Manager, Strategy

Business Overview

UM is a global media agency committed to Futureproofing our clients' businesses. We leverage the transformational power of rich business analytics and real-time intelligence to maximize growth and activate the full consumer journey across content and connections. UM operates in over 100 countries, with more than 3,000 people innovating on a roster of global clients including Accenture, American Express, GoPro, Johnson & Johnson, Levi Strauss & Co, Mattel, Sony, and Spotify. UM is globally headquartered in New York, with North American offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, Birmingham, Detroit, Montreal, and Toronto.

At UM, we know our employees are our greatest asset. We are committed to fostering a culture rooted in Diversity, Equity & Belonging, where everyone feels they belong, and their contributions are valued. We prioritize personal and professional growth, encourage an entrepreneurial spirit to pursue passion projects, and celebrate our people and community with moments of joy and spontaneity. Our leadership is dedicated to building a culture of care that permeates every element of the company from work flexibility to career planning to regular talent reviews, and more. Our DNA, for UM, helps guide us in all that we do:

Fearless: We bring our authentic selves to work and put our whole selves into the work

Optimistic: We approach challenges with empathy and curiosity, infusing joy into everything we do

Relentless: We're unwavering in our pursuit of the right solution, eager to reimagine what's possible

Unified: We band together to accomplish what we could not otherwise do alone

Masterful: We're constantly growing in our craft, setting new standards for our industry and our world

We are proud to be named an AdAge Best Place to Work several times over, a Top Workplace in the US by Great Places to Work, a top 10 FORTUNE 2022 Best Workplaces in Advertising & Marketing and She Runs It's 2021 Outstanding Company for Working Mothers. But feedback is most meaningful when it comes from our own people: over 90% of our employees say the agency is a great place to work and 95% say they are proud to work at UM.

Position Overview

This proactive and enthusiastic individual is responsible for developing truly integrated, cross-channel strategic communications strategies. By focusing on why people think, feel and act the way that they do, the Manager, Strategy helps create media strategies and award-winning ideas that influence perceptions and encourage engagement.

This position will work on Mobil 1, which operates in a category defined by performance, engineering credibility, and car culture, including a presence in global motorsport. We are looking for a strategist who is energized by competitive environments and motivated to build integrated communications strategies grounded in real human behavior. Strategy plays a critical role in translating audience insight, category dynamics, and business objectives into clear, cross-channel direction that drives impact and strengthens the brand's connection with drivers, enthusiasts, and partners.

Responsibilities

• Maintain a deep understanding of the business, target audiences and wider communications environment
• Identify and build target audiences, test their viability, and determine scalability using syndicated and proprietary tools (i.e. MRI-Simmons, Helixa, primary research)
• Understand and integrate client and creative agency research
• Write POVs on topics relevant to our key clients and agency
• Enter industry competitions (i.e. Young Lions) to represent UM and grow as a strategist; Attend technology and emerging media presentations to stay on top of trends
• Apply syndicated and proprietary data to develop key insights across culture, the category, and customers with actionable media implications
• Support the translation of complex concepts into simple, powerful narratives and present strategic recommendations to the client; Package strategic ideas with clarity for presentation
• Develop the strategic positioning for a given product by considering category, consumer, and competitive context
• Develop effective and inspiring relationships with UM teams, including strategy, research, analytics, planning, activation, and digital teams
• Work closely with the Planning Team to translate the campaign strategy and ideas into actionable media implications
• Ability to manage and develop the skillsets of junior strategy team members

Required Skills

Strategic Thinking

• Ability to clearly define business and communication problems before jumping to solutions
• Demonstrates structured thinking (can break complex issues into components and prioritize what matters)
• Connects audience, brand, and category dynamics into a coherent point of view
• Seeks to stay ahead of category, cultural, and media shifts

Insight & Analysis

• Comfortable synthesizing research, cross-tabs, and cultural signals into clear implications
• Moves beyond "what happened" to "so what" and "now what"
• Can identify assumptions and pressure-test them

Communication & Influence

• Crafts clear, concise, argument-driven decks (not just well-designed slides)
• Can verbally articulate thinking in internal and client settings
• Comfortable receiving feedback and refining work

Collaboration

• Works effectively across teams (e.g. planning, PR, creative, analytics, and client teams)
• Can manage up and across, not just down
• Balances confidence with curiosity

Technical Fluency

• Proficient in PowerPoint and Excel (comfortable manipulating data, not just copying charts)
• Familiar with syndicated research tools and media data sources

Emerging Tools & AI Fluency

• Comfortable using AI tools and agents to accelerate research, synthesis, and workflow efficiency
• Demonstrates critical thinking when evaluating AI-generated outputs
• Understands AI as a thinking partner, not a substitute for strategic judgment

Desired Skills and Experience

• 4-6+ years in media strategy, communications planning, brand strategy, or adjacent role
• Experience working on integrated agency teams (creative, PR, media collaboration)
• Exposure to advertising and brand building principles (e.g., mental availability, distinctiveness, long vs. short-term impact)
• Can translate data and research into clear, persuasive narratives
• Comfortable presenting sections of work and building toward leading larger conversations
• Demonstrated curiosity about culture, consumer behavior, and business dynamics
• Comfort working in ambiguity and shaping loose inputs into structured outputs
• Demonstrates an interest in improving storytelling and presentation craft

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.

The salary range for this position is posted below. 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's/applicant's skill set, level of experience, and qualifications.

Employment Transparency

It is our policy 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, please email accommodation@mbww.com.