Strategy Director

Tonic Worldwide; Mumbai; On-site; INR 4,000,000 - 7,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Tonic Worldwide is seeking a Director with a strong strategic foundation to anchor the agency’s growth through insight-led thinking, differentiated positioning, and high-quality pitches. This role will lead across new and existing business, ensuring every engagement is rooted in deep consumer understanding, creative thinking, and measurable business impact.

You will drive end-to-end pitch strategy, collaborate with creative, media and data teams, and mentor teams to deliver strategy-led

Qualifications

• 10+ years in a digital/creative agency with a strategy/planning background.
• Proven track record of leading and winning pitches through strategic thinking.
• Deep understanding of consumer insights, brand strategy, and digital ecosystems.
• Experience in client-facing strategic roles with senior stakeholder management.
• Ability to craft powerful narratives and presentations.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience contributing to growth.

Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic vision for the agency across clients, categories, and offerings.
• Translate business problems into insight-driven marketing and communication strategies.
• Establish frameworks and approaches that elevate the quality of thinking across the agency.
• Act as the final custodian of strategy across key accounts and pitches.
• Anchor and lead end-to-end pitch strategy, from brief decoding to final presentation.
• Drive differentiated, insight-led narratives that go beyond generic solutions.
• Collaborate with creative, media, and data teams to craft compelling, cohesive pitch stories.
• Identify white spaces, cultural insights, and innovative approaches to improve win rates.
• Personally lead high-stakes and marquee pitches.
• Partner with senior clients as a strategic advisor, shaping their marketing and brand direction.
• Ensure all client work is rooted in strong strategic thinking and measurable outcomes.
• Drive organic growth through better thinking, sharper positioning, and proactive ideas.
• Continuously assess and improve the strategic health of client businesses.
• Work closely with creative leadership to ensure ideas are both innovative and strategically sound.
• Champion creativity backed by insight, ensuring relevance and effectiveness.
• Push teams to move beyond execution into big-picture thinking and brand building.
• Own overall business growth and revenue outcomes, driven by strategic excellence.
• Ensure pitches and client strategies are aligned with commercial viability and scalability.
• Balance long-term brand building with short-term performance goals.
• Mentor and build a strategy-led culture across business and account teams.
• Upskill teams in strategic thinking, storytelling, and problem-solving.
• Foster strong cross-functional collaboration to deliver integrated solutions.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Pitch strategy

Storytelling

Client management

Insight-driven thinking

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

We are looking for a Director with a strong strategic foundation to drive the agency’s growth through insight-led thinking, differentiated positioning, and high-quality pitches. This role will anchor the agency’s strategic direction across new and existing business, ensuring that every engagement is rooted in deep consumer understanding, creative thinking, and measurable business impact.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Leadership

• Lead the strategic vision for the agency across clients, categories, and offerings.
• Translate business problems into insight-driven marketing and communication strategies.
• Establish frameworks and approaches that elevate the quality of thinking across the agency.
• Act as the final custodian of strategy across key accounts and pitches.

2. Pitch Strategy & New Business

• Anchor and lead end-to-end pitch strategy, from brief decoding to final presentation.
• Drive differentiated, insight-led narratives that go beyond generic solutions.
• Collaborate with creative, media, and data teams to craft compelling, cohesive pitch stories.
• Identify white spaces, cultural insights, and innovative approaches to improve win rates.
• Personally lead high-stakes and marquee pitches.

3. Client Strategy & Business Growth

• Partner with senior clients as a strategic advisor, shaping their marketing and brand direction.
• Ensure all client work is rooted in strong strategic thinking and measurable outcomes.
• Drive organic growth through better thinking, sharper positioning, and proactive ideas.
• Continuously assess and improve the strategic health of client businesses.

4. Creative & Strategic Integration

• Work closely with creative leadership to ensure ideas are both innovative and strategically sound.
• Champion creativity backed by insight, ensuring relevance and effectiveness.
• Push teams to move beyond execution into big-picture thinking and brand building.

5. Business & Revenue Ownership

• Own overall business growth and revenue outcomes, driven by strategic excellence.
• Ensure pitches and client strategies are aligned with commercial viability and scalability.
• Balance long-term brand building with short-term performance goals.

6. Team Leadership & Capability Building

• Mentor and build a strategy-led culture across business and account teams.
• Upskill teams in strategic thinking, storytelling, and problem-solving.
• Foster strong cross-functional collaboration to deliver integrated solutions.

Key Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in a digital/creative agency with a strong strategy or planning background.
• Proven track record of leading and winning pitches through strategic thinking.
• Deep understanding of consumer insights, brand strategy, and digital ecosystems.
• Experience in client-facing strategic roles with senior stakeholder management.
• Ability to craft powerful narratives and presentations.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience contributing to business growth.

Success Metrics

• Pitch win rate driven by quality of strategic thinking
• Differentiation and effectiveness of pitch narratives
• Client growth driven by strategic impact
• Strength of the agency’s strategic reputation in the mark