Strategy Director (Contract)

Responsibilities

• Lead brand and social strategy across multiple brands or a high-priority portfolio, ensuring work supports long-term brand positioning and business goals.
• Define strategic direction with the Group Strategy Director, connecting brand ambition, cultural insight, and creative opportunities into actionable plans.
• Translate audience, cultural, business, and performance insights into clear briefs, strategic narratives, and recommendations.
• Maintain strategic frameworks, playbooks, and brand voice guidance that raise the quality and consistency of work across the pod.
• Manage, mentor, and develop the strategy team within assigned pods, fostering a culture of strategic excellence, collaboration, and curiosity.
• Provide structured feedback, coaching, and growth opportunities for junior team members, connecting their work to overarching brand strategy.
• Drive accountability by setting clear goals and performance expectations for pod team members.
• Contribute to onboarding new strategists, grounding them in The Kitchen's ways of working, brand fundamentals, and strategic approach.
• Serve as the senior strategic partner to Creative, Brand, and Comms leaders, ensuring social strategy aligns to marketing and business priorities.
• Represent Strategy in senior-level brand and pod discussions, shaping direction through clear, confident, insight-led storytelling.

Requirements

• 7–10 years of experience in brand strategy, creative strategy, social strategy, or integrated marketing roles, preferably within a Fortune 500 CPG company or top-tier creative/in-house agency.
• Demonstrated experience leading strategy across multiple brands or a complex brand, with a track record of driving brand relevance and business impact.
• Proven ability to manage and develop junior strategists and cross-functional team members.
• Experience leveraging data-driven insights, cultural trends, and consumer behavior to build compelling, actionable strategies.
• Comfort operating with autonomy in a fast-paced, matrixed environment, setting direction without waiting to be told.
• Strong communication and influence skills, with the ability to present strategic thinking with clarity and conviction to multiple stakeholder groups.
• Experience in social-led and integrated strategy across owned, earned, and paid media channels preferred.