Associate Strategy Director – Financial Services

Reporting into: SVP Group Strategy Director

Location: New York, NY

ABOUT MCCANN NY:

We’re McCann New York. This is where, for over a century, three simple words have led the way: Truth Well Told. It’s our belief that consumer insights based in truth are crucial to building brands that last. We helped Coca-Cola teach the world to sing and Mastercard celebrate the things in life that are “Priceless.” We’re passionate and persistent, inclusive, and inquisitive. Also, we like to laugh. And all of this finds its way into what we do best: creating culture-defining work that moves business. We’re proud to have been named the Cannes top performing New York and North America agency in 2023, Campaign US BIG agency of the year in 2022. We are also honored to have made Ad Age's A-List four years in a row and been named Fast Company World’s most innovative agency.

The Role:

As an Associate Strategy Director, you will be responsible for supporting the development of the strategic vision for a client in a category that is ripe for disruption, as well as play a role in new business and growth. You will be essential to the continued success of our creative work, which is fully integrated across experiential, social, digital and traditional, in both B2B and B2C.

You will lead strategic development, pushing for strong insights and strategies that manifest in great work that impacts the brand and business and be able to confidently thread the strategic story from opportunity through to truth and impact.

What You’ll Do…

• Together with your team, drive the overall strategic vision for a major financial services client, inclusive of orchestrating larger brand moments through to unearthing killer insights.
• Fulfill job responsibilities including leadership in key strategic initiatives (brand positioning, competitive assessment analysis, customer insight generation, brand personality development, creative brief writing, and messaging strategy)
• Astutely shape and influence the brand as we ultimately work to reframe their business within the category, as well as across their varying lines of business.
• Take ownership of the quality of the creative brief and briefing process.
• Build positive relationships with clients
• Stay on top of the business and cultural context around your brand (s), proactively coming to the table with challenges, opportunities and solutions
• Be well versed in social platforms and exhibit an understanding of the consumer cultures that fuel them.
• Partner with your counterparts in Creative and Business Leadership, inspiring fresh, original ideas that are rooted in culture, and in human and business insight.
• Be adept at giving constructive creative feedback to ensure ideas breakthrough and are mapped to business and commercial opportunity, audience insight and impact.
• Develop relationships with counterparts in Business Leadership, Growth and with Clients, to drive business forward, stewarding creative ideas from theory to reality.
• Embrace the role as manager and mentor: invest in the growth of your team and adapt development approach so that a diverse group of strategists can learn to grow, thrive and drive our business for today and tomorrow.

What You Bring …

• 4-6 years of experience in a strategy role in an agency setting
• Proven expertise is brand positioning, insight generation, and creative brief writing
• Strong presentation skills required
• Culturally plugged in; nimble, inspired and scrappy gatherer of information
• Crisp thinker and communicator – verbally, visually and in writing
• Strength of conviction for your thinking, well balanced by an open ear and mind
• See strategy as a team sport, drawing on your expertise and others’ in brand, digital, social, comms, data, behavioral and experiential strategy…and whatever comes next
• Collaborative with creative and account management leads, with partner agencies and clients
• Versatile in modern strategy principles: creative, audience and business.
• Experience with B2B, financial services, and/or insurance is a plus

How You’ll Uphold McCann Values …

Bravery, Integrity and Generosity: You bring to the agency your own unique flavor of modern strategy, infused with these values which will be reflected in the strength of your relationships and the output of your work.

• At McCann New York, each team member plays a significant role in our success. We recognize that our team members' contributions may extend beyond this job description. The job description is designed to outline primary responsibilities, qualifications, and role scope. It does not restrict team members or the organization to only those specified duties.

Salary Range

The salary for this position is $125,000 - $140,000. Where an employee or prospective employee is paid within this range will depend on, among other factors, actual ranges for current/former employees in the subject position; the associated discipline market considerations; budgetary considerations; tenure and standing with the company (applicable to current employees); as well as the employee’s/applicant’s background, pertinent experience, and qualifications.

How We Care for McCanners

• Competitive insurance coverage – inclusive of medical, dental, and vision
• 21 paid company holiday days
• Time Well Taken
• 80 hours of Paid Sick Time per calendar year
• Access to Degreed – a learning and skill platform
• 401k Retirement with 6% employer matching
• Enhanced Maternity, Adoption and Parental Leave
• Wellness resources –including free access to Headspace.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The strength of our creative capability and innovative thinking has led to some of the world's most celebrated, effective, game-changing work for top brands. Maximizing that strength means bringing together an extensive mix of socially, culturally, and cognitively diverse talent - and creating conditions where they feel empowered to boldly share the fullest expression of their unique worldview. We fiercely believe in the power of creativity and innovation to positively influence society and inspire greater equity and inclusion within the communities we serve. So, every day we deliberately and intentionally choose to embody our global philosophy of Conscious Inclusion and, in turn, fuel our mission to help brands earn a meaningful role in people's lives.

Location

McCann New York team members must reside in or be willing to relocate to the New York Tristate area unless otherwise agreed upon by their manager and McCann New York’s Human Resources team. McCann New York is a hybrid workplace with three days in office a week.

McCann is an EEO M/F/Disability/Vet Employer