Senior Vice President, Consumer Brands (Chicago)

MSL (Global); Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical coverage

401k plan

Paid time off

Job summary

MSL is seeking a Senior Vice President for our Consumer practice in Chicago. You will lead cross-functional teams to turn culture into influence, shaping strategic conversations and integrated social-first programs for major retail and consumer brands.

You'll manage senior client relationships, drive paid, social, influencer, and AI-enabled strategies, mentor talent, grow the business, and help elevate the agency's influence in the market.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in consumer marketing with national program execution.
• Ability to lead as part of an integrated team and develop client relationships.
• Strong understanding of culture and how it informs brand strategy.
• Experience managing senior client relationships and leading cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Inspire teams to turn culture into influence and build integrated social-first programs.
• Lead strategic conversations and drive PESO-driven storytelling.
• Manage client relationships and agency revenue growth.
• Oversee multiple disciplines to deliver cohesive campaigns.

Skills

Consumer marketing

Integrated leadership

Storytelling

Trend awareness

Client relationships

Education

BA in Public Relations, Communications or related discipline

Job description

At MSL, we're on a mission to make every client more influential and a positive force of influence in the(ir) world. Why? Because we know that influence = impact and the more influential you are, the more impactful you can be. We're proud to partner with incredible brands, companies and leaders who want to push boundaries and create change – and we're looking for passionate creators and storytellers who want to do the same. But it's not just our work (and the awards we win for it) that energizes us, it's who we are as a team. A team of powerhouse professionals that is driven by three core values: Leading, Learning and Loving. A team that has ranked us a "Best Place to Work" in the industry year over year. If you like what you've read so far, please go on for details on the SVP role we have open.

What we're looking for: A Senior Vice President for MSL's Consumer practice in our Chicago office.

What you bring to the table: Significant experience in consumer marketing with a focus on executing national programs, expertise in leading as part of an integrated team and the ability to build strong, deep relationships with clients. You live and breathe culture. Your TikTok FYP is basically a focus group, you know what's trending before your group text does, and you have a point of view on why it matters for brands. You're also a strong combination of collaborative spirit, innovative thinking, and has a passion for current trends.

What you'll do: Inspire your teams to turn culture into influence, spot what's next before it trends, and build integrated social-first programs that get people talking, sharing, searching and acting.

Here's our promise: Give us your all, and we'll provide the space and inspiration to go wherever you want to go. You'll bounce ideas off of and get feedback from the industry's best thinkers. You won't be a part of the conversation, you'll create it.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as senior integrated business lead for one of the country's most influential retail brands, shaping strategies, conversations and cultural moments that drive trust, relevance and business impact.
• Bring a working knowledge of paid, social, influencer, digital and emerging channels, with the ability to connect disciplines into integrated programs that drive results.
• Maintain deep understanding of the clients’ businesses, priorities, challenges and the competitive landscape.
• Lead the development of modern social-first communications strategies that incorporate AI search, LLM visibility and emerging discovery behaviors alongside earned, social and influencer approaches.
• Champion integrated PESO thinking that connect channels into one seamless storytelling ecosystem.
• Bring a relentless focus on culture, identifying emerging conversations, platform behaviors, creators and consumer shifts that can shape brand relevance and influence.
• Elevate creativity from brand strategy to activations, drive innovative marketing programs to help client achieve goals.
• Secure and expand agency relationship; and grow agency billings.
• Build rapport and credibility with clients, based on trust and expert counsel.
• Lead high-performing, integrated teams across earned, social, influencer, digital, paid and creative disciplines, bringing diverse perspectives together behind one connected strategy.
• Develop talent and inspire teams to think bigger, challenge convention, test new ideas and continually raise the bar for themselves, our clients and the practice.
• Oversee account team operations, profitability and finances, and organic growth plans to meet or exceed revenue goals.
• Lead new business pitches.

Requirements/Skills:

• 12+ years previous experience and a B.A. in Public Relations, Communications or a related discipline
• Equal parts strategist, culture junkie and storyteller, with the ability to connect what's happening in culture to what matters in business
• A natural curiosity for what's next, from emerging influencer communities and consumer behaviors to new platforms, technologies and cultural moments
• Experience building integrated PESO programs where earned, paid, shared and owned channels work together to drive conversation, relevance and impact
• Strong understanding of how AI-powered search, LLMs and evolving discovery behaviors are reshaping discovery and relevance, with the ability to turn those shifts into communications strategies
• Proven experience in managing integrated teams (inclusive of account, strategy, creative and digital) for numerous client programs with a blend of strong time management, leadership, team building, mentoring and client relation skills
• Proven experience working in tandem with other creative agencies to develop comprehensive campaigns
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills as well as an ability to develop new business presentations are essential
• Versatility, agility and adaptability that allows for work across different clients, IATs and workstreams
• Ability to stay steps ahead of clients’ needs and anticipate what’s needed today and in the future
• Comfortable using AI tools and workflows to enhance thinking, creativity, content development, audience insights and productivity
• Be open to constantly building and evolving for the business and practice
• Experience across retail, healthcare and corpsumer brands is a plus
• Bilingual or international experience is a plus

Compensation Range: $180,215- $299,637 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.