Senior Director, Strategic Insights

DAC; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 170,000 - 195,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Professional growth

Collaborative culture

Competitive benefits

Generous PTO

Wellness initiatives

Parental leave

Retirement plans

Tuition assistance

Work-life programs

Job summary

DAC is seeking a Senior Director, Strategic Insights in Chicago to turn consumer, market, and business intelligence into growth opportunities. You will lead a distributed team and collaborate with Strategy, Media, Creative, Client Services, Sales, Product, Technology, and Analytics to deliver insight-led outcomes.

The role champions human-centered research, advanced analytics, and AI-enabled insight generation to guide strategic decisions and new business opportunities.

Qualifications

• 15+ years in Strategic Insights, Consumer Insights, Market Research, Strategy, or related disciplines.
• 8+ years leading geographically distributed, cross-functional teams.
• Proven ability to influence executive leadership and enterprise strategy.
• Experience supporting agency new business development and executive client relationships.
• Proven ability to translate customer understanding into measurable business growth.
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Economics, Psychology, Statistics, Data Science, or related field.

Responsibilities

• Develop DAC's enterprise Strategic Insights roadmap for long-term growth.
• Lead qualitative and quantitative research programs translating insights into strategy.
• Partner with Business Development and Executive Leadership on strategic pitches and growth initiatives.
• Represent DAC in executive presentations, workshops, and thought leadership.
• Build partnerships across Strategy, Media, Creative, Sales, Client Services, Product, Technology, and Analytics.
• Champion AI, automation, and human-centered design to improve insight delivery.

Skills

Executive leadership

Cross-functional leadership

Client relationships

Storytelling & insights translation

Research methods

Education

Bachelor's degree (Business/Marketing/Economics/Psychology/Statistics/Data Science)

Job description

Move Your Career Forward with DAC as a Senior Director, Strategic Insights

Who We Are

We are DAC-a global full-funnel performance media agency dedicated to delivering transformative results. With expertise spanning SEO, paid media, creative production, analytics, and local optimization, we combine the brightest minds with innovative technology to deliver seamless, forward-thinking strategies. Powered by AI, data, and creative ingenuity, we deliver integrated campaigns that engage customers at every touchpoint-from global audiences to individual store locations.

Position Summary

The Senior Director, Strategic Insights is responsible for transforming consumer, customer, market, and business intelligence into strategic opportunities that drive growth for DAC and its clients. This leader combines rigorous research and analytics with deep human understanding to uncover the motivations, behaviors, and cultural dynamics that shape decision-making.

As a senior leader within the Strategy organization, this role serves as a trusted advisor to executive leadership, client teams, and prospective clients, translating complex information into compelling narratives, business strategies, and actionable recommendations. The role plays a leadership position in agency growth through new business development, executive client relationships, and thought leadership.

The successful candidate will build and lead a geographically distributed Strategic Insights team while fostering strong partnerships across Strategy, Media, Creative, Client Services, Sales, Product, Technology, and Analytics to deliver integrated, insight-led solutions.

Key Objectives

• Define and execute DAC's Strategic Insights vision aligned to corporate strategy.
• Champion a human-centered approach that brings the voice of the customer into strategic decision-making.
• Influence executive leadership through compelling consumer, customer, competitive, and market insights.
• Identify emerging market opportunities, evolving customer needs, and cultural shifts that create growth opportunities.
• Balance qualitative research, quantitative analytics, behavioral science, and AI-enabled insight generation.
• Support agency growth through strategic participation in new business development and executive client engagements.
• Foster a culture of curiosity, collaboration, innovation, and evidence-based decision making.

What You'll Do

Strategic Leadership

• Develop DAC's enterprise Strategic Insights roadmap supporting long-term growth.
• Serve as a trusted advisor on customer behavior, market dynamics, competitive positioning, and industry disruption.
• Translate business priorities into an integrated research, insights, and strategy agenda.
• Transform complex research into clear stories that inspire confident business decisions.

Consumer & Strategic Insights

• Lead the design and execution of qualitative and quantitative research programs.
• Develop deep understanding of consumer motivations, unmet needs, and decision journeys.
• Guide the application of advanced analytics, behavioral science, AI, and research methodologies to generate meaningful strategic insights.
• Integrate multiple sources of research and data into compelling business narratives and recommendations.

Business Development & Executive Partnerships

• Partner with Business Development and Executive Leadership on strategic pitches, RFPs, and growth initiatives.
• Lead the insights components of new business opportunities.
• Serve as a senior strategic advisor to key client relationships, identifying opportunities for organic growth.
• Represent DAC through executive presentations, workshops, and industry thought leadership.

Enterprise Collaboration

• Build trusted partnerships across Strategy, Media, Creative, Sales, Client Services, Product, Technology, and Analytics.
• Align cross-functional teams around shared customer understanding and business priorities.
• Facilitate integrated planning that turns insight into action.

Organizational Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and inspire a geographically distributed, multidisciplinary Strategic Insights team.
• Create an inclusive culture of collaboration, curiosity, innovation, and continuous learning.
• Coach senior talent while developing the next generation of strategic leaders.
• Establish consistent methodologies, governance, and best practices across teams.

Innovation & Transformation

• Champion emerging research methodologies, AI, automation, and human-centered design.
• Continuously improve the speed, quality, and business impact of insight delivery.
• Develop scalable frameworks for enterprise knowledge sharing and strategic decision support.

What You Bring

• 15+ years in Strategic Insights, Consumer Insights, Market Research, Strategy, or related disciplines.
• 8+ years leading geographically distributed, high-performing cross-functional teams.
• Demonstrated success influencing executive leadership and enterprise strategy.
• Experience supporting agency new business development and executive client relationships.
• Proven ability to translate customer understanding into measurable business growth.
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Economics, Psychology, Statistics, Data Science, or related field.
• Preferred Qualifications:
  • Expertise in qualitative and quantitative research methodologies.
  • Strong understanding of consumer behavior, behavioral science, and human-centered design.
  • Experience applying analytics, AI, and visualization tools in support of strategic decision-making.
  • Outstanding executive communication, storytelling, facilitation, and presentation skills.
  • Ability to influence across functions without direct authority and build strong collaborative relationships.

What You'll Get

• Professional Growth: Work with top-tier clients and cutting-edge tools in the performance marketing industry.
• Collaborative Culture: Be part of a global organization that values curiosity, transparency, and innovation.
• Competitive Benefits:
  • Competitive salary and comprehensive health benefits.
  • Generous PTO, wellness initiatives and parental leave.
  • Retirement saving plans.
  • Opportunities for continued learning and professional development.
  • A supportive, collaborative, and casual work environment.

How We Work

This role requires three in-office days per week. Remote work is not available for this position.

This description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this position. The actual duties, responsibilities, and qualifications may vary based on assignment or group. DAC is an equal opportunity employer, committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, citizenship, genetic information, disability, or any other basis prohibited by applicable federal, provincial, state, or municipal law. If you require an accommodation in any aspect of the selection process, please reach out to [e-mail].

At DAC we celebrate your contributions, provide you with opportunities, and support your total well-being. Our offerings include health, vision, dental, life, disability, financial, and retirement benefits, as well as paid leave, professional development, tuition assistance, work-life programs, and employee assistance support. Full-time employees are eligible to participate in the DAC benefit programs.

Salary at DAC is determined by various factors, including but not limited to location, the individual's particular combination of education, knowledge, skills, competencies, and experience, as well as contract-specific affordability and organizational requirements. The projected compensation range for this position is $170,000 to $195,000. In addition to base salary, this role is eligible for commission, making total compensation inclusive of both fixed and variable components. The estimate displayed represents the base salary range for this position and is just one component of DAC's total compensation package for employees.