Senior Strategic Planner

**Overview**

The **Senior Strategic Planner** is expected to spend time supporting the VP, Client Strategy on a major existing account in gastro-enterology and the Head of Client Strategy on a significant piece of business in the CVRM category likely to come into the agency sometime in Q3.

**Responsibilities**
- Work as an enthusiastic and collaborative member of the CSG
- Act as an advocate and ambassador for the group’s philosophy around the _power of reductive thinking_, landing simple solutions to complex problems
- Support the lead brand strategist on our major account in gastro-enterology, a fast-paced and demanding piece of business for which the CSG acts as an extension of the client marketing department, helping the client to deliver go-to-market plans, structure and run multi-party workshops and conduct detailed competitive (wargaming) analyses, among numerous other strategic marketing tasks
- Act as _support strategist_ on large/global RFP responses/pitches and as _lead strategist_ on smaller ones, across all of Advertising, PR and MedComms
- Act as pitch thought leader on those smaller pitches, quickly coming to a clear point of view regarding the optimal strategy for the problem at hand and having the confidence and interpersonal skills required to stick to it under challenge, bringing other team members along with them
- Fully understand and comfortably work with the group’s key strategic processes and tools, both domestic EU and global (US) ones, as appropriate
- Work collaboratively with the creative department, ensuring that its members fully understand both the marketing problem and proposed solution and feel both engaged and heard at all points
- Write and present slides/other appropriate presentational materials that powerfully and engagingly explain the proposed strategic solution at client presentation(s)
- Help design, interpret and present primary and secondary market research, converting data into novel and useable insights that can help solve client marketing problems or convert new business opportunities
- Consult when appropriate with Business Development and other disciplines (Finance, Managed Markets, Recruiting, Consulting, etc.) within our broad, integrated team
- Proactively seek out industry and market intelligence that may impact in-line account and BD success

**Job Requirements**
- 5+ years working in a strategic role at agencies or management/brand consultancies
- Solid experience working across at least _one_ of Advertising, PR or MedComms disciplines, and ideally more than one: while multiple experience is not mandatory, enthusiasm and curiosity to start doing so when working with the CSG very much _is_
- Healthcare and/or pharmaceutical industry experience ideal: but, again, curiosity/appetite to understand the category a must
- Background in _medical_ strategy would be welcomed, but is not mandatory
- Proven experience developing actionable insight and solutions from data, data models and other information sources
- Excellent communication skills, both oral and written, including development of PowerPoint slides and other visual aids that summarise findings/insights in attention-grabbing and memorable ways
- Ability to work in a fast-paced, multi-tasking environment and to determine what, amidst a sea of data and information, matters most - and the confidence to discard what doesn’t
- Strong interpersonal skills, ability to get along with a wide range of disciplines
- Strong presentational skills, the ability to both educate and inspire others
- Proficient in Excel, Power Point, Word
- Ability to ask imaginative and probing questions and to listen fully and open-mindedly to the responses

**Key Competencies for Position**:

- Analytical ability
- Ability to synthesise and summarise
- Creative flair
- Being articulate in writing and verbally expressive
- Ability not just to develop insights, but to _apply_ them to solve specific client problems
- Skilled at rendering complex problems simple - and never the reverse
- Curious mind with a hunger to learn

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