Lead Strategist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Position Summary: The Lead Strategist will drive client engagements focused on growth strategy, customer insights, market opportunity assessment, segmentation, positioning, innovation, and go-to-market strategy. This role combines the intellectual rigor of a management consultant with the customer-centric thinking of an agency Account Planner.

You should be equally comfortable:

• Leading executive workshops
• Building segmentation frameworks
• Conducting market opportunity assessments
• Developing value propositions
• Designing innovation and new product strategies
• Synthesizing qualitative and quantitative research
• Translating insights into actionable growth recommendations

This is a highly visible leadership role requiring exceptional strategic thinking, analytical problem-solving, and client-facing skills.

Role Qualifications

• Must be a strong conceptual thinker with experience translating consumer insights into brand and growth strategy
• Must have the ability to connect customer insights, market dynamics, and business objectives into a cohesive growth strategy
• Must have the ability to structure ambiguous business problems and develop fact-based recommendations
• Must have exceptional ability to synthesize complex information into compelling executive narratives
• Must have a strong understanding of Marketing, Revenue Growth, Innovation, Brand Building, Customer Acquisition and Retention
• Must have the ability to influence senior stakeholders and facilitate decision-making among leadership teams
• Demonstrates effectiveness in managing multiple clients and creative teams at a high level that drives organic growth
• Consistently demonstrates the invaluable leadership characteristics, such as sound judgment, the ability to positively influence team members/clients, and the innate sense of purpose and drive to enhance West Cary Group holistically

Position Responsibilities:

• Strategic Consulting Leadership
• Lead engagements focused on:
• Growth strategy development
• Market opportunity assessment
• Customer segmentation
• Brand strategy and positioning
• Value proposition development
• Customer experience strategy
• Innovation and new product development
• Go-to-market strategy
• Marketing effectiveness
• Competitive strategy
• Customer & Market Insights
• Design and lead customer insight initiatives including:
• Segmentation studies
• Jobs-to-be-Done research
• Customer journey mapping
• Voice of Customer programs
• Brand tracking
• Concept testing
• Message testing
• Innovation research
• Customer experience assessment
• Translate research findings into business implications and strategic recommendations
• Partner with research and analytics teams to ensure insight generation is tied directly to strategic outcomes
• Analytics & Commercial Problem Solving
• Lead advanced analyses including:
• Market sizing
• Demand forecasting
• Growth modeling
• Customer lifetime value analysis
• Conjoint analysis interpretation
• Segmentation analytics
• Competitive benchmarking
• Portfolio optimization
• Pricing and value analysis
• Use data to identify growth opportunities, customer needs, market gaps, competitive advantages, sources of differentiation
• Develop hypotheses, test assumptions, and drive evidence-based recommendations
• Value Proposition & Positioning Development
• Lead workshops and strategic workstreams focused on:
• Customer value proposition development
• Brand positioning
• Messaging architecture
• Differentiation strategy
• Product positioning
• Portfolio strategy
• Create clear, compelling strategic narratives that align customer needs with business capabilities
• Innovation & New Product Development
• Lead front-end innovation efforts including:
• Opportunity identification
• White space analysis
• Consumer needs assessment
• Concept generation
• Concept testing
• Product-market fit assessment
• Launch strategy development
• Work cross-functionally with marketing, product, innovation, and executive leadership teams
• Thought Leadership
• Contribute to firm growth through:
• Industry research
• Strategic frameworks
• Published thought leadership
• Conference presentations
• New business development support
• Proposal development
• Help shape the evolution of the firm's strategic consulting capabilities
• Other duties as assigned

Essential Skills and Experience:

• 8–15 years of relevant experience
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience required, MBA or advanced degree preferred
• Experience in one or more of the following:
• Management consulting
• Marketing strategy consulting
• Strategic insights consulting
• Brand consulting
• Agency account planning
• Corporate strategy
• Strong experience leading projects involving:
• Customer segmentation
• Market opportunity assessment
• Value proposition development
• Brand strategy
• Innovation strategy
• Customer experience strategy
• Go-to-market planning
• Strong presentation, communication and relationship skills with expertise in client management
• Works closely with senior management to attain and maintain the strategic vision outlined for the agency
• Ability to keep track of multiple projects at different stages of completion across teams
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with aggressive deadlines
• Ability to understand timelines, proposed budgets, staffing needs, and provide actionable feedback
• Strong expertise in brand and identity management and strategy
• Strong expertise in communication disciplines, which include marketing communications, advertising, media and public relations, print and digital design, strategy development, and project management

Reporting to this position: No direct reports