Creative Strategy Manager

Mastercard; Cisie; On-site; PLN 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Mastercard is seeking a Creative Strategy Manager to join Advisors Creative Desk in Europe. You’ll steer strategic development, write briefs, and guide workshops with senior clients across multiple markets.

You’ll combine insights, storytelling, and diplomacy to turn challenges into creative opportunities and drive growth. We value 10+ years in creative strategy, exceptional writing, and collaboration across cross‑functional teams, with fluent English communication.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in creative strategy or brand planning.
• Exceptional writing and storytelling abilities.
• Experienced facilitator and storyteller, leading workshops and presentations.
• Collaborator with cross-functional teams across multiple markets and fluent English.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of creative strategies on key briefs.
• Provide strategic leadership across European markets, sharing best practices.
• Translate objectives into strategic directions and platforms.
• Own thinking across projects with clarity and creative ambition.
• Write high-quality briefs and shape strategic narratives for clients.
• Collaborate with creatives, account and project managers, and clients.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Storytelling

Facilitation

Diplomacy

Job description

Our Purpose

Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Together with our customers, we’re helping build a sustainable economy where everyone can prosper. We support a wide range of digital payments choices, making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technology and innovation, partnerships and networks combine to deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential.

Title and Summary

Creative Strategy Manager

Overview

The Creative Strategy Manager is responsible for helping clients see their challenges differently.

As part of Advisors Creative Desk (ACD) - the creative powerhouse of Mastercard Advisors - they turn business problems, human insights, and cultural shifts into creative opportunities that drive growth and make brands more meaningful.

They are strategist, storyteller, and facilitator in equal measure: someone who can uncover an insight, lead a workshop, write a brief, challenge a room full of opinions, and help a team find the clearest path forward.

Drawing on experience from leading agencies or consultancies, they bring together strategic rigor, creativity, and diplomacy. They provide guidance and quality leadership across projects while remaining hands-on in the work itself - helping transform complexity into clarity, and clarity into great ideas.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Development & Ownership

Lead the development of creative strategies on key briefs

Provide strategic leadership across a portfolio of countries within the European region, identifying cross-market opportunities, sharing best practices, and driving strategic excellence at scale

Translate business objectives, brand challenges, and insights into clear strategic directions and creative platforms

Own strategic thinking across assigned projects, ensuring consistency, clarity, and creative ambition

Insight & Research Excellence

Conduct and guide desk research across markets, competitors, consumers, and cultural trends

Distill complex information into sharp, inspiring insights that unlock strong creative ideas

Push beyond surface-level findings to uncover meaningful and differentiated strategic perspectives

Creative Briefing & Writing

Write high-quality creative briefs that inspire creative teams while aligning internal and client stakeholders

Shape strategic narratives, key messages, and presentation materials for client-facing deliverables

Partner with Creative Strategy Managers on briefing sessions and creative handovers

Collaboration & Diplomacy

Work closely with creatives, account managers, project managers, and clients to ensure smooth strategic delivery

Act as a strategic partner to creative teams throughout the development process, providing constructive feedback and guidance

Navigate differing viewpoints with confidence and diplomacy, balancing creative ambition with client and business realities

Guidance & Quality Control

Support and mentor Creative Strategists, helping elevate strategic thinking, writing, and research quality

Review and refine strategic outputs produced by junior team members

Contribute to the development of strategic best practices, frameworks, and internal tools

All About You

10+ years of experience in creative strategy, brand planning, or communications strategy within a leading creative agency, brand consultancy, or equivalent strategic environment.

Exceptional strategic thinker and writer, able to turn insights into compelling narratives, sharp briefs, and creative opportunities.

Experienced facilitator and storyteller, confident leading workshops, presenting to senior audiences, and aligning diverse stakeholders around a common direction.

Strong collaborator and diplomat, skilled at navigating complexity, balancing competing perspectives, and building trust across clients, creatives, and cross-functional teams.

Comfortable operating across multiple European markets, bringing cultural sensitivity, strategic rigor, and fluent English communication in both written and verbal settings.

Corporate Security Responsibility

All activities involving access to Mastercard assets, information, and networks comes with an inherent risk to the organization and, therefore, it is expected that every person working for, or on behalf of, Mastercard is responsible for information security and must:

• Abide by Mastercard’s security policies and practices;
• Ensure the confidentiality and integrity of the information being accessed;
• Report any suspected information security violation or breach, and
• Complete all periodic mandatory security trainings in accordance with Mastercard’s guidelines.