Senior Strategist

Who We Are VML, part of WPP, is a leading creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce, creating connected brands to drive growth. VML is celebrated for its innovative and human first, award-winning work for blue chip client partners including AstraZeneca, Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, Ford, Microsoft, Nestlé, The Coca-Cola Company, and Wendy's. The agency is recognized by the Forrester Wave™ Reports, as a Leader among Marketing Creative and Content Service Providers, Commerce Services, Global Digital Experience Services, Global Marketing Services and, most recently, Marketing Measurement & Optimization. In addition, VML’s specialist health network, VML Health, is one of the world’s largest and most awarded health agencies. VML’s global network is powered by 26,000 talented people across 55+ markets, with principal offices in Kansas City, New York, Detroit, London, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, and Sydney. About WPP WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. We unite cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, world-class creativity, next-generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel in a single company – powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open, to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth. For more information, visit WPP.com . Job Summary: The Senior Strategist is a key member of the VML Brand Strategy team, playing a significant role in the development and execution of innovative brand strategies for our key clients. This role requires a seasoned strategic thinker with a proven ability to translate business challenges into actionable marketing solutions, including ones the clients can’t see yet themselves. The Senior Strategist will lead strategic workstreams within engagements, collaborating with Creative and Account leadership, subject matter experts and client teams, mentoring junior strategists, and contributing to business growth for both VML and our clients. This individual will contribute to the strategy lifecycle, including supporting pitches and measuring campaign effectiveness. Key Responsibilities: Strategic Contribution: Develops and contributes to strategic approaches and outcomes that effectively solve client challenges, ensuring alignment with business objectives and market environment. Strategic Craft: Develops compelling and insightful strategies and frameworks, craft clear, concise strategic narratives, and translates complex data into actionable opportunities, with the Creative Team a most critical audience Research Tools: Demonstrates proficiency in using various research methodologies (qualitative, quantitative) and actively utilizes VML tools/resources in addition to proactively learning about new tools/resources. Conducts and designs breakthrough research and analysis to identify key findings and deliver transformative analysis for our teams and clients. Strategic Activation Support: Supports the implementation of approved strategies, ensuring effective execution. Comfort making a Strategic recommendation and defending it with data and cultural evidence Awards & Recognition: Contributes to the writing of WARC 100 Award entries, such as Cannes Lions and Effies, showcasing the impact and effectiveness of the team's work. Measurement and Optimization : Using our internal Toolset, support strategy leadership in the building and demonstration of how our strategy and work creates demonstrable change to our client’s business in market. AI Engineering & Prompting: Understands the capabilities and limitations of AI in marketing and brand strategy Experiments with AI tools to enhance strategic development and execution, crystalize cultural trends, form hypotheses, and ultimately make our work more effectively human Business Development Contribution : Identifies and communicates opportunities to grow client business, contrib…