Associate Director Strategy

VML; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

VML is seeking an Associate Director, Growth Strategy to lead data interrogation and translate insights into strategic direction for client growth. You will guide a cross-functional team, collaborating with Strategy, Client Engagement, Creative, and Media to uncover opportunities and craft compelling growth stories.

The role emphasizes senior analytics leadership, data integration from MRI Simmons, Circana, and Numerator, and managing a team to drive measurable impact for brands and retailers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a quantitative field or related area.
• 6–8 years of strategy and consumer insights experience.
• Experience in an agency, CPG, research, or consulting environment preferred.
• Exceptional storytelling and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Interrogate and connect data to uncover growth opportunities and inform strategy.
• Translate insights into clear, actionable storytelling for brands and retailers.
• Size market opportunities based on briefs and objectives with data-driven estimates.
• Collaborate with Strategy, Creative, and Media teams to ensure rigor and alignment.
• Mentor junior team members and promote a data-driven culture within the group.

Skills

Leadership

Strategy & Analytics

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in a quantitative field

Advanced degree in a quantitative field (plus)

Tools

MRI Simmons

Mintel

Circana

Numerator

Nielsen

Job description

VML is a global creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce to create connected brands that drive growth. Guided by a Human First philosophy, VML is known for its innovative work for brands and consistently ranks among the world’s leading creative companies, including the WARC Creative 100. VML’s global network spans 55+ markets with principal offices in Buenos Aires, Kansas City, London, New York, São Paulo, Shanghai and Singapore. VML is part of WPP, the trusted growth partner for the world's leading brands. Powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform WPP Open, WPP unites cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, creativity, production, enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel. For more information, please visit www.vml.com and follow along on LinkedIn #WeAreVML.

Who we are looking for

VML is seeking an Associate Director, Growth Strategy to lead the interrogation of data to fuel strategy, insights and direction for our clients. You are an experienced people leader and a senior "strategic analytics voice" within the agency, orchestrating the daily strategic output for assigned accounts. Working in close collaboration with Strategy, Client Engagement, Creative, and Media teams, you will provide a consultative perspective on brand objectives, identifying growth opportunities and translating consumer and shopper insights into actionable strategy.

Key Responsibilities

Individual

Strategic Product

• Growth Mining & Consulting:
• Interrogate and connect disparate data sets - including first party client data, shopper panels, and retailer-specific platforms - to uncover core business problems and identify emergent growth opportunities in partnership with senior leadership.
• Strategic Craft & Storytelling:
• Translate disparate data sets and complex insights into clear, compelling, and actionable storylines. Focus on identifying the "Why" behind the data to inform communications and retail initiatives, and actionable "jobs to be done" for brands, retailers and key channels.
• Opportunity Sizing:
• Size a brand's market opportunity based on client briefs and objectives, providing data-driven estimations and "Growth Mining" outputs.
• Audience Intelligence:
• Support audience growth strategy by leveraging data sources (MRI Simmons, Circana, Numerator) to develop comprehensive audience personas that contextualize consumer behavior and inform strategic planning.
• Strategic Contribution:
• Support the deep-dive into Business (problems to solve), Culture (emergent trends), and Human (behaviors and barriers) to identify clear opportunities for growth.
• AI Engineering & Prompting:
• Integrate VML and WPP Open’s proprietary AI tools and emerging technologies into the strategic workflow to increase speed-to-insight and creative innovation.
• Research Tools & Strategic Intelligence:
• Conduct thorough market research and competitive audits using database tools such as MRI Simmons, Mintel, Infegy, and YPulse to identify trends and potential threats.
• Leverage sales and shopper panel data (e.g., Circana, Nielsen, or Numerator) to uncover core business problems and size market opportunities.
• Execute detailed competitive analysis to understand gaps in strategy and performance versus the competition.
• Support broader regional or global strategic asks, ensuring consistency in strategic analytics methodology and approach across diverse markets.
• Awards & Recognition:
• Identify and draft compelling case studies for industry awards (e.g., Effies, WARC, Cannes Lions) to showcase the agency’s best-in-class work and the impact and effectiveness for our clients

Strategic Process

• Business Development Contribution:
• Identify and communicate opportunities to grow client business, contributing to the overall success of the agency. Supports new business pitches by developing strategic insights, contributing to pitch presentations, and providing strategic inputs for RFIs/RFPs.
• Briefing & Ideation:
• Partner with Strategy and Creative leads to ensure the briefing process is fueled by rigorous data, ensuring ideas are grounded in measurable consumer realities.
• Time Management Support:
• Oversee and effectively manage timelines and deliverables for multiple projects simultaneously, following up on outstanding issues to remove blockers and obstacles to move work forward.

Management

People Management

• Client Engagement:
• Serve as a key strategic analytics and growth consulting point of contact for clients by presenting data-driven growth opportunities and explaining the “why” behind consumer behavior to ensure strategic alignment.
• Internal Collaboration:
• Act as a "strategic analytics voice" within the agency, evangelizing data-driven insights and collaborating closely with Client Engagement, Creative, Media and Strategy teams to ensure analytical rigor are integrated throughout the strategic process.
• Work closely with Creative and Media teams to provide the strategic "proof points" and retailer insights needed to bridge the gap between creative ideas and business outcomes.
• Mentorship & Guidance:
• Manage and provide oversight to junior resources on the team, providing day-to-day oversight and guidance, supporting their workload and career development.
• Set the bar for what "great" looks like by providing consistent, actionable feedback and lead the necessary conversations to course-correct when needed.
• Support the translation of raw data into actionable insights for the wider strategy team.
• Promote a culture of analytical curiosity, accuracy, and positive team environment.

Qualifications

• Education:Bachelor’s degree in a quantitative field (e.g., Business Intelligence, Statistics, Economics), Marketing, Social Sciences, or related field. An advanced degree in a quantitative field such as Statistics, Social Science Research, or Economics a plus.
• Leadership Experience:Demonstrated experience (or clear readiness) to formally manage and develop direct reports, including performance management and career pathing.
• Strategy & Analytics Experience 6–8 years of progressive work experience performing strategy and consumer insights.
• Industry Background:Experience within an agency, CPG company, research company, or consulting firm is preferred.
• Technical Skills:Applied experience with database tools (MRI Simmons, Mintel) and sales/panel data platforms (Circana, Numerator, Nielsen) is strongly preferred, or experience with retail-specific data platforms (e.g., Walmart Scintilla).
• Communication: Exceptional storytelling skills; ability simplify complex data, handle difficult client questions, and translate complex strategy into clear business logic for senior audiences.

Additional Considerations

• Active participation in industry organizations and events.

We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office an average of four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

WPP (VML) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.