Director, Strategy

Kepler; New York (NY); On-site; USD 140,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare/Dental/Vision

Unlimited PTO

401k Contributions

Wellness stipend

Phone stipend

Internet stipend

Learning stipend

Tuition stipend

Home office stipend

Parental leave

Work from anywhere 4 weeks

Job summary

Kepler seeks a Director of Strategy to guide client growth across four B2B lines within a global IAT. You will transition from single-account management to portfolio oversight, diagnose performance trends, mitigate risks, and align media with client goals.

In this senior role, you’ll lead senior relationships, co-author long-term growth plans, and develop strategy talent across your portfolio, while partnering with leadership to ensure financial health and execution excellence.

Qualifications

• 8–10+ years of digital media experience, with 3+ years in a leadership role managing a multi-sector account with large-scale spend ($50M+).
• B2B Strategy & Execution: ABM and B2B lead generation media campaign strategies.
• Growth Mindset: Motivated by client partnerships, team mentoring, and strategic vision.
• Channel Agnostic: Holistic media understanding across Social, Programmatic, Search, Video, Audio, and Direct IO.
• Strong Communicator: Ability to distill complex media strategies for C-suite executives.

Responsibilities

• Portfolio Strategy & Full-Funnel Planning: Design integrated media plans across digital and traditional channels.
• Client Excellence & Executive Relationships: Own senior client relationships across your portfolio.
• Innovation & Proprietary Tools: Leverage Kip platform to inform strategic decisions.
• Financial & Operational Health: Monitor contract deliverables, scope alignment, and portfolio margin health.
• Talent Development & Leadership: Coach and mentor your direct reports and team.

Skills

Digital media leadership

ABM strategy

Executive communication

Portfolio management

Tools

NMI

YouGov

Pathmatics

Kip platform

Job description

Kepler executes engineered marketing, where every message and ad delivered helps create a more personalized and productive relationship between brands and their consumers. We do this by acting as clients’ agency of record, as their in-house team, or some hybrid of the two – and by harnessing data and technology across all paid digital media and data-driven CRM channels.

Kepler prides itself on being a great place to work. In fact, we’re proud to share that AdAge recognized Kepler among the Best Place to Work in 2022, validating our investment in our team and our clients.

• We’re transparent with our employees. You’ll hear updates on company financials, how we’re performing against bonus goals, and how we’re responding to challenges we face.
• We’re growing. For you, that means unparalleled growth opportunities and a role in shaping the direction of the company.
• We’re fun. You’ll work with and learn from the smartest people in the industry and have a blast doing it.

Role Overview

The Director of Strategy serves as a portfolio strategist and trusted advisor responsible for guiding overall client growth and strategic vision. Operating within a global IAT, the role manages senior executive relationships across four distinct B2B business lines. Transitioning from single-account management to portfolio-level oversight, you will diagnose performance trends, mitigate systemic risks, and align Kepler’s media capabilities with client business goals. In this role, you set the standard for client excellence, co-author long-term growth plans, and develop strategy talent across your portfolio.

Key Responsibilities

• Portfolio Strategy & Full-Funnel Planning: Design integrated media plans across digital and traditional channels. Connect campaign tactics to upper-, mid-, and lower-funnel KPIs while translating business briefs into strategic media frameworks.
• Client Excellence & Executive Relationships: Own senior client relationships across your portfolio. Serve as the primary point of contact for executive conversations, performance alignment, and high-impact account escalations.
• Innovation & Proprietary Tools: Leverage Kepler’s proprietary Kip platform (including audience segmentation, competitive research, and cultural insight toolsets) to inform strategic decisions. Partner with Activation teams to drive testing frameworks, AI tool adoption, and public case studies.
• Financial & Operational Health: Partner with senior leadership to monitor contract deliverables, scope alignment, and portfolio margin health. Spot cross-account operational friction and improve execution processes.
• Talent Development & Leadership: Coach and mentor your direct reports, Associate Directors, and your full team on strategic thinking and client management. Foster a culture of continuous learning, team engagement, and succession planning.

Core Competencies

• Deep knowledge of cross-channel media planning, flighting, and budget optimization.
• Proficiency with external planning tools (e.g., NMI, YouGov, Pathmatics) and proprietary platform capabilities (Kip suite).
• Strong executive presentation, brief writing, and strategic communication skills.
• Proven ability to navigate client categories, identify industry trends, and lead multi-disciplinary teams.

What We’re Looking For

• 8–10+ years of digital media experience, with 3+ years in a leadership role managing a multi-sector account with large-scale spend ($50M+).
• B2B Strategy & Execution: Proven track record in Account-Based Marketing (ABM) and B2B lead generation media campaign strategies.
• Growth Mindset: Motivated by client partnerships, team mentoring, and adept at providing a strategic vision that solves business challenges.
• Channel Agnostic: Holistic media understanding across Social, Programmatic, Search, Video, Audio, and Direct IO.
• Strong Communicator: Ability to distill complex media strategies into clear growth narratives for C-suite executives.

Transparency is fundamental to Kepler’s culture. Our compensation strategy is designed to attract, reward, and retain the talented employees that drive Kepler’s growth and success. We aim to offer competitive direct compensation and a rich indirect compensation program that demonstrates the value we place on our employees and their wellbeing.

Total Compensation

• Base Salary: $140,000 - $160,000
• Target Annualized Discretionary Bonus: 10% ($14,000 - $16,000)
• Target Total Cash: $154,000 - $176,000

Benefits

• Healthcare/Dental/Vision
• Unlimited PTO
• 401k Contributions
• $75/mo Wellness Stipend
• $100/mo Mobile Phone Stipend
• $50/mo Internet Stipend
• $500/yr Annual Learning Stipend
• $2,000/yr Annual Tuition Stipend
• One-time $200 New Hire Home Office Equipment Stipend
• Parental Leave - 16 week primary caregiver / 6 week secondary caregiver leave
• Annual Work From Anywhere 4 weeks per year