Role description

We are looking to appoint a Strategy Director, reporting to our Managing Director and Co-founder, Rowan, and taking line management responsibility for our strategists and copywriters. 

It’s preferable that you have a proven track record of working with senior marketing clients, have solid understanding of B2B audiences and what engages them, and it’s likely that you will have previous experience in campaign, content and/or brand strategy. However, we’re open to people with diverse backgrounds and varied qualifications and experience – so if you think you’ve something to offer, please do get in touch.

We’re looking for an entrepreneurial team player who is able to work well with our creative and account teams, as well as all other areas of the business, including the Rationale founders.

You’ll be joining a fun and motivated team who are ambitious and excited about the opportunities ahead of them!

Overview

As part of Rationale’s Senior Management Team (SMT), the Strategy Director leads the Strategy & Editorial team in the agency and is a key stakeholder inputting into overall agency strategy, quality of output, client satisfaction and client growth, and commercial growth/achievement of targets. The salary band for this role is £55k-£65k.

Role and responsibilities

Strategic leadership and oversight

• Lead the development of marketing strategies for key clients, supported by our Senior Strategists. This includes annual marketing plans, go-to-market strategies, product positioning narratives, brand strategies and flagship campaign development. 
• Act as a trusted strategic advisor to our senior clients, supporting them to define problems, establish workstreams, drive progress and measure success.
• Support the Senior Strategists to develop and deliver effective strategic work, providing guidance and coaching to help them develop their skills and confidence and navigate challenges as these arise.
• Support the team to translate strategies (propositions, campaign frameworks, customer journeys and roadmaps) into quality outputs, ensuring what we provide is relevant and engaging, and exceeding expectations
• Oversee all strategic work, creative concepts, and editorial output delivered by the team, ensuring it is sufficiently rigorous, polished, impactful and original.
• Design and scope multi-stage strategic projects, including primary research and/or creative testing where appropriate and building in measurement and effectiveness as standard.
• Working with the Managing Directors, putting in place and developing proprietary models, methodologies and approaches which support the quality and relevance of the agency’s services and output.

Client Relationship Management and Business Development

• Working with the wider agency team, responsible for growth of existing client base, achieved by building strong and consultative client relationships at a senior level – in collaboration with the Managing Directors, when required
• Responsible for the level of quality and relevance of our strategy output to clients – challenging instances of poor work, and celebrating instances of great work
• Constantly providing ideas for development of existing client base, inspiring and organising the wider agency team to do the same – being a key stakeholder in CDP process
• Managing any significant/strategic client issues relating to strategy or editorial work as a senior point of escalation
• Supporting and leading pitches where required – ensuring responses and proposals are relevant, timely and of the highest quality and – working with the Creative Director – providing an exceptional level of creative innovation to surpass client expectation.
• Contribute to agency marketing activity, including campaigns, blog articles and events as needed

Process and Structure

• Oversight of the recruitment, appraisal process and staff development plans relating to the Strategy & Editorial team
• Oversight of primary research process, adhering to Market Research Code of Conduct and relevant data protection regulations
• Together with the wider management team, set agency standards and own the processes for briefing, creative concepting and quality assurance, upskilling the team as needed through 121 coaching or learning and development sessions
• Feed into best practice processes, tools and software to support development and delivery of strategy, but also to benefit the entire agency
• Manage resourcing for the Strategy & Editorial team, assigning projects and managing capacity across the team, including the management of external freelance as required

Leadership, Profile and Staff Motivation

• A leader in communicating the agency proposition 
• Being a contributor to thought leadership. Thinking, presenting and writing in an engaging/visionary way to build the agency’s profile within the industry
• Building relationships and form networks internally and with external specialists and communities
• Keeping abreast of emerging trends, innovations, current best practice and to fully understand the competitive agency market to ensure the agency is best positioned
• Building a positive work environment and culture within the agency 
• Motivating employees through feedback and training and a positive culture that celebrates success.

Performance KPIs 

• Client strategies, creative concepts and editorial outputs achieve objectives and are consistently fresh and relevant
• Supporting the Group Account Director and Managing Directors to achieve stretch targets on existing business
• Win rate in pitches with a minimum agency target ratio of 1 in 3 wins 
• Strength and depth of client relationships
• Client retention/Churn metrics
• Strategy team retention rate
• Strong employee satisfaction through employee survey
• Strong client satisfaction through client survey
• Contribution to an award-winning reputation
• Raising personal and agency profile in market 

Personal qualities and professional skills

• To set the vision, strategy and direction of the strategy discipline in the agency
• To demonstrate a passion for the quality of work produced by the agency
• To continually strive and encourage others to produce better work
• To lead by example 
• To be an effective mentor 
• Attention to detail combined with creative flair
• To act decisively and with authority
• Effective delegation (clarity, confidence, control)
• Principled and ethical

Other information

We also offer a competitive bonus package, linked to revenue and performance, Group Life Insurance, Cycle to Work and a generous pension contribution.

We are passionate about our team and committed to learning, development, training and helping people to reach their full potential. We work collaboratively, with kindness and patience, and are careful that the clients we partner with share this approach and our principles.