Manager - Strategy & Insights

Publicis Groupe; Dubai; On-site; AED 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative agency is seeking a Manager for the Strategy & Insights team. This role involves managing strategy and insights on key clients, delivering inspiring insights, and improving both strategy and creative products. The ideal candidate will have 5-7 years of experience in strategic planning, with a proven track record in developing insight-driven campaigns. You'll collaborate with cross-functional teams and build strong client relationships while utilizing advanced research tools. Join this dynamic environment to drive impactful marketing transformations and be part of a forward-thinking organization.

Qualifications

• 5-7 years in strategic planning or insights roles, preferably in an agency.
• Experience in leading brand strategies across multiple clients and industries.

Responsibilities

• Manage strategy & insights for key clients, delivering breakthrough thinking.
• Lead client award submissions and support creative teams on awards.

Skills

Strategic Planning

Brand Strategy

Market Research

Quantitative Research

Qualitative Research

Client Relationship Management

Creative Brief Development

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Marketing or Related Field

Tools

GWI

Euromonitor

SimilarWeb

Social Listening Platforms

Job description

Publicis Worldwide is a global creative network enabling our clients to Lead The Change in their marketing and business transformation. In a world of accelerated change in which new technologies emerge every day, Publicis Worldwide provides strategic creative ideas leveraged by data and technology to help clients succeed in their marketing transformation. With over 16,000 employees in 110 countries, clients include AXA, Carrefour, Cartier, Citi, Diesel, Heineken, L'Oréal, Nestlé, Orange, Procter & Gamble, Renault, Sanofi, UBS, and Walmart. In 2021, Publicis Worldwide was ranked by Cannes Lions as the 4th most creative network. Publicis Worldwide is the creative agency network solution hub within Publicis Groupe.

Overview

The Manager role in the Strategy & Insights team is responsible for :

• Managing the strategy & insights on key assigned clients
• Consistently delivering inspiring and untapped insights to deliver breakthrough thinking
• Consistently driving improvement in the strategy product
• Consistently influencing improvement in the creative product
• Forging a trusting and reliable partnership with internal teams
• Forging a trusting and reliable partnership with client teams

Responsibilities

Main Tasks

Technical & Product

• Actively uses and advocates the Publicis Groupe FUEL platform.
• Actively participates in every Groupe and Agency OPEN brief with inspiring springboards.
• Deconstructs past award submissions to identify key components of a successful story and discusses findings consistently.
• Comes up with proactive briefs for clients based on qualified opportunities.
• Leads the client's Effectiveness awards entries and submissions, regionally and globally.
• Supports creative teams on Creative awards for clients.
• Is focused on being revelatory vs. boring as a strategist. Insights need to be insightful vs. facts or observations.
• Is persistent about improving the craft of the strategic thinking behind briefs.
• Attends trainings - internal and external - promptly.
• Drives the team to scour culture for new uses of technology, data and design to weave innovative thinking into strategic work.
• Leads and creates focused, insightful and inspiring connections plans with creative briefs (not just a briefing springboard).
• Manages and builds primary and secondary research : 1) for clients, and 2) for the agency.
• Shows ability to synthesize qualitative and quantitative data from sources available, to provide strategic implications and creative inspiration.
• Participates in agency new business pitches and creates an impact through detailed and distinctive strategic thinking.

Business Acumen & Operational Efficiency

• Is knowledgeable about the client's category and business.
• Creates successful reviews of work and final delivery of assignments and tasks for clients and pitches.
• Creates client presentations that succinctly but effectively tell the story and appropriately positions the work for success.
• Creates category and competitive landscape assessments.
• Plans client workshops and actively participates.
• Creates monitoring of social, cultural and technological trends along with their impact on attitudes and behaviours.
• Creates team participation in client-conducted researches.
• Displays attention to detail when producing reports and updates to stakeholders.
• Creates consistent monitoring of every campaign's performance for clients - brand, business and media, and builds optimization plans for the next campaigns.
• Nourishes and safeguards client relationships, maintains contact, is proactive with knowledge-sharing and builds a strong rapport.

Innovative & Analytical Mindset

• Market Research : Designs and executes original methods of primary research producing actionable reports.
• Ideation : Synthesizes complex information into compelling stories and inspiring creative opportunities.
• Competitive Analysis : Drives analysis about (and hence, is aware of) threats and opportunities for clients. Shares with others.
• Presentation Development : Engages in presentations with clear narratives that are insightful and distinctive vs. typical strategists.
• Strategic Proactivity : Keeps cross-functional teams focused on higher-level strategic goals of the brand, and keeps inspiring through proactive opportunities.
• Strategic Partnership : Maintains an authentic trust with clients and agency teams, based on competence, reliability and value.

Qualifications

• 5–7 years of experience in strategic planning, brand strategy, or insights roles—preferably within an agency.
• Demonstrated ability to lead brand and communication strategies across multiple clients and industries.
• Proven track record in developing insight-driven creative briefs and campaign strategies.
• Hands-on experience with both quantitative and qualitative research, including tools like GWI, Euromonitor, SimilarWeb, and social listening platforms.
• Experience participating in new business pitches, award submissions, and high-level client presentations.
• Familiarity with both offline and digital channels, including media performance analysis.
• Comfortable collaborating with cross-functional teams (creative, media, tech) and building strong client relationships.