Sr. Context Director

Unitedmasterstranslation; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 145,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Unitedmasterstranslation is seeking a Sr. Context Director to lead integrated cultural communications strategies for high-impact brands in Brooklyn, New York. The role requires a proven track record in communications planning and deep fluency in African American culture.

The ideal candidate will have over 9 years of experience and be responsible for managing client relationships, developing strategies, and leading cross-agency teams. A competitive salary range of $145,000 - $170,000 is offered for this pivotal role.

Qualifications

• Advanced experience in communications strategy and media planning.
• Deep understanding of multicultural and African American audience dynamics.
• Strong presentation and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of integrated communications strategies.
• Provide cultural intelligence and audience insights.
• Manage senior-level client relationships.

Skills

Integrated communications planning

Audience strategy

Cultural intelligence

Creative judgment

Education

9+ years of experience in communications planning

Job description

Who We Are

We are an award-winning independent creative solutions company that helps ambitious brands harness the power of culture to solve their biggest challenges. As a unique mix of experts in culture, technology, and storytelling, we are united by a passion to grow brands in ways that advertising alone can never do.

We are an entrepreneurial business — not a traditional "ad agency." That means we value resourcefulness and tenacity just as much as we value creativity and intelligence. We’re unapologetically ambitious.

We are looking for a Sr. Context Director to lead integrated cultural communications strategy across a portfolio of high-impact brands.

Location: Brooklyn, New York (four days in-office and one day remote).

What You'll Do

Integrated Strategy & Communications Planning

• Lead the development of integrated communications strategies across paid, owned, earned, and experiential channels
• Translate business objectives into full-funnel channel architecture, go-to-market plans, and campaign systems
• Own the narrative structure and strategic flow of key deliverables, ensuring clarity, cohesion, and persuasiveness

Cultural Intelligence & Audience Strategy

• Provide ongoing cultural intelligence, audience insight, and marketplace POV to inform campaign and brand strategy
• Develop and apply audience-first frameworks that reflect the nuances of African American consumer dynamics and broader cultural segments
• Ensure all work is grounded in credible insight and aligned to real consumer behaviors and tensions

Media Strategy & Partner Integration

• Direct strategic inputs into media planning, including channel mix, audience strategy, and partner evaluation
• Guide development of custom partnerships, from RFI/RFP through execution, ensuring cultural relevance and business impact
• Collaborate closely with internal and external media teams to align strategy, execution, and performance expectations
• Contribute to Investment Briefings and campaign planning workstreams with clear, data-informed recommendations

Creative Development & World-Building

• Pressure-test creative concepts through a culturally fluent lens, ensuring authenticity, resonance, and effectiveness
• Partner with Creative, Talent, and Production teams to shape how ideas come to life across platforms and moments
• Translate strategy into actionable frameworks that guide execution across content, partnerships, and media

Client & Stakeholder Leadership

• Maintain and grow senior-level client relationships, serving as a trusted strategic partner
• Lead cross-agency collaboration within complex Integrated Agency Team (IAT) environments
• Influence decision-making across stakeholders, ensuring alignment between strategy, creative, and media

Team Leadership & Development

• Manage and mentor a team of Context planners across media and creative workstreams
• Oversee resourcing, workflow, and output quality across multiple concurrent campaigns
• Provide clear direction, actionable feedback, and professional development support

Cross-Portfolio Contribution

• Apply Context discipline across multiple categories and business challenges, adapting approach based on brand needs
• Contribute to broader organizational thought leadership, identifying opportunities to evolve how Context drives impact across the business

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Advanced integrated communications planning across paid, owned, earned, and experiential channels
• Strong command of audience strategy, channel roles, and media ecosystem dynamics
• Ability to translate cultural research and data into clear, commercially grounded recommendations
• Deep fluency in African American culture, subcultures, and media behaviors
• Experience evaluating media partners using audience fit, indexing, and performance signals
• Strong creative judgment and ability to connect strategy to execution
• Executive-level presentation, storytelling, and stakeholder management skills
• Operational discipline within complex, fast-paced, multi-agency environments

Minimum Qualifications

• 9+ years of experience in communications planning, cultural strategy, integrated media strategy, or related fields
• Demonstrated experience leading integrated campaigns for large, complex brands
• Proven ability to develop strategies that engage multicultural or African American audiences
• Experience working within cross-functional and multi-agency teams

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working on QSR, retail, or high-volume consumer brands
• Experience with custom partnerships, media innovation, and partner negotiations
• Experience mentoring and developing mid-to-senior level talent
• Ability to navigate both creative-driven and data-driven environments

Salary Hiring Range: $145,000 - $170,000