Director, Comms planning

 

About the Role

Monks is on a mission to create a new future for this industry—one global, cross-cultural collective with a passion for using our skills to create better work and a better world. That’s how we’re able to connect the dots between data, content, digital media, and technology from everywhere we are—a true end-to-end model. Joining the .Monks collective means having the opportunity to create award-winning work with some of the most gifted, focused, joyful, borderline obsessive talents from all over the world.

Now, about the opportunity: Strategy Director, Comms Planning.  We are seeking a driven, communicative, reliable and insightful teammate to become a trusted, invaluable partner to internal teams and client partners. This role will be dedicated to Google, our largest client, who we service across multiple business units. As such, we are looking for best-in-class thinkers who can drive long-term vision while juggling multiple workstreams across the business.

You are a strong writer/communicator, as well as a visionary capable of architecting effective growth on behalf of brands, grounded in human insights & behaviors.

You’ll collect data to inform strategies across brand development, campaigns, pitches, and projects. Your day-to-day involves collaboration with our strategy partners in Research, Social, Data, and more as projects require.

You’re a strong brief crafter and deck builder, who understands how to organize information, both written and visual. You’ll be skilled in determining the key mindsets or behaviors we need to reach, jobs to be done and tactics to employ that inspire our multidisciplinary teams. You’ll also collaborate with them throughout creative development to ensure well-rounded, thoughtful bodies of work. 

You are well-educated in the media ecosystem and effectiveness, with experience and understanding of what it takes to get to strong media plans. Within certain business units, you will collaborate directly and be expected to lead conversations regarding Media Strategy and execution.

You’ll be familiar with brand, campaign, and social strategies and frameworks, with the ability to take on solo tasks as well as collaborative projects. On dedicated clients, you’ll dig deep into the company’s brand, business, consumer, and cultural status, continually devising ways to capture opportunities across our agency responsibilities (and even beyond) that lead to our clients’ success. 

Organization and time management are crucial. You’ll work on multiple projects simultaneously, balancing priorities across your time and your direct reports’. Your communication skills are excellent, as you’ll engage with disciplines across the .Monks network to accomplish tasks with cross-functional teams.

You're considered invaluable to:

• Account partners for your ability to help stay a few steps ahead, anticipating client/project needs, and helping to come up with solid strategic POV that tactfully course corrects and gives clarity (even under tight deadlines). 
• Creative partners for translating client asks into clear, concise, actionable creative briefs (supported by insights) to inspire great work. You’re trusted as a creative sounding board, and connect with Creative teams throughout ideation to keep ideas on track. In presentations, you’ll set up the brilliant solution, supported by concise facts and effective, informed strategy.
• Client partners who count on you to bring a unique perspective, evolve thinking, and fundamentally enhance everyone's understanding of the brand, project, audience and more. As a Comms Planning Strategy Director, you’ll be the voice of the consumer and the channels expert for our team and our client.
• Strategy cohorts who rely on you as a source of inspiration to the department. You’re a contributor to our fun, clever, respectful culture, both learning from and educating your strategy peers with no ego. You’ll both lead and support in the codifying of strategy tools and approaches, contributing as both a collaborator and a thought leader. 
• Media partners who depend on you to provide the larger strategic vision and narrative, defining the role for paid media and the marketing objectives they are aiming towards. You are the first step in the Media workstream.

Responsibilities:

• Own your strategic perspective, bringing your strongest thinking, insight, and communication skills to craft strategies that are relevant for our client’s day-to-day needs, while driving business big-picture in the long term
• Bring your best strategic self: share your frameworks, approaches, historic findings and life experiences to the table, willing to share and adapt with other Monks across a variety of strategic pillars and executions
• You serve up sharp thinking in well-designed decks that deliver on client/ project KPIs with care, vision, intelligence, and an understanding of the audience. 
• Communication is crucial, the right candidate will be an articulate writer, speaker, presenter
• Research and collect information using desk research, social listening, syndicated and 3P data, on your own and in synchronization with our Research team
• Build slides and deck narratives that tell a story, captivate, and use data to back up your points and strategy, using imagery and design for maximum impact in Google Slides
• Work with the Strategy Team, including Social, Media, and other strategists, supporting our culture and bench of tools, frameworks, research and POVs both assigned and unassigned (be a persuasive self starter) 
• Manage one or more direct reports and guide them in developing insights, frameworks, and other strategic artifacts that help further their growth.
• Be culturally aware and responsive to relevant shifts and trends, always seeking out opportunities, partners, and audiences that can expand our client work

About You

The essentials:

• 5 years minimum experience in a media agency or media department within an integrated agency
• 3 years minimum specifically in a Connections/Comms Strategy role, with a focus across both creative and channel strategy
• Strong writer and communicator who writes fact-based, exciting, compelling narratives/briefs
• Self starter who’s eager to contribute
• Community-minded networker ready to collaborate with our many capabilities
• Intelligent & perceptive, seeing connections and the big picture where others don’t
• Persuasive and thoughtful ability to change minds and tell a story
• No ego- the Monks’ culture is all about collaboration
• Creative mindset that permeates your strategic thinking
• Experience partnering with and guiding cross functional teams, creative teams and agencies, stewarding the brand and consumer
• A growth-minded management style, eager to see your direct reports and collaborators succeed along with yourself and the agency

At Monks, we believe in fostering an environment where a diversity of perspectives can thrive. We proactively work to design hiring processes that promote equity and inclusion while mitigating bias. We celebrate diversity and are committed to building a team that reflects the communities we serve. We welcome and encourage qualified applicants, from all backgrounds, who are excited to contribute to our mission.  

This role is subject to our Return to Office (RTO) policy. If you reside within a commutable distance of one of our office locations, you will be expected to work from the office a set number of days per week. The specific details, including the number of required office days, will be in accordance with the company’s then-current RTO policy, which is subject to change from time to time.

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