Director, Strategic Planning

Overview

We are seeking a Director, Strategic Planning. As a Director, Strategic Planning, you are a key standard bearer of strategic thought within the business. Candidates must reside in a commutable distance to one of our hub locations:
Chicago, Dallas, Stamford, CT or New York.

• Growing Client Brands and Business:
  Serve as senior-level contact on individual client businesses and brands. Demonstrate a solid grasp of current industry dynamics and be able to provide agency perspective on the impact, influence, and implications of these dynamics on brand or agency health.
• Provide long-term perspective for brand and business growth that exceeds the scope of individual projects. Be able to clearly articulate a strategic vision in a confident and persuasive manner to clients and teams; connect the vision to business imperatives and measures.
• Develop working hypotheses and methods to test/apply thinking to a variety of marketing challenges that leads to the discovery of new insights.
• Ensure proactive strategic thought leadership across the integrated marketing mix; be able to effectively apply and integrate strategy into agency process.
• Raise the bar of Mars United Commerce’s work for clients. This includes instituting research and testing methods and practices using insights to inspire, guide, and evaluate work.
• Identify unmet research/planning needs and knowledge gaps in clients’ business. Lead the solution and develop into out-of-scope revenue opportunities for the agency.
• Grow the role of Strategic Planning through the development of effective working relationships with key clients and Senior Management.

• Make original contributions to company growth through contributions to original research/thinking, participation in internal cultural initiatives, and development of new professional capabilities and perspectives.
• Supervise and advance the growth of Strategic Planning staff. Oversee the quality of their work.
• Create dialogue and share innovations and new methods across internal teams (account service, creative, customer development, media, production, etc.).
• Understand company’s business model and be able to work with senior colleagues to manage the agency investment in Strategic Planning resources, secondary research providers, and other Strategic Planning relevant suppliers.
• Intellectual property – develop and adapt to the business, all Mars United Network intellectual property ensuring it helps to deliver on Mars United goals and positioning.

• Responsible for client relationships at senior level.
• Participates in new business pitches.
• Develop and merchandise Strategic Planning “products”.
• Responsible for a functional, productive, and happy team. Also, responsible to maintain healthy team culture.
• Attract, train, and develop talent, ensuring Strategic Planning keeps a diversity of skills, backgrounds, and experience.

• Continues to assist in knowledge sharing through internal communication events, training, and other written materials.
• Develops and participates in training and teaching and other initiatives.

• Conducts primary research, client, or agency.
• Uses proprietary strategic models, helps to drive their development, use, and institutionalization.
• Develops and participates in client presentations.
• Leads and develops people on the team (indirectly and directly).
• Coaches and mentors others within the department.
• Identifies new opportunities for revenue growth with clients.
• Supports annual planning initiatives with clients.
• Supports award efforts with account & creative.
• Supports new business RFP & pitching efforts.
• Identifies unmet needs within the department, develops proposals to satisfy needs.
• Supports wider agency initiatives.
• Writes white papers, agency “points of view”, blog posts, etc.

• Bachelor’s degree or greater
• Minimum of 8 years’ experience in strategy and planning with experience in marketing directly with / for retailers
• Dynamic personality able to effectively engage and influence a variety of audiences
• Passion for understanding the ‘why’s"…