Associate Brand Strategist

AREA 17; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision for employees

401(k) with company match

HSA with employer contribution

Employer-paid life insurance

Job summary

AREA 17 is expanding its brand practice in New York and is launching a 2026 Cohort to grow junior talent into future leaders. You’ll work in small, autonomous teams with senior strategists, learning by doing while contributing to real client work across industries.

Onboarding is a structured 12‑week program with training, shadowing, and a live project role. You’re one to two years into strategy work, have a background in semiotics, UX, or media strategy, and you’ve built something independent.

Qualifications

• 1–2 years of strategy work or related experience.
• Experience translating strategy into actionable ideas for brands.
• Ability to launch or develop projects independently.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with designers to articulate strategy before execution.
• Ground creative ideas in business logic and client needs.
• Help shape how the brand practice operates across teams.
• Participate in onboarding and learn through hands‑on projects.

Skills

Semiotics background

UX

Media strategy

Strategic problem-solving

Independent projects

Job description

At AREA 17, we believe we can help the world be more open, resilient, and optimistic. We work with clients we trust and admire across various industries, including Saint Laurent, OpenAI, the International Energy Agency, Foundation Louis Vuitton, and The New York Times. We build long‑term partnerships by delivering value through brand, experience, and technology.

AREA 17 is partnered with Craft on the launch of the 2026 Cohort, a structured entry point designed to grow and nurture junior talent into the leaders of tomorrow. You'll work in small, autonomous teams alongside senior strategists and designers, learning by doing rather than sitting on the sidelines with colleagues at the same stage of their careers.

You'll join a brand practice spanning two studios. You'll report to an Associate Strategy Director and be trained directly by the Head of Brand, who leads the practice globally.

You'll partner with designers to articulate strategy before execution, ground creative ideas in business logic, and help clients move from positioning through to brand systems they can own. Because no rigid split exists yet between senior and junior strategists, you'll help define how this practice actually works.

Onboarding is a structured 12-week programme: intensive training, shadowing on an internal R&D project, then a live project role.

You're one to two years into strategy work, past the first-job hump but not a fresh graduate. Your background could be semiotics, UX, media strategy, or any commercial environment built on strategic problem‑solving.

You're a maker - someone who has built or launched something independently, and your research goes well beyond what an AI can generate.

$60,000 - $75,000

Hybrid working

Early October start date

Fully paid medical, dental, and vision for employees and families

401(k) with company match

HSA with annual employer contribution

Employer-paid life insurance