Senior Strategist

1. Company description

We create impact

At Rationale, we create impact by making the complex compelling.  We are a strategic brand and content agency supporting clients in regulated markets to define, articulate and amplify what matters most to their audiences. We solve challenges with robust, strategic thinking. We’re relentlessly focused on results. And we’re creative with good reason.

Impact is fundamental to our agency culture as a certified BCorp. We have an emphasis on training and development, team empowerment and creative expression. We work with people who live our core principles: who are in it for the long-term; who find a way; who have high standards; and who have fun.

Every agency says they are doing things differently. So we won’t say that. But we are absolutely driven to make a difference.

2. Role description

We are looking to appoint a Senior Strategist, working across brand, content and campaign projects and reporting to our Strategy Director.

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 brand/content strategy, journalism and/or marketing planning. 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. As our agency continues to grow and evolve, you’ll have the opportunity to help shape what strategy looks like at Rationale and build new ways to deliver inspiring, effective work for our clients.

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

The role will involve working from our office in Leith for a minimum of 3 days a week with the option to work from home 2 days a week.

Development of brand, content and campaign strategies

• Build an in-depth understanding of client challenges and interrogate client briefs to ensure we are solving the right problem and deploying the best approach to meet the client’s objectives
• Develop insight-led strategies across a wide range of projects, including brand development, content marketing, advertising campaigns, customer experience, internal comms
• Be responsible for briefing and leading the generation of big ideas and compelling, insight-driven content campaigns, and then translating campaign and content strategies (propositions, campaign frameworks, customer journeys and roadmaps) into quality outputs

Insight and research skills

• Monitor, analyse and interpret the external environment (market intelligence, competitor activity, etc) – identifying the needs of, and issues that impact on, clients’ target audiences
• Identify, utilise and contribute to the development of planning tools, models and online analytics, as required
• Lead primary research – quantitative and qualitative, where required, to deepen understanding and inform ideas
• Lead client and stakeholder workshops, both in person and online, to inform and validate strategic approaches

Production of editorial content

• Lead in editorial planning tasks, such as theme and topic setting, infographic narratives, brand narratives and proposition development, video scripting, etc
• Undertake all preparatory work required prior to interviewing clients or client customers or contacts. This may require research and the preparation of interview questions
• Conduct professional and time-efficient interviews with contributors.

Client development and new business

• Build strong and enduring consultative relationships with client marketing teams and contribute to client development activities, developing strategies and solutions to strengthen and expand our client relationships
• Lead strategic planning input to prospecting and pitches
• Research and prepare client proposals. Lead strategic presentations to clients, bringing in support from appropriate internal stakeholders, as required.

Collaboration, inspiration and leadership

• Effectively brief and work closely with our creative studio and in-house and freelance writers, ensuring what we provide is relevant and engaging, and exceeding expectations
• Be a team player, adept at presenting strategies and ideas to clients – telling a strong story of our work, underpinned, of course, by strong rationale!
• Work with the wider team to ensure content strategies, solutions and service delivery achieves the highest levels of client satisfaction at all times, as identified by client satisfaction surveys
• Work with the account team to monitor creative quality and relevance, ensuring appropriate processes are followed
• Set a strong example to junior members of the strategy team, supporting informally with their development, and promoting strategic effectiveness more widely within the agency
• Take on line management responsibilities in the future as the strategy team grows

3. Personal qualities

• Minimum 5 years’ experience, preferably with a strong track record in agencies or a highly-relevant industry 
• B2B experience, preferably in financial services, healthcare and/or technology and innovation
• Excellent understanding of all strategic marketing channels, both on and offline
• Sophisticated appreciation for marketing principles, models, methodologies, techniques and effectiveness
• Ability to brief – and productively critique – creative output, with a good eye for what makes strong content and creative
• Excellent desk research and polished presentation skills
• High standards of written and spoken English
• Experience in all aspects of content generation – writing, subbing, video scripting
• Computer skills: word processing, spreadsheets. Ideally, an ability to generate convincing presentation decks
• Ability to work on multiple projects at same time and work to tight deadlines.

Salary range to be provided to candidates prior to interview