Senior Strategist, Creative Strategy

Karla Otto; Milano; On-site; EUR 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

Karla Otto is seeking a Senior Strategist, Creative Strategy to lead creative strategy and concept development for Italian and global client briefs from Milan. You will translate culture shifts into original thinking, shape the creative direction, and collaborate with a wide network of partners to deliver standout campaigns.

The role requires 6–8 years in creative strategy or equivalent agency work, a strong fashion/creative background, and an active network across talent and creators.

Qualifications

• 6–8 years’ experience in creative strategy or equivalent agency role.
• Strong portfolio spanning campaigns, content, experiences, programming and brand platforms.
• Excellent creative problem‑solving and conceptual thinking with a refined visual eye.
• Deep reference knowledge across fashion, art, design, music, film and photography, spotting emerging culture.
• Active network across talent, creators and the wider creative industries.

Responsibilities

• Lead creative strategy and concept development on assigned Italian client briefs and global pitches.
• Translate cultural and creative shifts into original thinking for client work and new business.
• Develop the creative direction and ensure quality aligned with strategic standards.
• Identify experience‑led and insights‑led opportunities and partner with the Talent team.
• Support client conversations, presenting strategic and creative recommendations.
• Build out creative responses on Italian and global pitches with cross‑division guidance.
• Guide colleagues and external collaborators, providing clear feedback and nurturing junior team members.

Skills

Creative strategy

Creative direction

Campaign development

Social & digital

Experiential & programming

Job description

Senior Strategist, Creative Strategy

We are looking for a Senior Strategist, Creative Strategy to join our team based in our Milan Office.

Karla Otto is a globally recognised public relations and communications agency, founded in 1982, with offices in 15 key cities across the UK, EMEA, US, and Asia. With a strong presence in fashion capitals such as Milan, London, Paris, and New York, the agency has built a reputation for representing some of the most prestigious names in fashion, beauty, and lifestyle.

In 2017, Karla Otto merged with K2 to form THE INDEPENDENTS, a global marketing, design, and communications group. This collective brings together industry leaders who share a commitment to innovation, excellence, and thoughtful collaboration across the luxury and lifestyle sectors.

At Karla Otto, our team of expert strategists, designers, planners and publicists are dedicated to delivering exceptional results and establishing long‑term partnerships with our clients. We are passionate about the world of fashion, beauty, and luxury, with everyone bringing their unique expertise and insights to the table. We are driven by a shared commitment to excellence and a deep understanding of the ever‑evolving industry landscape.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead creative strategy and concept development on assigned Italian client briefs, from identifying the opportunity through to campaigns, content, experiences and programming, alongside selected global clients and pitches.
• Translate cultural and creative shifts into original thinking for client work and new business.
• Develop the creative, strategic direction and quality of assigned work, aligning with the Senior Director and CBO on strategic direction and departmental standards.
• Identify and shape experience‑led and Insights‑led opportunities.
• Identify and recommend talent, creators, partners and collaborators, working with the Talent team where relevant.
• Support client conversations, presenting strategic and creative recommendations and identifying opportunities to develop the work.

NEW BUSINESS & GROWTH

• Build out creative responses on assigned Italian and relevant global pitches, with strategic and commercial guidance from the CBO.
• Build integrated proposals with Insights, Communications, Talent, Beauty, Strategy, Special Projects and other divisions.

TEAM & DIVISION DEVELOPMENT

• Guide colleagues and external collaborators, giving clear creative feedback and supporting the development of junior team members.
• Maintain and grow the external creative network required to deliver work at the right standard.

Key Attributes:

• 6–8 years’ experience in creative strategy, creative direction or an equivalent agency role, with a focus on social and digital channels, programming and experiential work.
• A strong portfolio spanning campaigns, content, experiences, programming and brand platforms.
• Strong creative problem‑solving and conceptual thinking, with a highly developed visual eye and excellent art direction judgement.
• Deep reference knowledge across fashion, art, design, music, film and photography, with the instinct to spot what is emerging, anticipate where culture is moving and translate this into original creative thinking.
• An active network across talent, creators and the wider creative industries, with a strong understanding of who and what is shaping culture now and next.

Annual gross salary: €40,000–€50,000, depending on experience.

At Karla Otto, we are always looking for personalities with positive charisma who are enthusiastic, self‑motivated, and have a keen sense of aesthetics.

Karla Otto embraces and celebrates diversity, inclusivity, and equal opportunity. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. Karla Otto provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, colour, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.

We aspire to have a diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourage qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply and join our team!