Associate Director, Strategy

Open role in VSA Office locations including New York and Chicago; Hybrid work schedule

Visa Sponsorshipis not available for this position now or in the future. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a permanent basis without requiring employer sponsorship.

Role Summary

The Associate Director Strategy is a senior strategy practitioner who helps turn complex client situations into clear actionable direction. This role is expected to bring structure to ambiguous problems build trust with clients and internal teams and lead significant strategy workstreams with increasing independence.

Associate Directors help shape the work by clarifying the problem organizing the inputs developing strategic recommendations and connecting the thinking to creative and design outcomes. That includes understanding how strategy informs brand identity messaging campaigns experiences content and other forms of activation.

This role is often the connective tissue between senior strategy leadership client teams creative and engagement partners and other collaborators. A strong Associate Director can move between analysis and storytelling detail and synthesis confidence and curiosity while knowing when to take the lead and when to ask for guidance.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities(Other duties may be assigned)

Bring clarity to complex client challenges

• Develop a strong understanding of the clients business audience category culture and competitive context.
• Help translate research data stakeholder input and team discussion into clear strategic implications choices and recommendations.

Lead strategy workstreams with increasing independence

• Own significant strategy workstreams or smaller engagements keeping the work organized focused and moving.
• Anticipate risks gaps or open questions early and manage up when guidance alignment or a decision is needed.

Apply core strategy tools and methods

• Use foundational strategy tools research inputs stakeholder interviews audits workshops frameworks and synthesis to help structure the work and develop stronger recommendations.
• Know when to apply a familiar method when to adapt the approach and when to seek guidance from senior strategy leadership.

Build client confidence

• Develop trusted working relationships with clients through preparation responsiveness judgment and clear communication.
• Lead client conversations and presentations in a way that invites useful dialogue manages expectations and helps move the work forward.

Shape clear useful strategic work

• Turn complex inputs into concise well-structured deliverables briefs narratives and recommendations.
• Connect strategic thinking to creative and design outcomes including brand identity messaging campaigns experiences content and other forms of activation.

Support the work the relationship and the Strategy practice

• Partner with Directors Engagement Leads and cross-functional partners to keep the work focused well-organized and moving against scope timing resources and quality expectations.
• Bring forward ideas tools examples and points of view that improve the work while continuing to build strategic range rigor and confidence over time.

Qualifications-To perform this job successfully an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• A Bachelors degree or a more advanced degree with 6-9 years of experience in brand strategy marketing strategy communications strategy customer/audience strategy consulting research or a related discipline.
• Experience developing insights strategic recommendations positioning messaging creative briefs experience principles or other client-ready strategy deliverables.
• A working command of foundational strategy tools and methods including strategic frameworks stakeholder interviews workshop support qualitative and quantitative research inputs competitive/category analysis audience insight development and synthesis.
• Strong writing presentation facilitation and communication skills.
• Comfort working across different clients categories assignment types and levels of ambiguity.
• Ability to lead significant workstreams collaborate across disciplines and contribute to healthy engagement delivery.
• Ability to manage up ask for guidance when needed and continue building strategic range and rigor over time.

What success looks like:

A successful Associate Director Strategy:

• Makes complex situations feel clearer and more manageable.
• Builds client trust through preparation judgment and presence.
• Takes ownership without over-isolating or over-controlling the work.
• Balances rigor with momentum.
• Shows curiosity and learning discipline by going beyond the obvious answer pressure-testing the thinking and continuing to build fluency across clients categories and strategic methods.
• Knows how to simplify a story so others can use it.
• Knows how to manage up and raise their hand when they need help context or direction.
• Understands that great strategy is not just insight; it is direction people can act on.

Total Perks Package

• The chance to be a part of a growing company and the next success story
• Amazing opportunities for career development
• Recognition programs
• Employee referral bonus
• Fun and collaborative work environment
• Casual dress code
• Insurance Coverage (medical dental vision life and disability)
• 401(k) retirement plan with employer 4% match
• Work/life benefits including mental health and wellbeing support
• Flexible Time Off Policy
• Paid holidays including agency soft closing Christmas Eve-New Years Day
• Paid leave options including sick leave medical leave for self and family and parental leave

VSA Partners is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive equitable environment for all employees. All employment decisions are made based on qualifications merit and business need.

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