Strategy Director

Publicis Groupe UK; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension

Life Assurance

Private Medical

Reflection Days

Shared Parental Leave

Job summary

Spark Foundry in London is seeking an Account Director to lead thinking for one of the UK’s best known fashion retailers, guiding strategy from value-led positioning to a credible destination for affordable fashion.

This role sits at the intersection of culture, media and retail, ideal for a planner who thrives on trends, retail dynamics, and turning data into sharp ideas that drive growth.

Qualifications

• Experience in retail or fashion, ideally in a senior planning role.
• Ability to translate consumer and trend data into insights.
• Strong communication and storytelling skills for senior clients.
• Analytical mindset with comfort using retail data for decisions.
• Collaborative, curious, and able to unite teams around ideas.
• Experience managing multi-agency partnerships.

Responsibilities

• Lead planning direction for a major UK fashion retailer, blending brand, comms, and retail strategy.
• Partner with clients and internal teams to define the media approach and growth opportunities.
• Turn consumer, sales and trend data into insights that fuel creative and commercial outcomes.
• Develop integrated campaigns spanning paid, owned and earned media from brand to conversion.
• Collaborate with planning, investment and internal teams to ensure cohesive work.
• Advise stakeholders and build long-term partnerships with confidence.
• Monitor culture, retail and fashion trends to keep the brand relevant and future-facing.

Skills

Retail/fashion experience

Growth mindset

Confident communicator

Analytical & data-literate

Collaborative & curious

Multi-agency partnership experience

Job description

Company Description

Spark Foundry make up part of a thriving global media network and are part of the Publicis Groupe, one of the world’s leading communications groups. We are globally connected with over 8,000 employees in 110 offices across 70 countries.

Who We Are in the UK?

Spark Foundry, the Acceleration Agency.

We help brands to identify, learn and respond to opportunities faster than the competition.

Every client has an area of their business they need to accelerate, from short-term goals to long-term transformation.

We’ve proven our approach during the most difficult year on record. Now we’re using it to provide a launchpad for their future.

Come be an accelerator with us.

How we accelerate

• Planning: an approach that works in practice rather than theory, arming planners with the ability to create cutting edge campaigns
• Intelligence: a suite of tools that give definitive answers to big questions, and uncovers actionable insights about real people
• Trading: a model built on flexibility and trusted relationships, underpinned with bold guarantees
• Relationships: a culture of asking challenging questions to better understand the brief – we are not a ‘yes’ agency
• People: a strong history of recruiting talent from diverse backgrounds and accelerating their careers

Our Commitment

We are diverse though our experience, people and the clients we look after - and we celebrate that diversity. Our people hold us accountable to our beliefs and via regular surveys and our grass roots D&I team, The Collective, and internal next generation board, Firestarters, we hold regular events and work continually towards generating ideas, initiatives and educating our people to ensure we are a diverse and inclusive agency.

As part of our dedication to create an inclusive and diverse workforce, Spark Foundry is committed to equal access to opportunity for people without regard to race, age, sex, disability, neurodiversity, sexual orientation, gender identity or religion.

Overview

Intro

We’re looking for an Account Director to lead the thinking for one of the UK’s most recognised names in value fashion retail — a brand loved for its accessibility, reach and role in everyday style. This is an opportunity to shape the strategy for a household name at a pivotal point of transformation, helping it evolve from value-led retailer to a credible destination for affordable fashion.

This role sits at the intersection of culture, media, and retail — perfect for a planner who thrives on fast-moving trends, has a strong grasp of retail/fashion dynamics, and loves turning complex business challenges into sharp, actionable ideas that drive growth.

What you’ll be doing

• Leading planning direction for one of the UK’s biggest fashion retailers, blending brand, comms, and retail strategy

• Partnering with clients and internal teams to define the best media approach and unlock new opportunities for growth

• Turning consumer, sales and trend data into compelling insights that fuel creative ideas and commercial outcomes

• Developing integrated campaign strategies that span paid, owned, and earned media — from brand building to conversion

• Collaborating closely with wider planning, investment and internal teams to ensure work is cohesive, consistent, and effective

• Acting as a trusted advisor to stakeholders, confidently guiding conversations and building long-term partnerships

• Keeping a pulse on culture, retail and fashion trends — ensuring the brand stays relevant, distinctive, and future-facing

What we’re looking for

• Strong experience in retail or fashion,ideally in a similar level role

• Proven track record of solving complex strategic challenges and driving measurable growth

• Confident communicator and storyteller with the ability to inspire creative teams and influence senior clients

• Highly analytical and data‑literate, comfortable using consumer insights and retail data to inform decisions

• Collaborative and curious, with a natural ability to connect teams and unite people around great ideas

• Experience managing multi-agency partnerships and navigating large client organisations

Why this role

This is a rare opportunity to help redefine what value fashion means in the UK — shaping a brand that millions of people interact with every day. You’ll be at the heart of a large-scale transformation, working alongside brilliant creative partners and a highly collaborative client team that’s eager to push boundaries.

At Spark Foundry, we champion curiosity and experimentation — combining data with creativity to create work that not only performs, but resonates culturally. If you’re a strategic thinker who loves retail, understands how people shop, and wants to make an impact in a fast‑changing category, this is the role for you.

Additional Information

Spark Foundry has fantastic benefits on offer to all of our employees, full details of which are shared when you join. This includes the classics like Pension, Life Assurance, Private Medical, as well as Reflection Days, Shared Parental Leave, and spans other initiatives like:

Please check out the Publicis Career Pagewhich showcases our Inclusive Benefits and our EAG’s (Employee Action Groups).

At Spark Foundry, 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.

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