Director, Consulting – Foresight, Brand & Innovation Practice

About the job

Job Title:
Director, Consulting – Foresight, Brand & Innovation Practice

Location:Flexible within the US for the right candidate

About the Company:

Kantar is the world’s leading marketing data and analytics company.

Combining our expertise in human understanding with advanced technologies and strategic consulting, Kantar’s 25,000 people based in more than 100 countries help the world’s leading organisations succeed and grow. Nobody knows people better than Kantar: we provide insight and inspiration to help our clients, our people and society to create and flourish in an extraordinary world.

About the team

Kantar Consulting is a specialist growth consultancy that helps clients find new sources of growth through strategic foresight, brand strategy, cultural insight, and innovation. We help brands understand the current and future needs of consumers and guide them in how to meet those needs and make meaningful connections. Our clients span the Fortune 500 across diverse sectors (think: Mayo Clinic, Ford, Google, Danone, and Merck)

We pride ourselves on being an engine of growth for our clients, and strategic foresight is a critical part of how we do it. We are looking for an exceptionally talented, passionate, and experienced foresight / futures specialist to join our team, and make their mark on how we talk, think and deliver foresight at Kantar.

About the role:

As a Director within our consulting team, you will specialize in strategic foresight engagements and have the opportunity to work alongside and collaborate with an eclectic mix of innovation, brand, qual and quant professionals from across Kantar.

This role sits within an award-winning team that is recognized for its unique approaches and proven client impact by Kantar globally, and will be well-suited to individuals who are eager to influence the direction of the practice for Kantar through offer innovation, business development, and unparalleled client delivery.

The Foresight Director will be a significant force in driving our business forward:

• Generating revenue via new business development, including proactive outreach to your network, scoping incoming client questions, responding to RFPs, writing proposals, and leading client pitch teams
• Leading strategic client accounts and relationships at a senior level
• Shaping thought leadership, offers and approaches, and finding compelling ways to codify and share our POV with clients and wider audiences
• Overseeing complex projects that leverage strategic foresight, trends, cultural insight, quant / qual, and innovation frameworks
• Bringing a fresh perspective and deep expertise to help upskill our mixed-level team of Foresight, Culture and Innovation consultants
• Managing 2-3 direct reports, and developing and coaching talent at every level

What do we look for in a Director focused on strategic foresight?

• 8+ years’ demonstrable experience in a trend / foresight consultancyor comparable specialist experience;
  Knowledge of the concepts, language, tools, and techniques of foresight and experience applying these things to strategy, innovation, thought leadership, etc. ideation and facilitation
• A compelling and credible expert in strategic foresightwith an ability to articulate engaging points of view on macro trends, foresight best practices, brands, innovation, and new business models
• A systems thinker with a strong ability to provoke and inspire clientsto think differently about the future and how to drive growth for their industry, business, category, or brand
• Excellence leading complex projectswith limited input, managing and motivating project teams to deliver high quality work on time and on budget, with well-developed recommendations and implications, and a clear focus on client impact
• Proven ability toderive clear, creative recommendationsfor clients that will make a positive difference to their business
• Proven ability to drive new businessand success in client and account development, including scoping potential projects, leading proposal development and pitches, and identifying opportunities for follow-on projects both in foresight and for colleagues in other disciplines; track record of…