Senior Strategist, Integrated Strategy
Dentsu Aegis Network, Chicago, IL, United States
About Dentsu
We are business‑driven and creatively obsessed, helping clients grow through Transformative Creativity – creativity that solves real business problems, challenges convention, and creates meaningful impact.
About the Team
Proactive leaders who set the agenda and bring energy to every engagement
Question‑ask ers who push beyond the expected to find what’s interesting
Makers and doers who turn thinking into actionable outputs
Growth‑minded teammates who seek out what they don't know as much as they do
Radical collaborators who work fluidly across disciplines
Role & Responsibilities This is a rare strategy role that keeps you sharp across two genuinely different businesses — one fast and cultural, one built on trust and considered decision‑making. The ideal candidate thrives on variety and can toggle between fast cultural work and deeper strategic thinking—while championing meaningful brand impact. You will:
Lead qualitative research, from quick cultural inputs to deeper exploratory studies.
Develop clear, inspiring creative briefs and guide others in doing the same.
Build digital architectures, brand frameworks, and consumer journeys across categories.
Synthesize signals across data, culture, and category to give creative and client teams a clear point of view — not just information, but interpretation.
Surface new growth opportunities and strategic value for creative and brand teams.
Guide multi‑disciplinary teams in measurement and learning work.
Provide thought leadership on culture, human behavior, and category dynamics.
Build strong knowledge of each client's industry and competitive landscape.
Thoughtfully apply AI to sharpen strategy, speed insights, and improve output quality—while preserving a strong strategic POV and human judgment.
Help shape awards submissions by crafting compelling case studies, defining the strategic idea and impact, and collaborating across teams to tell the story effectively.
What Success Looks Like
Seamless ability to shift between impulse‑driven and longer‑consideration consumer contexts.
Brings clarity to complexity without oversimplifying.
Stays steady and constructive when client priorities shift or briefs change mid‑stream.
Builds strong, trusting relationships across diverse client styles.
Helps creative teams understand not just the strategy, but how it flexes by category.
Qualifications
4+ years experience developing digital‑led and integrated brand strategies.
Proven track record of strong, consistent strategic ideas.
Deep understanding of how brands earn attention and trust online.
High standard for clarity, craft, and detail.
Strong storytelling and presentation skills — equally comfortable with creative teams and more conservative stakeholders.
Ability to simplify complex challenges for varied audiences.
Confident with both creative teams and more conservative stakeholders.
Curious, culturally informed, and insight‑driven – seeks out what they don't know as much as they build on what they do.
Experience with social listening, trend analysis, SEO, UX, and related tools.
Seen as a trusted partner to mid‑senior clients and a supportive mentor to juniors.
We're looking for someone who will grow with the discipline as it evolves — curious about what strategy looks like in two years, not just today.
Cross‑category experience (retail, CPG, financial services) is a plus.
Additional Information At dentsu, we believe great work happens when we’re connected. Our way of working combines flexibility with in‑person collaboration to spark ideas and strengthen our teams. Employees who live within a commutable distance of one of our hub offices, currently located in Chicago, metro Detroit, Los Angeles, and New York City, are required and expected to work from the office three days per week (two days per week for employees based in Los Angeles). Dentsu may designate other Hub offices at any time. Those who live outside a commutable range may be designated as remote, depending on the role and business needs. Regardless of your work location, we expect our employees to be flexible to meet the needs of our Company and clients, which may include attendance in an office.
The annual salary range for this position is $82,500 - $110,000. Placement within the salary range is based on a variety of factors, including relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and other factors permitted by law.
Benefits
Medical, vision, and dental insurance
Life insurance
Short‑term and long‑term disability insurance
401k
Flexible paid time off
At least 15 paid holidays per year
Paid sick and safe leave
Paid parental leave
Dentsu also complies with applicable state and local laws regarding employee leave benefits, including, but not limited to providing time off pursuant to the Colorado Healthy Families and Work places Act, in accordance with its plans and policies. For further details regarding Dentsu benefits, please visit www.dentsubenefitsplus.com.
To begin the application process, please click on the “Apply” button at the top of this job posting. Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, and qualified candidates will be contacted for next steps.
Location:
Chicago
Brand:
Dentsu Creative
Time Type:
Full time
Contract Type:
Permanent
EEO & Accessibility Statement Dentsu is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees. We do this without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, ancestry, physical or mental disability, marital status, political affiliation, religious practices and observances, citizenship status, genetic information, veteran status, or any other basis protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.
Dentsu is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to, among others, individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans. If you need an accommodation because of a disability to search and apply for a career opportunity with us, please send an e‑mail to ApplicantAccommodations@dentsu.com.
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About the Team
Proactive leaders who set the agenda and bring energy to every engagement
Question‑ask ers who push beyond the expected to find what’s interesting
Makers and doers who turn thinking into actionable outputs
Growth‑minded teammates who seek out what they don't know as much as they do
Radical collaborators who work fluidly across disciplines
Role & Responsibilities This is a rare strategy role that keeps you sharp across two genuinely different businesses — one fast and cultural, one built on trust and considered decision‑making. The ideal candidate thrives on variety and can toggle between fast cultural work and deeper strategic thinking—while championing meaningful brand impact. You will:
Lead qualitative research, from quick cultural inputs to deeper exploratory studies.
Develop clear, inspiring creative briefs and guide others in doing the same.
Build digital architectures, brand frameworks, and consumer journeys across categories.
Synthesize signals across data, culture, and category to give creative and client teams a clear point of view — not just information, but interpretation.
Surface new growth opportunities and strategic value for creative and brand teams.
Guide multi‑disciplinary teams in measurement and learning work.
Provide thought leadership on culture, human behavior, and category dynamics.
Build strong knowledge of each client's industry and competitive landscape.
Thoughtfully apply AI to sharpen strategy, speed insights, and improve output quality—while preserving a strong strategic POV and human judgment.
Help shape awards submissions by crafting compelling case studies, defining the strategic idea and impact, and collaborating across teams to tell the story effectively.
What Success Looks Like
Seamless ability to shift between impulse‑driven and longer‑consideration consumer contexts.
Brings clarity to complexity without oversimplifying.
Stays steady and constructive when client priorities shift or briefs change mid‑stream.
Builds strong, trusting relationships across diverse client styles.
Helps creative teams understand not just the strategy, but how it flexes by category.
Qualifications
4+ years experience developing digital‑led and integrated brand strategies.
Proven track record of strong, consistent strategic ideas.
Deep understanding of how brands earn attention and trust online.
High standard for clarity, craft, and detail.
Strong storytelling and presentation skills — equally comfortable with creative teams and more conservative stakeholders.
Ability to simplify complex challenges for varied audiences.
Confident with both creative teams and more conservative stakeholders.
Curious, culturally informed, and insight‑driven – seeks out what they don't know as much as they build on what they do.
Experience with social listening, trend analysis, SEO, UX, and related tools.
Seen as a trusted partner to mid‑senior clients and a supportive mentor to juniors.
We're looking for someone who will grow with the discipline as it evolves — curious about what strategy looks like in two years, not just today.
Cross‑category experience (retail, CPG, financial services) is a plus.
Additional Information At dentsu, we believe great work happens when we’re connected. Our way of working combines flexibility with in‑person collaboration to spark ideas and strengthen our teams. Employees who live within a commutable distance of one of our hub offices, currently located in Chicago, metro Detroit, Los Angeles, and New York City, are required and expected to work from the office three days per week (two days per week for employees based in Los Angeles). Dentsu may designate other Hub offices at any time. Those who live outside a commutable range may be designated as remote, depending on the role and business needs. Regardless of your work location, we expect our employees to be flexible to meet the needs of our Company and clients, which may include attendance in an office.
The annual salary range for this position is $82,500 - $110,000. Placement within the salary range is based on a variety of factors, including relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and other factors permitted by law.
Benefits
Medical, vision, and dental insurance
Life insurance
Short‑term and long‑term disability insurance
401k
Flexible paid time off
At least 15 paid holidays per year
Paid sick and safe leave
Paid parental leave
Dentsu also complies with applicable state and local laws regarding employee leave benefits, including, but not limited to providing time off pursuant to the Colorado Healthy Families and Work places Act, in accordance with its plans and policies. For further details regarding Dentsu benefits, please visit www.dentsubenefitsplus.com.
To begin the application process, please click on the “Apply” button at the top of this job posting. Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, and qualified candidates will be contacted for next steps.
Location:
Chicago
Brand:
Dentsu Creative
Time Type:
Full time
Contract Type:
Permanent
EEO & Accessibility Statement Dentsu is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees. We do this without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, ancestry, physical or mental disability, marital status, political affiliation, religious practices and observances, citizenship status, genetic information, veteran status, or any other basis protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.
Dentsu is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to, among others, individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans. If you need an accommodation because of a disability to search and apply for a career opportunity with us, please send an e‑mail to ApplicantAccommodations@dentsu.com.
#J-18808-Ljbffr