As Associate Strategy Director at Made Thought, you will play a pivotal role in delivering strategic brand solutions that balance cultural relevance, creative excellence and commercial impact. You'll work closely with our Creative Director and creative teams to transform research and strategic insights into compelling brand worlds, crafting visual and verbal identities, brand narratives and behaviours for our diverse roster of clients. You will also work with our Global Partnerships & Growth team, Account Directors, and Creative Directors to open up new relationships, grow existing relationships and build the business of Strategy.

RESPONSIBILITIES

— Lead relationships and own strategic development on key client accounts, translating business challenges into creative opportunities

— Develop comprehensive brand strategies grounded in cultural insights and market understanding

— Collaborate with creative teams to ensure strategic rigor underlies all creative expressions

— Partner with design teams at concept development stage to infuse strategic thinking into visual expressions and presentations

— Work hand-in-hand with account management to ensure strategic continuity throughout project lifecycle and appropriate budget allocation

— Facilitate strategic co-creation sessions with cross-disciplinary teams and integrate with our
London-based strategy team

— Facilitate and lead client workshops and strategic presentations

— Mentor other strategists, create development plans and growth opportunities for in-house and freelance strategists

— Act as a strategic champion in client-facing situations, and internally, working closely with account leaders

— Stay attuned to cultural shifts and emerging consumer behaviours

— Help translate strategic thinking into business growth for both clients and Made Thought

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

— 5–7 years of proven experience in brand strategy, with a strong track record of developing and implementing strategic frameworks across multiple sectors.

— Experience working across a range of sectors, ideally within a design-led business, consultancy or studio with experience with luxury, cultural, and commercial clients.

— Prior experience in integrated agencies delivering communication and brand strategies is considered a bonus but not required.

— Experience collaborating closely with senior leadership, designers, art directors, and client services teams.

— Deep understanding of brand development processes, methodologies, and strategic positioning with demonstrated ability to lead strategic projects from initial brief through to execution.

— Expertise in producing both quantitative and qualitative research into clear, actionable insights that empower the creative team and the client to see the strategic opportunity.

— Experience in naming, verbal identity, and copywriting is essential.

— Experience in brand architecture and design implications of architecture choices is essential.

— Proven capability to lead multiple client relationships and strategic workstreams at a director level.

— Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with a track record of delivering copy outputs and concise presentations.

— Strong people management skills, with an ability to support the professional growth of direct reports.

— Confident presenter, able to clearly articulate strategic direction to clients and internal teams, becoming a trusted voice in key conversations.

— Ability to identify opportunities within existing client relationships and evolve them into new scopes of work, services, or deliverables.

— Experience in New Business and collaboration with the Partnerships and Growth teams; involvement in the full pitch lifecycle including opportunity identification, generating pitch responses, hiring/building a team to complete a pitch response.

— Financial accountability for project profitability and ability to shape and sell new revenue- generating strategic offerings.

— Skilled in managing resources and profitability for direct reports, including oversight of freelance contributors (copy, comms, research) and ensuring high-quality output.