Associate Director - Strategy

Company description


Overview

The Associate Director, Strategy is responsible for transforming consumer, category, cultural, and business insights into communication strategies that drive measurable business outcomes. This individual serves as a strategic lead across key client accounts, guiding the development of communications architecture, audience strategy, measurement frameworks, and compelling narratives that align marketing investment with business growth.

The successful candidate combines strong analytical thinking with creativity and storytelling, bringing together research, data, culture, and media to uncover opportunities, influence decision-making, and deliver transformative client solutions. They are a trusted advisor to clients and a mentor to junior team members, helping elevate strategic thinking across the organization.

Responsibilities

Consumer Insights & Research Leadership

• Lead the development of audience, category, competitive, and cultural insights that inform strategic recommendations.
• Synthesize qualitative and quantitative research into clear human truths and actionable opportunities.
• Partner with research, analytics, data, and platform teams to uncover emerging trends and identify growth opportunities.
• Leverage first-party, syndicated, behavioural, and market intelligence data sources to deepen consumer understanding.
• Translate complex datasets into concise strategic implications for clients and internal stakeholders.

Communications Strategy & Architecture

• Design communications frameworks that connect business objectives, audience needs, messaging, channels, and measurement.
• Develop end-to-end communications architectures that guide how brands show up across the consumer journey.
• Lead audience-first planning approaches that ensure media, content, commerce, and experience work together cohesively.
• Establish channel roles, messaging hierarchies, and audience engagement strategies across the marketing ecosystem.
• Ensure plans are rooted in consumer behaviour and aligned with brand and business priorities.

Effectiveness & Outcomes Planning

• Embed effectiveness principles into strategic planning processes from the outset.
• Champion an outcomes-based planning approach, shifting conversations beyond media metrics to business performance.

Strategic Storytelling

• Transform research, data, and strategic thinking into compelling narratives that inspire action.
• Lead the development of strategic presentations, workshops, and executive-level recommendations.
• Simplify complex information into clear, persuasive, and insightful stories.
• Present confidently to senior client stakeholders and cross-functional leadership teams.
• Build strategic thought leadership that differentiates the agency and client partnerships.

Client Leadership & Partnership

• Serve as a primary strategic advisor for assigned client accounts.
• Proactively identify business challenges and opportunities that can be addressed through communications strategy.
• Lead strategic conversations with senior client stakeholders and partner agencies.
• Contribute to new business opportunities and agency growth initiatives.

Team Leadership & Development

• Mentor and coach planners, supervisors, and managers in strategic thinking and insight development.
• Create an environment that encourages curiosity, innovation, and continuous learning.
• Elevate the quality of strategic outputs across the team through feedback and guidance.
• Support talent development, performance management, and succession planning.
• Model collaborative leadership and foster strong cross-functional partnerships.

Qualifications

Experience

• 7–10+ years of experience in communications planning, strategy, consumer insights, research, consulting, marketing, or media.
• Proven experience developing consumer-led strategies for large and complex brands.
• Experience translating business challenges into actionable communications solutions.
• Demonstrated success presenting to senior stakeholders and influencing decision-making.

Core Capabilities

• Consumer Insights & Research
• Audience Strategy
• Communications Planning & Architecture
• Measurement & Effectiveness
• Strategic Storytelling
• Business & Commercial Acumen
• Data Interpretation & Synthesis
• Client Leadership
• Team Leadership & Coaching
• Presentation & Facilitation Skills

What Success Looks Like

• Consistently delivers strategic recommendations grounded in consumer understanding.
• Connects communications strategy to measurable business outcomes.
• Builds compelling narratives that influence client decisions.
• Elevates strategic thinking across teams and disciplines.
• Serves as a trusted advisor internally and externally.
• Develops high-performing talent while fostering a culture of curiosity and innovation.

Additional information

Salary

Transparency matters to us. The salary range for this position is $85,000 to $100,000 per year. Actual compensation within this range will be based on a variety of factors, including relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and applicable certifications. This range reflects what we reasonably expect to offer based on current market data.

AI Use

We use artificial intelligence tools to support parts of our hiring process, such as reviewing applications or analysing resumes. These tools assist our recruitment team but never replace human decision-making. We believe in a human-first approach, where your experience and potential are recognised by people.

Spark is an equal opportunity employer with a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion. We create and nurture a vibrant work environment that celebrates, values and leverages all aspects of diversity and inclusiveness, attracts world-class talent and serves as the industry benchmark for best practices. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals and will provide appropriate accommodation for candidates with disabilities or accessibility needs throughout the recruitment process, upon request. Please contact our recruiter for any questions, accommodations or specific requests. We thank all candidates for their interest in Spark however, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.