Strategy Lead

APPLY; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 110,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work arrangements

AI upskilling

Job summary

APPLY is seeking a Strategy Lead to grow client relationships and advance ACx initiatives across entertainment, sports and media brands. You will lead cross-functional teams, drive research-based insights, and develop strategies that translate findings into business value.

You will report to the Strategy team, mentor peers, and shape the evolving agentic, AI-native approach while aligning with executive stakeholders and workshops that accelerate momentum.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in strategy or digital/customer experience design roles.
• 3+ years in consulting or agency environments.
• Proven experience with entertainment, sports, and/or media clients or organizations.
• Proven track record in digital and customer experience strategy development.
• Strong expertise in primary and secondary research methodologies.
• Experience designing and facilitating workshops with executive stakeholders.
• Comfortable using AI tools in daily work, with focus on CX impact.

Responsibilities

• Build and sustain senior client relationships grounded in understanding their business.
• Identify and develop new opportunities within accounts through insights and POVs.
• Lead primary and secondary research to surface business insights and opportunities.
• Develop deliverables that connect audience findings to commercial outcomes.
• Bring domain depth in sports, media, and entertainment to the work.
• Facilitate workshops with executives to align on direction and momentum.
• Collaborate with product, experience, and engineering teams to execute strategy.

Skills

Strategy leadership

Client relationships

Research

AI tools

Data analysis

Stakeholder facilitation

Cross-functional collaboration

Project management

Job description

About Apply

APPLY is the Agentic Customer Experience (ACx) partner for the world's most ambitious consumer and entertainment brands. We bring together deep domain expertise across Retail, CPG, Sports, and Media with AI-native delivery capability, designing and delivering agentic solutions that turn CX vision into commercial reality. We are the partner of choice for brands such as Arc'teryx, NFL, Lululemon, and Kraft Heinz. For more information, visit applydigital.com.

Location

APPLY is hybrid/remote friendly. The preferred candidate should be based in Canada, working in hours that align to ET (Eastern Timezone).

Role

As a Strategy Lead, you'll help our clients grow through Agentic Customer Experience (ACx): the practice of designing brand experiences that show up with intelligence, relevance and continuity across every part of a customer's ecosystem.

Reporting into the Strategy team, you'll lead ACx initiatives working with cross-functional teams to bring strategies to life, grow client relationships into new opportunities, and help evolve our strategic practice for an agent-mediated future.

Read our full ACx report here: https://www.applydigital.com/insights/learn/the-acx-report/.

Responsibilities

Client Partnership & Business Development

• Build and lead senior client relationships grounded in genuine understanding of their business.
• Identify and develop new opportunities within accounts through rigorous insight and point of view.

Strategic Leadership

• Lead primary and secondary research to surface business insights and identify strategic opportunities.
• Develop deliverables that connect audience and experience findings to commercial outcomes.
• Bring domain depth in sports, media, and entertainment to add credibility and context to the work.
• Facilitate workshops with executive stakeholders to align on direction and build momentum.

Team Management & Mentorship

• Partner with the Head of Strategy and peers to evolve how we work, including integrating agentic and AI-native approaches.
• Contribute to methodology, tools, and ways of working that make the team sharper.

Communication & Delivery

• Create compelling presentations that engage and inspire clients and stakeholders.
• Partner across disciplines - product, experience, engineering - to see strategy through to execution.
• Apply business casing and value frameworks to test proposed directions.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in strategy or digital/customer experience design roles.
• 3+ years in consulting or agency environments.
• Proven experience working with entertainment, sports, and/or media clients or within an entertainment, sports, or media organization.
• Proven track record in digital and customer experience strategy development.
• Strong expertise in primary and secondary research methodologies.
• Experience designing and facilitating workshops with executive-level stakeholders.
• Comfortable using AI tools in your day-to-day work, with an eye on how they're reshaping customer experience.
• Excellent data analysis, research and communication skills.
• Ability to thrive in dynamic environments while managing multiple projects.

Life at Apply

Agentic Delivery

Our people work in a modern way to deliver client outcomes. Broaden your skills on a range of engagements with international brands that have a global impact.

An inclusive and safe environment

We’re truly committed to building a culture where you are celebrated and everyone feels welcome and safe.

AI & Strategic Upskilling

Accelerate your professional growth with generous training budgets and mentorship, with a specific focus on Agentic AI expertise and the critical human skills required for the future of work.

Generous vacation policy

Work-life balance is key to our team’s success, so we offer flexible personal time off (PTO); allowing ample time away from work to promote overall well-being.

Customizable benefits

Tailor your extended health and dental plan to your needs, priorities, and preferences.

Flexible work arrangements

We work in a variety of ways, from remote, to in-office, to a blend of both.

APPLY is a safe, respectful, and inclusive community where differences are celebrated. We are committed to equal opportunity and fostering a workplace where everyone belongs. Learn more in our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) section. For recruitment accommodations, please email [email protected] .

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.