Strategy Lead

Strategy Lead – Smith Street (via OMD)

• Smith Street is Coles' agency village, an integrated team of brand, media, tech, advertising, social and comms experts
• Strategy Lead to champion big (and small) media ideas
• Team of c100 across creative and media
• Melbourne CBD
• Full-time hybrid permanent (3 days office per week)
• Reporting to Group Head of Strategy and Managing Partner, Smith Street

Here is your chance to strategically lead one of the largest and most exciting accounts in Australia. Entering into its biggest era of transformation, Coles is relying on our team at Smith Street to take them into the future in a bold, creative and customer-centric fashion.

This is a career-defining, unique and influential role, positioned within the fully integrated agency model. There's a real opportunity to impact work at a whole-business level, working closely with key senior stakeholders across the client business and other creative Omnicom disciplines.

We are looking for a strategic superstar to push the work forward: creating positive business impact, inspiring work and internal teams, and developing media and communications solutions rooted in growth and effectiveness. You'll be bringing the media voice into every conversation and be a beacon for the wider OMD strategy community.

This senior role sits at the heart of the Smith Street Leadership Team and with close collaboration with senior creative strategy partners and key clients.

Supported by the Group Head of Strategy, and with a data analyst as a direct report, you will work across the full Coles ecosystem; blending data and insight to become a representative and facilitator of modern media creativity.

We don't mind a bit of quirk here, and we love the spirit of 'working it out', so bring your curious self to the role and put your own stamp on it.

The day-to-day responsibilities

• Leading brand strategies across one of the most exciting and fast-moving categories: from annual planning to digital transformation, to designing the campaigns that make Australians' Christmas. This role requires a whole-business understanding to drive impact and growth at a portfolio level.
• Building the reputation of Coles and Omnicom as strategic, creative and media leaders: developing unique audience insights and creative media solutions that drive effectiveness.
• Working across integrated ecosystem: planning, leading conversations and activations that operate across owned, earned and shared elements.
• Becoming the strategic business leader and guardian across the highly engaged, cross-functional Smith Street team: developing coaching and inspiration initiatives that create positive influence and engagement cross-discipline, and with junior team members.
• Bringing a passion for innovation and finding new business opportunities that sit outside the brief: Fastly establishing themselves as true client partner who can co-create what's next and spot opportunities ahead of client competitors.
• Working with multi-discipline teams and client stakeholders: Collaboration, and a passion for building work that drives industry change will both be core elements of this role.

What you'll bring

• Experience: We are looking for senior experience, ideally 8+ years, in business and/or media strategy, with experience leading strategy for large, household brands. Portfolio experience is preferred, a lean towards digital is an advantage, gravitas is a necessity.
• Leadership: A natural leader and passionate advocate for our industry, acting as a voice for internal teams, client partners and the wider market. We are looking for a proven leader with high EQ, able to collaborate with key stakeholders to drive business growth and strong client and internal relationships. You're connected to tech and have your finger on the cultural pulse of Australia.
• Adaptability: Demonstrated ability to lead the development of brand and campaign strategies built on unique insights, and responsive to changes in industry and business priorities.
• Proactivity: The ability to lead conversations and change, rather than simply respond to briefs: leveraging the power of our teams, global network, tools and capabilities to act as a fully integrated client partner.
• Dedication to creativity: From the big ideas to an obsession with consumer behaviour, you will bring a passion for making or breaking traditional approaches to drive business and industry change.
• Strong decision-making skills and influence: The ability and experience to work closely with senior stakeholders within a business consulting role; connecting multiple stakeholders and priorities across the client portfolio.

Why Smith Street?

Smith Street leverages the power of Omnicom, combining creative, transformation, media and more to create bespoke, industry-leading business, communications and client solutions.

As part of a passionate team of approximately 100 industry leaders, you will be empowered by diverse knowledge and collaboration, driving positive change for the client and industry while learning from other team members.

This is a truly unique role in market; allowing a senior Strategy Lead to influence the whole marketing ecosystem, stretching thinking within a structure where innovation is built into its core.