Group Communications Strategy Director

We were founded on the belief that the world needs more creativity. It’s what drives all our decision-making. There is just so much ineffective, badly crafted work in the world that never gets noticed, has zero impact and is a waste of client budgets. We are here to change all that. When you truly embrace creativity as a competitive advantage, you will see it transform your world and your business. We’ve witnessed this over and over with our own clients. And, as a purpose-driven company, we also use our creativity to do good in the world by supporting causes we truly believe in. 
 
With 200 staff in New York, Toronto, and Vancouver, Z.A.K. is a magnet for top global talent. Want to change your world as a marketer? Let’s fight sameness together.

Who We’re Looking For: 

We're looking for a Group Communications Strategy Director who sees communications planning as a way to unleash the true potential of great creative. This role will develop the cultural narratives and systems that shape our work across channels.

At Zulu, we believe communications planning helps us to fight sameness and drive outsized value for our clients. The discipline acts as the connective tissue from client brief to post-campaign reporting, and ensures that our creative is in a position to succeed across contexts. This role will be a senior leader responsible for key client relationships and coaching a fast-growing team.  

Key Responsibilities: 

• Lead communications strategy across key client relationships, translating business and brand goals into clear audience, communications and channel approaches across paid, earned and owned. 
• Translate strategy into creative opportunity, bringing audience behaviour, culture, context and media thinking into the process from brief through execution to help ideas reach their full potential. 
• Connect disciplines around one communications approach, partnering with Brand Strategy, Creative, Media and IAT partners to ensure creative, media and measurement work as one connected system.
• Bring a distinct, evidence-led point of view on how media is changing, using audience, cultural and performance signals to challenge default approaches and identify new opportunities across emerging behaviours.
• Be a trusted senior strategic partner to clients, simplifying complexity, confidently guiding decisions and identifying opportunities to grow both the work and the business. 
• Raise the standard of the communications strategy discipline, mentoring strategists, strengthening strategic output and helping evolve our frameworks, ways of working, new-business thinking and agency POV. 

Qualifications: 

• 8-10+ years of experience in communications, connections or integrated strategy within a creative agency or similarly integrated environment. 
• Demonstrated experience leading communications strategy across large integrated campaigns and complex client businesses.  
• Proven ability to partner with Brand Strategy and Creative from brief through execution, and lead integrated planning with media agencies and IAT partners.  
• Strong fluency in audience behaviour and the contemporary media landscape, including how context, attention and algorithmic environments influence how ideas are experienced and distributed.  
• Comfortable moving between high-level strategic architecture and detailed creative and channel implications, with strong written, verbal and presentation skills.  
• Experience leading senior client relationships and managing, mentoring and developing strategists. 

Compensation for this role ranges from $150,000 to $170,000 CAD, depending on experience. 

Zulu Alpha Kilo is an equal opportunity employer. It prohibits discrimination based on age, colour, disability, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, and any other legally protected class in accordance with applicable federal, provincial, and local laws. Zulu Alpha Kilo is committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and accessible workplace. If you are contacted for an interview and require accommodation during the interviewing process, please let us know. 

This job posting relates to an existing vacancy. Zulu Alpha Kilo uses artificial intelligence systems in the recruitment process to screen, assess, or select applicants but all hiring decisions are made by humans.  

We appreciate your interest in joining Zulu Alpha Kilo. When applicable, please include a link to your portfolio with your application. Although all applications are reviewed, only those selected for interviews will be contacted.