About Us 

Initiative unlocks business growth for the world’s most ambitious brands. We believe in the power of media to reshape our industry and orchestrate a brand’s entire consumer experience, by balancing both what unites people and what makes them different.  

When brands unite people in culture, they build Fame, and when brands connect individuals to their unique journeys, they build customer Flow.  

Media responsibility is at the forefront of everything we do, whether it’s creating media plans that reflect the diversity of our communities, promote brand safety, and foster sustainability.  

Our agency celebrates diversity in an inclusive environment where all of our 6,000+ strong talent across 90+ markets feel seen, heard, and valued. Our vision is to create not only a better media company, but also a better media industry, and maybe even a better world.  

Department Overview

Initiative’s Strategists generate smart and strategic brand platforms that inspire and inform the conditions needed for each brand to grow. They are the agency’s cultural architects, single-minded in both their approach and ambition to create lasting cultural impact vs. singular media moments
Future-focused and independent, they sit as an entrepreneurial, agile unit of consumer, creative & analytical experts who are cast & deployed according to Brief/skillset vs. Client. They take a holistic ‘full world’ view to drive smarter, better & broader ‘media’ thinking that generates more interesting and rich territories for a brand to explore, working in creative collaboration with all teams - Client Advice, Communications Design & Partnerships - to inspire and inform the creation & design of culturally-led brand experiences. 
A brilliant & diverse group of creatives, analysts, planners & anthropologists, they are charged with leveraging the cultural landscape to find the most profitable communications opportunity for growth. Initiative strategists: 

•    Are experts in consumer & cultural insight 
•    Lead the creation of strategic platforms that inspire & inform the Communications Design process
•    Work with creative & cultural collaboration partners (media, creative, technology, platforms, Specialty Business Units) to shape how a brand will behave & lead within culture 
•    Maintain ownership of that vision from planning through to execution, ensuring that the design/delivery of the total brand experience is both strategically sound & rooted in genuine cultural insight
•    Lead the development and identification of new & interesting cultural opportunities (audiences to target &/or spaces to inhabit) to meet & surpass the required business goals
•    Drive bigger, better & smarter thinking across platforms & touchpoints to deliver more innovative & creative strategic thinking that can direct the design of leading-edge solutions & award-winning breakthrough work

Client Information

This is an exciting opportunity to work with on IBM EMEA Business, a brand new IPG client across the EMEA region. The account opportunities include:

£55M investment across 10-12 markets with DE/UK as the largest priority markets Business that is centrally managed, planned and bought - with local support where necessary The client is looking for our strategic advice on how to recalibrate investment across markets, as well as a new approach to managing brand and demand marketing in order to deliver a step change in the perception of their business as a leader in AI We also have big partnership ambitions to integrate their Watsonx (AI tech) into IPG’s Interact as a first of its kind! This is a high profile partnership for people with big ambitions to do great work!

Role Description 

We’re looking for someone who finds the evolving B2B landscape fascinating and wants to play a pivotal role in shaping the next chapter of growth for some of the world’s most ambitious businesses. Whether you’re already a seasoned B2B strategist or have deep experience working with B2B clients and are looking to make the move into strategy, this is an exciting opportunity to lead high-profile accounts and drive real impact.

You’ll be at the centre of a major global B2B account, overseeing strategic investment across multiple EMEA markets from our London hub. With a significant media budget spanning 10-12 countries, where the UK and Germany are key priority markets, you’ll be responsible for ensuring investment is optimised to fuel both brand and demand growth.

As the strategic lead, you’ll work closely with local market teams, performance specialists, and ABM experts to evolve the client’s media approach, balancing immediate lead generation with long-term brand positioning. You’ll also have the opportunity to shape high-profile partnerships, including pioneering work in AI-driven marketing innovation.

Key Challenges You’ll Tackle:

Investment Strategy: Recalibrating spend across markets to maximise impact and efficiency. Brand vs. Demand: Creating a strategic roadmap to balance brand building with short-term conversion, helping reposition the client as a leader in their field. ABM & Lead Nurture: Collaborating with specialists to drive best-in-class demand generation and nurture activity. Audience & Execution: Working within a sophisticated audience framework to ensure media is executed effectively and identifying opportunities for enhancement. Innovative Partnerships: Leading on ambitious collaborations that bring cutting-edge tech into our media approach, positioning the client at the forefront of AI-driven marketing.

Beyond this flagship account, you’ll also contribute to the broader B2B strategy across Initiative’s client portfolio, working on a mix of leading global brands across finance, tech, and professional services.

This is an opportunity to be at the heart of a fast-moving, high-growth category—if you’re ready to shape the future of B2B media, we’d love to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities

Client:

Demonstrate understanding of the clients' key business and challenges Contributes to client meetings in a valuable way, demonstrating the ability to challenge others’ opinions in the right forum/manner Deliver innovative thinking that inspires leading edge solutions and award-winning breakthrough work – contributing the creation of best in class work as standard (both internally & externally) Translates complex concepts into simple, powerful narratives using complex data/information, presenting key strategic implications/recommendations to the team/client Provides the client team with knowledge and expertise to speak confidently about the strategic direction where required Delivers upon measurable client and strategy business KPIs

Internal:

Identify, develop & oversee the delivery of unique and innovative strategies to deliver the client’s desired objectives Demonstrates how Strategy can contribute to client retention, delivering thought leadership as well as communications solutions Demonstrate a good understanding of consumers & their behaviors Clearly demonstrate how the strategy delivers on the business need and focus on results and measurement Leads the Velocity Planning (process and tools) for the team and client base, championing usage across the agency Bring fresh thinking & inspiration into the Strategic Process to help the team’s springboard to better Strategic thinking Adoption, promotion & facilitation of the Cultural Analytical Process/Tools to help teams find new insights that unlock growth Deliver executable, relevant, on brand platforms with the potential for fame/award entry Writes cohesive communications architectures that deliver on the platform and give guidance for how the brand will play in culture Train, guide & assist the Strategists in development and packaging of ideas Works in constant partnership and positively collaborate with internal (CAM, Communications Design, Partnerships and SBUs) and external (media partners and other agency partners) partners to facilitate the delivery of best in class work Use qualitative and quantitative communications channel & cultural tool research to develop applicable insights into the consumer connection with the brand Partner with Analytics to develop new tools, inputting into the development of new & cutting edge proprietary planning, research and reporting models for Initiative Lead ideation team sessions in conjunction with the Communications Design team and relevant SBUs to generate creative & compelling communications ideas Actively collect, collate and foster best-in-class case studies of award-winning and award-worthy work from around the network. Contributes to agency culture and conversation through active participation in meetings and media partner presentations Participates in industry competitions / learning and development opportunities appropriate to your level to enable you to network and challenge yourself to use your skills with new teams and in a new environment

Commercial

Contribute to Agency & Client revenue opportunities through Strategic output Works proactively with all partners (media, agency partners, academic institutions, creative consultancies), keeping up to date on their offer and using that information to help the Strategy Team unlock new growth opportunities for the client and/or the agency

New Business

Actively contributes to business pitches (for new and/or existing clients) through the support and development of strategic work

Desired Skills & Experience

Demonstrable experience in integrated strategy and planning roles in media, creative, innovation or communications discipline (digital, content, invention, social, activation) Excellent understanding of the strategic process that is channel agnostic and how to apply to a client challenge or brief to deliver optimal solutions Excellent understanding of media implementation planning and investment systems, processes and goals and how these connect to the communications platform and strategic process Ability to think differently: creative & adaptive, entrepreneurial, independently minded; deeply immersed in cultural understanding and driven by a desire to know more the world / to better understand people’s motivations & behaviors in the shifting landscape

 EXPECTATIONS OF YOU:

Creative and adaptive, you have an ability to think differently that is evidenced through innovative work Passionate about effective communication, curiosity for human behaviour and champion for creativity that is channelled into quality output for clients Broad and up-to-date knowledge of media and consumer trends and how to apply to client business  Excellent communicator who can defend their opinion with key stakeholders, both internally and externally  Confident, articulate and persuasive presenter with outstanding written and verbal skills that translate into clear message outtake    Active in the development of others, fostering an open culture of learning and development A collaborative team player who champions the strategic process

Employee Transparency 

At IPG Mediabrands, we celebrate differences and believe this makes us stronger. IPG Mediabrands are equal-opportunity employers committed to championing an inclusive culture that provides a sense of belonging for all our employees. We do not discriminate against any applicant based on age, disability, race, colour, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, belief, marital status or any other characteristic protected by law. 

Please reach out to our Talent Inclusion Specialist Jess at [email protected] if you would like to have a confidential conversation regarding any adjustments that would ensure our recruitment process is accessible for you. Please note requesting a reasonable adjustment will not affect your application. 

The Perks 

We aim to provide all our people with a supportive and fun work environment where you can develop your full potential and benefit from the broad range of opportunities within the agency. When you join us, we want to make sure you feel valued – and that you are rewarded for your fantastic work. So, we also offer a range of benefits:

Flexi–leave, with 25 days annual leave to be taken as minimum. In addition to your holiday entitlement, the office usually closes between Christmas & New Year  Free breakfast and free lunch Early finish Fridays Core Hours (Mon-Thurs, flexible start/finish times) Retail discounts Electric vehicle salary sacrifice car scheme  Wellbeing programme, including Headspace & flu jabs  Interest free season ticket loan Paid time off for Volunteering Group Income Protection Life Assurance Private Medical Insurance or Health Cash Plan (dependent on level) Group Personal Pension Plan with matched contributions from 3-6% Generous Parental Leave & Pay Independent mortgage advice Financial education Employee Assistance Programme Free eye tests Flexible benefits including Dental, Travel insurance, Cycle to Work, Gym Discounts and many more!