Senior Strategist

Leo Chicago; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 81,000 - 117,000; Full time

Job summary

Leo Chicago is seeking a strategic thinker to guide how ideas move from screen to real world across media, paid, earned and owned. You will bridge creative thinking to all media, collaborating with Audience, Brand, Media, Social, and CRM strategy to deliver final plans.

You will lead research, develop strategic plans, and translate consumer insights into integrated campaigns, bringing a creative outlook and strong media/communications expertise to every project.

Qualifications

• Be fluent in audience research techniques; databases, ethnography, desk research.
• Have 5+ years of professional experience (media experience not mandatory, but communications strategy is).
• Strong understanding of contemporary laws of brand growth
• Working knowledge of contemporary media landscape and players
• Be able to collaborate across skill sets and seniority levels
• Be a front footed self-starter that chases opportunity and doesnt wait for it to come

Responsibilities

• Translate dry media plans into exciting and clear creative opportunities for teams.
• Work with media, social and CRM teams to identify the right channels, moments, and formats to bring a creative idea to life.
• Create an integrated campaign structure that all members of the IAT can collaborate around to maintain focus but allow for deep dives.
• Immerse teams in the consumer world and POV to inspire resonant thinking.
• Demonstrate how to craft best in class consumer journeys that illustrate audience understanding and unleash creativity.
• Develop inspirational tactical briefs that motivate creative teams to deliver best in class creative
• Upskill teams understanding of emerging trends and platforms
• Define the measurement strategy for each campaign

Skills

Brand builder

Passionate storyteller

Culture setter

Architect & gardener

Lovingly Challenge

Job description

Company Description

A global creative constellation built for what’s next—uniting the human vision of the Leo Burnett network with the innovation of Publicis Worldwide.

Company Description

A global creative constellation built for what’s next—uniting the human vision of the Leo Burnett network with the innovation of Publicis Worldwide.

Leo is HI × AI: Human Insight, Human Ideas, Human Impact—supercharged by the data and technology to move faster, go further, and deliver everywhere.

Leo brings together 15,000+ people across 90 countries, combining global scale with creative firepower to drive outsized impact for brands.

Overview

Your role is one of the most important in the strategy team as you will guide the way that ideas go from screen to real world in unforgettable, simple, and consistent ways to drive business outcomes. Functionally, this means guiding how ideas are implemented across all media, inclusive of paid media, commerce, earned and owned media.

You will work as part of a multi-disciplinary strategy team that also includes Audience, Brand, Media, Social, and CRM strategy. You will be the glue that bridges creative thinking to all media and commerce. In this role, you will be responsible for research, strategic development, and collaborating with both internal partners and clients to deliver final plans.

The role combines media and creative responsibilities into one role, requiring candidates that have a creative outlook and track record, and a strong working capability in media/communications strategy as well.

Responsibilities

DAY-TO-DAY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Translate dry media plans into exciting and clear creative opportunities for teams
• Work with media, social and CRM teams to identify the right channels, moments, and formats to bring a creative idea to life
• Create an integrated campaign structure that all members of the IAT can collaborate around to maintain focus but allow for deep dives.
• Immerse teams in the consumer’s world and POV to inspire resonant thinking
• Demonstrate how to craft best in class consumer journeys that illustrate audience understanding and unleash creativity.
• Develop inspirational tactical briefs that motivate creative teams to deliver best in class creative
• Upskill teams understanding of emerging trends and platforms
• Define the measurement strategy for each campaign

Projects & Responsibilities

Campaign planning & execution.

6-8 Campaign a year.

• Work with brand strategy and media to define the audience, what we need them to do and what’s preventing them from doing that.
• Define the jobs to be done - the change the brand needs to see in the world - for each campaign based on brand goals and audience barriers.
• Identify creative opportunities in their attitudes, behaviors, needs, and pain-points that could help us overcome barriers to purchase.
• Collaborate with media, omni, and PR to develop a channel mix that will work to address our jobs to be done
• Create a comms framework that shows the jobs to be done, channels, messaging and KPIs all line up to address campaign goals.
• Brief and inspire creative teams and partners on the tactical needs for each campaign.
• Show clients how all the creative fits together to achieve their goals in the campaign - user journey and go-to-market plan.
• Recommend measurement solutions and provide analytics to help report on the effectiveness and efficiency of our campaigns.

Annual planning.

Once a year.

• Support comms lead in
  • Defining and prioritizing the year’s business goals
  • Determining the communications challenges sitting behind your business goals
  • Defining the brand’s critical communications goals for the year
  • Working with IAT partners to gather historical performance and takeaways, as they relate to our goals
  • Understanding the category, media, and cultural landscape that overlaps with our brand - what are the headwinds and tailwinds we can work with?
  • Draft integrated campaign briefs

Qualifications

THE TYPE OF PERSON WE’RE LOOKING FOR:

• Brand builder: You are obsessed with the principles and craft of brand building, and inherently believe in the power of brands and the role they play in people’s lives.
• Passionate storyteller: You are adept at developing powerful narratives that deliver insights and strategy in an engaging and persuasive way. As a presenter, you tell a clear and compelling story, command your audience’s attention, and anticipate and answer questions that may arise
• Culture setter: you model calm, clarity and conviction in the face of ambiguity. You always reframe perceived setbacks as part of the brand building process, not the end of it. You show everyone around you what persistence looks like - especially when it’s hard.
• Architect & a gardener: you love designing the dream of the future, and you also love getting your hands dirty because that’s often where you learn something new that makes you even better.
• “Lovingly Challenge”: Your first instinct is to fall in love – with the brand, the category, the consumer and the place in culture that the brand occupies. And then your second instinct, from that place of love, is to challenge. To push past the status quo, constantly strive to do things better, and to bring everyone along with you for the ride.

Requirements

• Be fluent in audience research techniques; databases, ethnography, desk research.
• Have 5+ years of professional experience (media experience not mandatory, but communications strategy is)
• Strong understanding of contemporary laws of brand growth
• Working knowledge of contemporary media landscape and players
• Be able to collaborate across skill sets and seniority levels
• Be a front footed self-starter that chases opportunity and doesn’t wait for it to come

Additional Information

Our Publicis Groupe motto “Viva La Différence” means we’re better together, and we believe that our differences make us stronger. It means we honor and celebrate all identities, across all facets of intersectionality, and it underpins all that we do as an organization. We are focused on fostering belonging and creating equitable & inclusive experiences for all talent.

Publicis Groupe provides robust and inclusive benefit programs and policies to support the evolving and diverse needs of our talent and enable every person to grow and thrive. Our benefits package includes medical coverage, dental, vision, disability, 401K, as well as parental and family care leave, family forming assistance, tuition reimbursement, and flexible time off.

If you require accommodation or assistance with the application or onboarding process specifically, please contact [e-mail].

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Compensation Range: USD $81,225.00 - USD $116,655.00/Annually. This is the pay range the Company believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on the skills, qualifications, and experience of the applicant along with the requirements of the position, and the Company reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time. Temporary roles may be eligible to participate in our freelancer/temporary employee medical plan through a third-party benefits administration system once certain criteria have been met. Temporary roles may also qualify for participation in our 401(k) plan after eligibility criteria have been met. For regular roles, the Company will offer medical coverage, dental, vision, disability, 401k, and paid time off. The Company anticipates the application deadline for this job posting will be 7/6/2026.