Job Description

General information

Agency: Initiative
Function: Planning
Seniority Level: Director
Employment Type: Full-Time
Location: Chicago, United States
Job Ref#: 16902




Description & Requirements



Position Summary
As Director, Communications Design you are responsible for designing the blueprint for cultural ideas to spread through communications planning excellence, integration and growth performance on your clients and brands. In your role you are responsible for translating the communications strategy into the actionable idea platform (in collaboration with creative partners) that will deliver behavioral change at all connection points. Creating innovative connections that grow brands is a passion for you. You bring an expert knowledge of the US media and communications landscape, and are well versed in opportunities impacting your client\xe2\x80\x99s audience and category \xe2\x80\x93 from the next big platform, to the biggest cultural shift coming your way. You are considered a connections expert amongst your peers & clients and when it comes to managing big projects you are a skilled & confident conductor of stakeholders of all levels. Your experience allows you to think outside the box and you have the creative ability to develop new communication ideas that allow audiences to engage, interact and share experiences with others. You will collaborate with the Strategy team on the Connections Architecture and utilize your experience & skills to manage the design of fully integrated communications plans across owned, earned and paid connections. You work closely with the analytics leads to identify appropriate audience and data strategies to unlock growth. You lead the relationship with SBUs and client agencies roster throughout the design stages, and collaborate with the Partnerships team in evaluating & selecting the right partners, and appropriate spends across the Communications Design blueprint.

Key Responsibilities


Client

• Oversee client education program around communications design relevant marketplace trends.
• Present the communications design idea and recommendation to the client in collaboration with Client Leadership, Strategy and Partnerships
• Oversee the day to day requirements and workflow of the client as it relates to Communications Design outputs, in consultation with Client Leads

Internal

• Responsible for the communications design brief deployment and relevant stakeholder engagement (Specialty Business Units, partnerships, partner agencies, media)
• Lead ideation sessions and curate outcomes
• Responsible for the development of the communications idea all connections will help unlock
• Responsible for effective design of communications architecture and ecosystem delivery across Owned, Earned, Shared, Paid (OESP) for your clients. Within the team, responsible for ensuring communications plans move far beyond paid, and are unified by a clear idea and communications behavior/s
• Responsible for analytics strategy per brief and the integration of MBI input

Commercial

• Responsible for integration of Specialty Business Units activities within every relevant brief, in line with business goals
• Responsible for implementation of communications design deliverables as part of client business development & growth strategy

New Business

• Responsible for the production of best in class communications design outcomes on assigned pitches

Desired Skills & Experience

• Bachelor degree in related field or equivalent experience
• 8+ years in integrated planning role in media, publisher / vendor, or communications discipline (digital, content)
• 4+ years of experience in managing or developing staff
• Category or audience experience as relevant per assignment
• Ability to delegate and oversee direct reports
• Proven ability to develop and maintain strong professional relationships with senior clients, colleagues and vendors
• Strong time management and organizational skills
• Required PC proficiency and solid working knowledge of Microsoft Office (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc.)
• Proven problem solving ability
• Ability to work successfully within a team, handling multiple projects and meeting tight deadlines under pressure
• Experience/involvement in new business planning and strong presentations skills

Wage and Benefits



We offer a Total Rewards package that includes medical and dental coverage, 401(k) plans, flex spending, life insurance, disability, employee discount program, employee stock purchase program and paid family benefits to support you and your family. To give you the ability to better meet your personal needs, and in support of your physical and emotional well-being, you will receive discretionary time off days and company-wide Appreciation Weeks and Wellness Days.


We also offer a competitive Total Compensation package, including a competitive salary and eligibility for an annual discretionary incentive award or a relevant incentive award.


The salary range for this position is $150,000 to $160,000. Where an employee or prospective employee is paid within this range will depend on, among other factors, actual ranges for current/former employees in the subject position, market considerations, budgetary considerations, tenure and standing with the Company (applicable to current employees), as well as the employee\xe2\x80\x99s/applicant\xe2\x80\x99s skill set, level of experience, and qualifications.


Employment Transparency



It is the policy of Mediabrands, division of the Interpublic group, to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, citizenship, genetic information, veteran status, disability, or any other basis prohibited by applicable federal, state, or local law.


Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.


The employer will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the American with Disabilities Act of 1990. The job description will be reviewed periodically as duties and responsibilities change with business necessity. Essential and other job functions are subject to modification. Reasonable accommodations may be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.


For applicants to jobs in the United States: In compliance with the current Americans with Disabilities Act and state and local laws, if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation to apply for a position with Mediabrands, please email accommodation@mbww.com.





About Us




Initiative is different to other media agencies.
We are not trapped by a legacy structure primarily centered on paid advertising. Instead, we are liberated by a new world structure designed to deliver highly differentiated and highly effective communications strategies for our clients.
We are the world\xe2\x80\x99s fastest growing media agency built upon the strongest strategic capability of any agency in the market. Core to this strategic proposition is the belief that the faster a brand can move through culture the more relevant it can become.
We call this Cultural Velocity \xe2\x84\xa2.
Our process is designed to create ideas that move through culture through unique insight, market leading analytics and strategic media brilliance.
Our new world model is comprised of \xe2\x80\x9ccraft centers\xe2\x80\x9d \xe2\x80\x93 Client Advice and Management, Strategy, Communications Design, Partnership and Culture, Insights & Analytics.