Associate Director, Strategic Planning 

Reports to: Managing Director
 
We are looking for a seasoned advertising strategic planner an engaged and inquisitive mind to provide hands-on account planning leadership for our accounts in our Los Angeles office.  This position is as unique as our agency - we need a rare blend of thinker and doer, a self-starter with a pedigree, great chops in advertising strategic planning and experience in the digital and cross-cultural realms.  The ideal candidate should be passionate about media and technology, curious about what makes consumers tick, proactive at work outlook, and a curator of culture. You will provide deep consumer understanding and insight to inform the development of integrated advertising campaigns/marketing and communications solutions at every stage, working across the diverse cultural spectrum of today’s America. You will manage the research and strategy development for all deliverables – creative, media and technology.
 
We need someone with heavy research skills, both quantitative and qualitative, and along with prior management experience as you will be required to lead, groom and develop junior planning staff.
 
Duties and Responsibilities

• Work closely and proactively with colleagues to provide strategic direction on advertising engagements
• Recommend and implement research that will aid in the audience insight gathering
• Monitor and interpret cultural and social trends relevant to our client’s business.
• Lead and collaborate with clients on research projects from start to finish.
• Provide clear specifications for actionable relevant research to the team and client.
• Recommend and implement research that will aid in the audience insight gathering
• Develop accurate conclusions from research data and present strategy and direction to the client.
• Generate and present agency’s strategic POVs.
• Work closely with our tech and UX teams on digital strategy initiatives – providing strategic guidance for web, social and mobile programs and initiatives.
• Work closely and proactively with account management colleagues to provide strategic direction
• Collaborate with our creative team to identify powerful, cross-cultural insights that will form the foundation for impactful creative
• Develop and conduct creative briefings that provide clear persuasive information.
• Represent the client’s audience in client meetings and present research and strategy findings.
• Support new business activities
• Manage and disseminate primary and secondary research knowledge across all agency teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from a four-year accredited college required
• Master’s degree preferred /
• 5 or more years of work experience in an advertising agency in account planning
• General Market and multicultural (Hispanic, African-American, Asian, etc.) experience required
• Experience with primary (qualitative and quantitative) and secondary research
• Must be able to roll up your sleeves and dig deep – this is a very hands-on position
• Able to inspire multidisciplinary teams
• Experience leading primary research, including quantitative (e.g. surveys) and qualitative (focus groups, ethnographies, etc.) research
• Experience using Simmons, ComScore and other syndicated research tools
• Must be passionate about emerging digital strategy disciplines, such as content strategy

Communication Skills

• Ability to write compelling, articulate and succinct creative briefs and media briefs
• Ability to read and interpret information from a variety of sources
• Ability to write research reports, presentations, white papers and general business correspondence.
• Proven ability to effectively present to clients and internal audiences.
• Strong writing and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to “drink from the fire hose” – can stay on top of emerging digital, multicultural, and advertising industry trends

Please submit resume, cover letter, portfolio if required and answer all questions in our online interface for consideration.

About Sensis
Sensis is a cross-cultural marketing agency driving behavior change. Moving beyond cultural boxes, we create useful, digitally relevant content to drive consumer action. Ads don't work. Content does. Because people experience content. To change behavior, you need to engage people first—through useful, digitally relevant means. These are the tools we use to build engagement, spark motivation and drive action among the cultures our clients look to influence. Along with our integrated advertising services, Sensis offerings include specialty practices SensisHealth, SensisChallenges and SensisCMO.
In addition to a competitive compensation package, we offer a generous amount of paid time off (PTO), paid holidays, health/dental/vision insurance, a 401(k) plan, along with other benefits.