Vice President, Brand Strategy

We are in relentless pursuit of an equitable and inspiring workplace that is respectful of all, reflects and represents the world in which we live, and fosters trust, collaboration and belonging. Consistent with this approach, we hire the best qualified candidates for all positions.

Edelman is seeking a VP, Strategy Director to lead culturally grounded, insight-driven work that earns attention and drives business impact for a leading retail client.

At Edelman, strategy drives creative effectiveness in a deeply fragmented, hyper-personal media landscape. We identify the cultural and human insights that shape behavior, translate them into sharp strategic platforms, and partner with creative teams to produce ideas that travel across media, culture and commerce.

This role requires a strategist with strong cultural instincts, retail category fluency, and the ability to turn ambiguity into clear, actionable direction.

What You’ll Do

• Drive integrated strategy across brand, product, seasonal and purpose-driven initiatives for a major retail client, in partnership with a Group Strategy Director and/or Head of Strategy
• Define human and cultural insights that unlock earned-first ideas and connect to commercial outcomes
• Develop clear, compelling briefs that inspire creative teams and align cross-functional partners
• Translate business challenges into communications strategy, connecting brand, experience, and performance
• Guide work from insight to execution, ensuring outputs stay on strategy across channels (earned, social, influencer, experiential, retail environments)
• Partner with Data & Intelligence teams to integrate research, audience insights and performance learnings into planning and optimization
• Shape annual and campaign planning, including strategic frameworks, narratives and measurement approaches
• Collaborate across disciplines (creative, social, account, production, digital, PR/earned, influencer, analytics) to deliver integrated work
• Manage multiple workstreams in a fast-moving environment with evolving priorities

What You Bring Basic Qualifications:

• 8+ years in strategy, planning or insights roles within agency or consulting environments
• Proven experience leading strategy for retail, CPG or consumer-facing brands
• Strong portfolio demonstrating insight-led work that drove cultural relevance and business results

Strategic Capability

• Ability to uncover and articulate human/cultural truths that unlock creative opportunity
• Strong storytelling skills – able to turn complex inputs into clear, persuasive narratives
• Experience working across the full ecosystem: brand, social, influencer, commerce, and earned media
• Comfort operating with speed, ambiguity and incomplete information

Leadership & Collaboration

• Confident client partner with experience presenting to senior stakeholders
• Effective cross-functional collaborator across creative, data and account teams

What Sets You Apart

• Deep understanding of how retail brands win today – across physical, digital and cultural touchpoints
• Strong point of view on culture, media and consumer behavior
• Experience connecting strategy to measurable outcomes (brand lift, engagement, conversion, sales)
• Curiosity to test new approaches, tools and ways of working

Who You Are

• Curious – you look beyond what people say to understand what drives them
• Decisive – you bring clarity to complexity and move work forward
• Collaborative – you build strong partnerships across teams and disciplines
• Adaptable – you shift seamlessly between projects, categories and problem sets
• Accountable – you own the quality and impact of the work

$105,000-$175,000 a year

An employee’s pay position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, travel requirements, revenue-based metrics, any contractual agreements, and business or organizational needs. The range listed is just one component of DJEH’s total compensation package for employees. Other rewards may include annual bonuses, a Paid Time Off policy, and region-specific benefits.

DJEH offers a wide range of benefits: medical and dental insurance, vision, 401K, life insurance, disability insurance, paid time off, travel assistance and wellness programing.

DJEH is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and believes in diversity, equity, and inclusion. We seek applications from all qualified candidates without regard to race, color, gender, sex, age, religion, physical or mental disability, military and veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law. If you require a reasonable accommodation in any part of the employment process, please let us know.