Senior Strategist
Full Time
Location – Lamberhurst (hybrid role, 3 days a week from the office, 2 from home. Please note our office is rural and a car is required)
Reports to – Strategy Director
Catch A Fire
We are a strategic creative agency with a focus on communication, digital, design, film and innovation. Our mission is to deliver outstanding strategic and creative work that sparks a better future.
As an ethically focused Agency we want companies that stand for something good in this world to prosper more than the ones that don’t. We feel this drives positive change. We care about the companies and people we work with and we have a passion for their growth.
We work with some great brands across the globe.
Now in our seventh year of our agency journey we are committed to continuing to build a talented and motivated team that sets us all up for future success and importantly to deliver against our agency vision.
Senior Strategist Role
A key role within our agency, as a Senior Strategist, you will be both the link between Creative and Client Services, key partner for our clients PLUS a key team member in our Ignite, Innovation and Growth Studio. With restless intellectual curiosity, you’ll combine analytical rigor, critical thinking, and creativity, helping to shape the future strategic direction of our most important accounts.
You will be working across a mixture of our exciting brands within the agency.
Responsibilities
Core responsibilities will include:
* Lead the collation, organisation, and analysis of all project-related qualitative and quantitative intelligence, including client business and brand information, competitive landscape, customer research, analyst commentary and press coverage
* Run strategy development processes, mastering best practice across the full spectrum of strategic projects, including positioning, naming, brand architecture, integrated communications planning, expression, and engagement
* Express our client's challenge and establish a clear point-of-view on the agency's contribution
* Express insights and ideas with clarity and precision, in written work and in face-to-face meetings
* Structure, write and present compelling points-of-view and actionable recommendations to clients
* Test ideas, to elicit and utilise feedback, both from clients and other team members
* Examining clients’ businesses to get to know their brands and understand their objectives
* Researching and gathering data to develop well-informed strategic plans for clients
* Producing cohesive and intelligent plans to bring success to campaigns
* Working with the team to generate original ideas
* Presenting findings to colleagues and clients at all seniority levels
* Identifying potential problems and devising ways to rectify them
* Liaising with senior colleagues to receive feedback and create improvements to strategies
* Support and mentor junior colleagues in the strategy team.
Skills & Competencies
You will need to have the following core strategy skills, ideally having worked in a strategic agency environment for at least 5 years:
* Excellent written and verbal communication skills
* The ability to make complex subjects understandable
* A proven track record in developing strategic plans that benefit the client
* Hold an in-depth understanding of brand and/or marketing strategy
* Proficiency in performance numerical analysis in Excel
* The drive to be successful and perform well in all aspects of your strategic work
* The flexibility to work over a number of projects and balance your workload
* Optimistic and enthusiastic in the way they behave but always thinking ahead and foreseeing problems
* Collaboration – a positive attitude to working with diverse personalities and complex dynamics.
* Love of the strategic, creative and production world.
* Experience working in large-scale research projects and developing thought leadership ideas and activations
* You’re on the pulse with the latest thinking and trends in branding, brand successes, failures and industry business activity
* You’re a self-starter, keen to take initiative and work independently
* You’re diligent and can work at pace when the pressure is on
* You find presenting and discussing strategic issues with clients exciting, not intimidating
* You can work with creative and client leadership functions to provide the best outcomes for clients
Benefits
We want to change the world for the better and we believe that starts with investing in our Sparks. We like to be judged on the good we do, not just the good work we make - our team is driven by the shared mission of creating work that Sparks a Better Future.
* 22 days annual leave rising each year to 25 days, plus Bank Holidays.
* 3 extra days to get festive with a full Christmas shutdown.
* A day off for your birthday to celebrate!
* Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave.
* An ‘Ignite’ CSR Day, allowing time away from your desk to support our chosen charity.
* A mentor to support your development and training, including a full personal development plan.
* Flexible working approach both in location and working times.
* Lunch provided on a Friday and lots of snacks for the weekdays too!
* Regular staff social fun!
* Private Medical cover after 3 months
* An Employee Assistance Programme, offering free advice and support.
* Pension scheme after 3 months.
Catch a Fire is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees with regard to race, colour, marital status, sex, nationality or ethnic or national origin, religion, age, sexual orientation, disability or membership or non-membership of a trade union. We are committed to promoting an environment where all individuals are recruited, appraised, trained, and promoted on the basis of fairness, professional competence, and contribution.