Senior Brand Strategist

One North; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 76,000 - 127,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental & Vision

Life/AD&D insurance

Disability insurance

401(k) with match

Transit benefits

Paid time off

Parental leave

Employee perks program

Company holidays

Job summary

One North is seeking a Senior Brand Strategist to guide a team of brand thinkers across mid- to large-scale client programs in the Chicago area or remote across the U.S. You will own market research, positioning, and strategic planning, translating insights into compelling brand narratives.

In this role you’ll influence design, UX, data, and content teams, build strong client relationships, and mentor peers with thought leadership.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years in a consultancy or agency setting developing brand strategies.
• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, or a related field.
• Solid grounding in branding concepts: branding, positioning, segmentation, consumer behavior.
• Advanced strategic thinking for nuanced market dynamics.
• Strong research methodologies and translating insights into recommendations.
• Creativity, writing, and a drive to push brand storytelling.
• Exceptional written, verbal, and presentation skills.
• Ability to articulate ideas clearly and persuade stakeholders.
• Comfort building consensus and collaborating across org levels.
• Familiarity with marketing tech tools incl. social, SEO, CMS, and AI.

Responsibilities

• Lead market research and analysis to uncover brand opportunities.
• Own brand positioning and messaging across client projects.
• Develop strategic brand and communications plans aligned with business goals.
• Summarize complex ideas into compelling client presentations.
• Write briefs and creative concepts to guide campaigns.
• Collaborate with design, UX, data, tech and content teams.

Skills

Brand strategy

Market research

Brand identity

Audience segmentation

Positioning

Storytelling

Cross-functional influence

Client relationships

Executive communication

Generative AI tools

Education

Bachelor's degree in marketing or related field

Tools

Social media management

SEO

CMS

Generative AI tools

Job description

You’re a Senior Brand Strategist with expert understanding of advanced brand strategy across segmentation, targeting, positioning, concepting, brand identity and architecture, user research, and more.

You’re practiced and proven at finding the common thread in complex research to uncover actionable insights. Here, you’ll take ownership of projects, share your perspectives with the world through thought leadership, and influence cross-functional teams with your problem-solving prowess.

The Opportunity

As our next Senior Brand Strategist, you will guide a team serving as the Brand Strategy subject matter expert across a spectrum of mid- to large-scale projects, with little to no oversight. You’ll have a key role in developing strong client relationships and acting as a trusted advisor in the implementation of strategic brand plans. You will bring highly polished, insight-driven, and transformative brand solutions to life. While not directly managing people, you’ll be a guide to the team, building camaraderie and creating safe spaces for creative exploration.

This role will ideally be based in the Chicagoland area, but we are open to remote locations across the U.S.

Core Responsibilities

• Market Research and Analysis: Design and manage both qualitative and quantitative research analysis of market trends, consumer behavior, and competitor strategies to identify opportunities and insights for brand development.
• Brand Positioning: Own the creation of compelling value propositions and messaging that differentiate a brand in the marketplace and resonates with the target audience.
• Strategic Planning: Develop brand and communications plans, including goals, objectives, and integrated marketing strategies that align with the overall business goals.
• Workshops & Presentations: Oversee the synthesis and presentation of complex ideas and problems into final presentations that consistently win over clients and grow business.
• Brief Development: Proven expertise in writing compelling briefs and creative concepts and stories to guide creative campaigns.
• Collaboration: Influence and collaborate with design, UX, CX, data, technology, and content disciplines, ensuring alignment for client work that exceeds expectations.

Power Skills

• Business Insight: Applies knowledge of business and marketplace to advance org goals.
• Action-Oriented: Takes on new opportunities/challenges with urgency, energy, and enthusiasm.
• Effective Communication: Delivers multi-mode communications with strong clarity and tact.
• Manages Ambiguity: Operates effectively, even when things are not certain or clear.
• Cultivates Innovation: Creates new and better ways for the organization to be successful.
• Drives Results: Consistently achieves results, even under tough circumstances.
• Collaborates: Builds partnerships and works collaboratively to meet shared objectives.
• Adaptability: Adapts approach in real-time to meet shifting demands of different situations.

Required Experience

• You bring a minimum of 5 years of experience in a consultancy or agency setting developing strategies for brand identity, expression, brand architecture, or marketing communications
• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, or field that requires strong communication and problem solving
• Solid foundation in core marketing concepts: branding, positioning, market segmentation, consumer behavior, brand architecture, and communications planning
• Advanced strategic thinking, including the ability to formulate nuanced strategies that address complex market dynamics
• Deep understanding of research methodologies and metrics, translating insights into actionable recommendations
• A passion for creativity, writing, and a desire to push boundaries in brand storytelling
• Exceptional written, verbal, and presentation skills
• Ability to articulate complex ideas clearly and persuasively
• Excellent at building consensus, navigating conflicting ideas, and persuading stakeholders across various levels of the organization
• Advanced skills with marketing technology tools including common social media management, SEO, CMS, and generative AI tools
• Don’t check all the boxes? We encourage you to apply anyway. We know smarts grow from a breadth of experiences. Don’t disqualify yourself before you have the chance to be considered. We’d love to meet you.

Benefits

• Our comprehensive benefits program includes Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO Health coverage, as well as a health savings account with employer-funded contributions.
• We also offer Dental and Vision insurance. All of our full-time employees are eligible for Life/AD&D insurance and Short/Long Term Disability insurance free of cost, with the option to add additional voluntary coverage if desired.
• One North’s 401(k) plan allows employees to save for retirement through pre- or post-tax contributions along with employer-matched funds for maximized savings potential.
• Our Transportation Benefits enable employees to also make pre-tax contributions to pay for parking and public transit needs.
• We know how important unwinding can be for inspiration, innovation and productivity. Our full-time employees earn 4 weeks of paid time off, in addition to company paid holidays. Employees begin to accrue additional time off once they reach their 3-year and 10-year anniversaries with the business.
• One North also understands how critical it is for parents to bond with their new additions. We provide paid Parental and Primary Caregiver Leave to assist and support employees who experience a new birth, adoption or foster placement of a child.
• We also offer an Employee Perks Program that offers member-only discounts and corporate rates on everything from pizza and the zoo, to movie tickets, car rentals, and hotels.

We reserve the right to pay above or below the base salary range of $84,800-$127,200 based on factors unrelated to sex, race, or any other protected classification.

Additional earnings may be available through incentive programs like annual bonuses, profit sharing, etc.

The expected posting close date is September 18, 2026.