Strategy Partner

Dentsu is an integrated growth and transformation partner to the world’s leading organizations. Founded in 1901 in Tokyo, Japan, and now present in over 145 countries and regions, it has a proven track record of nurturing and developing innovations, combining the talents of its global network of leadership brands to develop impactful and integrated growth solutions for clients. Dentsu delivers end-to-end experience transformation (EX) by integrating its services across Media, CXM and Creative, while its business transformation (BX) mindset pushes the boundaries of transformation and sustainable growth for brands, people and society. 

Carat is an award-winning media agency that uses its peerless understanding of the passions, motivations, and behaviours of real people to bring brands and their customers together. Carat is privileged to work with some of the most eminent companies in the world.

We are recruiting for a Strategy Partner to join on team and be based out of the London Office.

Role Purpose

The purpose of the Strategy Partner role is to build strong upstream relationships clients and to support the Global Client Lead and Digital partner to deliver a business plan that will galvanize dentsu international’s operating model and, where appropriate, the network (local markets) around both the objectives of the client and the business.

The role will focus on delivering a gold standard product around the International brands, providing a roadmap for the wider business to aspire to in terms of media efficiency and effectiveness.

As a Senior representative of the agency in the client HQ location, the role will support to deliver thought leadership and innovative approaches within the global client, maintaining a pulse on the Red Star network, dentsu international, and media industry developments. The International brands provide a ripe route to deployment and pilot.

The role will support the development of a strong agency relationship across the International brands, supporting and coordinating any wider supplementary resource to service these stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Digital Strategy acceleration and deployment across the international Brands Within the international Brand support lead development of digital media strategy, and digital media planning, enabling development of optimal global assets and campaigns, and utilisation in market to drive efficiency and business effectiveness

• Support the Strategy Partner across international Brand team’s strategy delivery and media planning, ensuring digital acceleration, but also a wider Data driven philosophy and approach

• Collaboration.

  • Work collaboratively with key additional agency partners, ensuring a harmonious relationship, and that red Star brings acknowledged added value to all

  • Smoothly Integrate in wider team and dentsu specialists at appropriate times (subject matter experts, and JBP leam for example)

  • Ensure a smooth link to global brand central activation maintaining a strong feedback loop and relationship with the Centre of excellence team in AMS (central digital activation for HNK brand)

• Network Support - Support (key) local teams in their localisaiton of global frameworks and tool kits to ensure innovative media solutions that work within and alongside global frameworks. International brand focus.

• Integrating with the martech and automated reporting stack workstream to ensure a clear roadmap and brief vs int brand needs is set, and leveraged post delivery

• Thought Leadership - Work with wider global team, dentsu thought leaders, and network, to help Identify trends and generate insights across markets that can inform the strategic direction for the wider agency teams and Heineken organisation

• Leverage a strong knowledge of dentsu international planning tools and processes (M1, CCS Planner and understand when these should be implemented in the planning process to aid workflow management and client delivery

• Relationship Management: Supporting the delivery of outstanding client service for central clients and working with In Account Director to deliver according to appropriate contact strategy and client service plan

• Client Knowledge: Demonstrate a good understanding of the client’s products, services, evolution vision and targets

• Proactive Client Development: Support the team in identifying opportunities for cross-sell and up-sell across the dentsu international capabilities (E.g., Influencer strategy -Gleam, Content support TSL)

• Culture: Help demonstrate and evolve the high energy culture of Red Star developed across the world to best service and grow the client relationship

Key Skills

• Experience working on large matrix organisation Clients  

• Collaborator that brings local, regional, and global teams together for decision making (including Global and Local clients, Global and Local DI, as well as other media partners)

• Proven capability of managing timings and deadlines accordingly for global communications

• Thorough media and particularly digital media planning understanding

• Solid understanding of media budgeting, ROI, and portfolio management for large global clients

• Knowledge of technology and innovation led brands would be beneficial

• Works well with partner agencies and media owners across the globe to deliver the best output for the client (e.g., creative, search, social, PR, etc.)

• Evidence of People management experience: sense of ownership in carrying out direct reports’ and peer reviews and providing feedback

What we offer

This is a permanent role. The team is based in our London office but operates under flexible working arrangements. The team are currently in the office twice a week.

As well as a competitive salary, you’ll enjoy a benefits package that you can tailor to your needs.

Inclusion and Diversity