Strategy Director

Starcom; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension

Life Assurance

Private Medical cover

Reflection Days

Shared Parental Leave

Job summary

Starcom is recruiting a Strategy Director to shape ambitious media strategies for renowned brands within Publicis Media. You will turn insights, data and creative thinking into strategic direction that unlocks growth across markets and audiences.

You'll lead collaborations with account, specialist, creative and network teams to ensure strategy is connected, clear and actionable, while staying attuned to evolving media and cultural trends.

Qualifications

• Strong experience in media planning and strategy across multiple markets.
• Clear communication and presentation skills to explain complex thinking simply.
• Curiosity about people, culture and behaviour to shape strategic direction.
• Analytical confidence using data sources to support recommendations.
• Ability to create concise, persuasive guidelines for clients and teams.
• Collaborative approach to working with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead cross-channel media strategies that drive measurable client outcomes.
• Translate research, planning tools and audience insights into actionable recommendations.
• Own strategy briefs from challenge to final recommendation.
• Collaborate with account, creative and network teams to align thinking.
• Incorporate learnings to refine guidelines for future work.
• Develop experience-led approaches linking upper- and lower-funnel media.
• Stay updated on media, digital and cultural trends to inform decisions.

Skills

Media planning

Strategy development

Presentation skills

Analytical thinking

Collaborative mindset

Job description

Company Description With a history that dates back over 80 years, Starcom is a global communications planning and media leader. We are an agency still grounded in our founding principle that people are at the centre of all we do. Each day, we apply this belief to harness the transformative power of data and technology to inspire and move people and business forward. With more than 7,000 employees in over 100 offices around the world, we are the flagship Publicis Media agency that uses our ‘Power of One’ business model, with teams that span multiple disciplines across clients such as Aldi, P&G, Primark, Samsung, Stellantis, and Visa. We place a huge focus on our People, and have driven flagship D&I and L&D programmes within Publicis Media; our goal is to help every individual reach their fullest potential, and we encourage everyone to make “Brave Plays” in how they approach their work and their own career development. As a result, we have an exceptionally energised and committed talent base, all of us proud of our welcoming and supportive culture, as evidenced by our recognition as one of Campaign’s Best Places to Work for five years in a row, Media Week\'s Agency of the Year 2025 and one of the Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2025.

Overview

We are hiring a Strategy Director to help shape ambitious, effective media strategy a bespoke agency model built around some of the world’s most recognised brands. In this role, you’ll turn insight, data and creativity into clear strategic direction that helps clients unlock growth across markets, channels and audiences. You’ll work closely with account, specialist, creative and network teams to connect thinking across media, production, data, technology, social, influencer and commerce. This is a brilliant opportunity for someone who enjoys strategic ownership, collaborative problem-solving and making complex ideas simple, compelling and actionable.

What will you be doing?

• Lead the development of cross-channel media strategies that are clear, evidence-led and built around measurable client outcomes.
• Translate research, planning tools, campaign data and audience insight into meaningful recommendations and practical guidance.
• Take ownership of strategy briefs and strategic projects, shaping the response from initial challenge through to final recommendation.
• Partner with account, specialist, creative and network teams to ensure strategic thinking is connected, consistent and useful.
• Use past campaign learnings to refine implementation guidelines and improve the effectiveness of future work.
• Develop experience-led approaches that connect upper- and lower-funnel media to support both efficiency and impact.
• Stay close to media, digital and cultural trends, sharing relevant thinking that helps teams and clients make better decisions.

What are we looking for?

• Strong experience in media planning and strategy, ideally with exposure to international or multi-market work.
• Clear communication and presentation skills, with the ability to explain strategic thinking in a structured and engaging way.
• Curiosity about people, culture and behaviour, and an ability to turn that understanding into useful strategic direction.
• Analytical confidence, including experience using media planning tools and data sources to support recommendations.
• The ability to create simple, persuasive presentations and guidelines that help clients and teams move from thinking to action.
• A collaborative approach to client and stakeholder relationships, with experience supporting, coaching or guiding others in their development.

Additional Information

Starcom offers a wide range of benefits to support our employees. Full details are shared when you join, but highlights include core benefits such as Pension, Life Assurance, and Private Medical cover, alongside enhanced policies like Reflection Days and Shared Parental Leave. You’ll also have access to a range of additional initiatives, including:

• Publicis Career Page which showcases our Inclusive Benefits and our EAG’s (Employee Action Groups).
• Publicis Groupe works primarily from the office or our clients\' office four days per week.

At Starcom, we are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, and do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion or belief, disability, age, citizenship, relationship status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected characteristic.

We are committed to providing a fair, accessible, and inclusive recruitment process. If you have any access needs - for example, related to disability, neurodivergence, or a health condition - please let us know. We’ll work with you to ensure the process works for you. Sharing this information will never impact your application.

Guided by our values, we listen with empathy, uplift each other, take responsibility, and embrace change - building a culture where everyone feels seen, respected, and genuinely included.