channels.
• AI Engineering & Prompting: Understand the capabilities and limitations of AI in marketing and brand strategy, explore and experiment with AI tools to enhance strategic development and execution.

• Business Development: Identify and communicate opportunities to grow client business. Play a key role in new business pitches, including developing pitch strategy and presenting to prospective clients.
• Project Scoping & Management: Collaborate with Strategy and Client Leadership teams to ensure appropriate project scoping, managing resources and budgets effectively.
• Awards & Recognition: Contribute to the writing of WARC 100 Award entries, showcasing the impact and effectiveness of client and team work.
• Measurement & Optimization: Utilize VML's tools to measure and demonstrate the impact of strategy and work on client business outcomes. Act as a brand guardian, continuously optimizing strengths and mitigating challenges.

• Client
  
  Collaboration:
  
  Proactively engage with clients at all levels to understand their business challenges and…