Director, Applied Strategy & Intelligence

Citizen Relations

Director, Applied Strategy & Intelligence
Open to Candidates in New York or Los Angeles

Company Description

Citizen is a global PR agency built to unleash the potential of ambitious brands. Integrated teams across PR, creative & strategy, insights & intelligence, digital, and experiential marketing give the curiosity, confidence, and courage to stay ahead of trends, make bold moves, and maximize measurable success.

With 10 offices across North America and Europe, Citizen’s client roster includes a notable list of client partners such as Amtrak, P&G, Nestlé, Labatt and Nespresso. The agency's disruptive campaigns have been awarded across the world from such shows as The Clios, Webbys, The One Show, LIAs, PRWeek Global and the Cannes International Festival of Creativity.

In 2023 Citizen was named PRovoke Media's Consumer PR Agency of the Year and Best Mid-Size Agency to Work For, in addition to PR Agency of the Year (Gold) from Strategy Magazine, Best Places to Work for PRWeek and Inc. Magazine's "Best in Business". In 2024, Citizen was named Campaign’s Global PR Agency of the Year (Bronze).

This isn't just a job; it's an opportunity to grow, connect, and belong in a vibrant environment. Beyond global opportunities, personal time, and unforgettable team-bonding, we prioritize professional development, committed to unleashing the potential for our talent across all offices. If you lead with curiosity and are eager to make a lasting impact for the world's biggest brands, you can find out more about us here:

https://www.citizenrelations.com/about

Project Maverick: Inside Citizen is our Agency of the Future SOLUTIONRY–MAVERICK. This group uses AI-enabled solutions to help brands evolve their marketing and comms teams and work. A hybrid agency, Maverick provides consultative and activation support through a unique subscription model.

https://www.projectmaverick.io/

Our Director of Applied Strategy & Intelligence will have the opportunity to lead a team in support of a portfolio of brands. This person will play a valuable role in brand stewardship, team building and growth, and building lasting relationships through excellent work as the leader of a high-performing strategy and insights team. You will translate commercial needs and various data into actionable strategies, influencing client decision-making, and positioning the agency as an indispensable strategic partner. Additionally, you will lead the development of integrated digital strategies, establish efficient processes, identify future leaders, and build industry thought leadership to attract new clients.

Who You Are:

• A strategic thinker with extensive knowledge of digital marketing and the evolving technology landscape.
• Capable of leading teams on consultative and activation programs across multiple sized organizations.
• Excited about overseeing all key aspects of programs, including strategy development, execution, performance reporting, trends and growth opportunities, business health, business objectives, timelines, and budgets.
• Curious, ambitious, entrepreneurial, comprehensive, relentless, and committed.
• Deeply knowledgeable about campaign metrics and analytics, able to relay information effectively.
• Strong AI competencies and ability to use/build/evolve our AI-enabled capabilities.
• Always looking for ways to make improvements in big or small steps.
• Confident in presenting digital expertise in formal business pitches or client meetings.
• Passionate about accelerating clients' integrated strategies and capable of driving transformation.
• An organized project manager capable of quickly prioritizing tasks in a dynamic environment.
• Extremely collaborative
• A self-starter who enjoys navigating new challenges and finding solutions through the work

Responsibilities:

We are building the agency of the future through a modern solutionry that brings tech and talent together in new ways to solve tomorrow’s challenges. We are seeking a dynamic leader who can help us solve an array of client challenges, while leading and building what’s next. Whether providing consultation on client’s digital programming, or planning, developing, and executing annual programs, across industries and business sizes, this person will be seen as a key player in defining our value and impact through our work with clients.

• Lead an innovative AI-enabled talent model–POD team managing the growth of dedicated talent, use of technology and the development of solutions for a specific and diverse book of business.
• Orchestrating efforts across teams, partners, and clients to align strategy, to creative, to activation and measurement.
• Offer strategic thought leadership in building sophisticated, measurable, and actionable digital campaigns.
• Analyze client digital strategies, lead strategic ideation sessions, and partner with internal groups to deliver outcomes-focused solutions.
• Build and oversee execution and optimizations of campaigns and programs across the integrated client ecosystem
• Maintain an in-depth knowledge of current events, trends, and changes within the digital space.
• Create strategic narratives for new business pitches, internal teams, and existing client engagements.
• Elevate strategic thinking across the organization and manage and inspire a team of strategists.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in advertising, marketing, business, or a similar area
• 8+ years of experience in digital planning/strategy with progressive levels of responsibility; agency experience is a plus.
• 5+ years of previous management experience.
• Expertise in two or more of the following disciplines: Social Media, CRM Marketing, SEO/SEM, Media Planning, Analytics, UX/UI, and native AI capabilities across multiple LLMs and platforms.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, presentation, organizational, interpersonal, and analytical skills.
• Proven ability to strategically plan digital initiatives that align with clients’ goals and outcomes.
• Expert knowledge of paid advertising tactics, marketing automation, conversion rate optimization, and advanced audience targeting.
• Experience translating technical information into digestible formats.

Transparency matters to us. For this role, you can expect a salary between $120,000-140,000 annually depending on experience.

Joining Citizen Relations, you are part of the Plus Company. This network of entrepreneurial agencies is designed to collaborate, not compete. It empowers every agency – and every individual – to bring their own unique capabilities together to make magic happen. You will be empowered to take risks, dream big, develop your skills and grow in your career with the full support of the network and all it has to offer.

We thank all applicants. However, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Creating meaningful work means embracing different perspectives. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate based on age, colour, ability, national origin, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. Not only are these provisions protected by provincial and federal law, embracing difference is what makes 'agency name' what it is—and we wouldn’t have it any other way. We pride ourselves on our inclusive and accessible workplace. If you need any accommodations during the interview process to make it work for you, let us know.