Job Description

About Us

Initiative unlocks business growth for the world’s most ambitious brands. We believe in the power of media to reshape our industry and orchestrate a brand’s entire consumer experience, by balancing both what unites people and what makes them different.

When brands unite people in culture, they build Fame, and when brands connect individuals to their unique journeys, they build customer Flow.

Media responsibility is at the forefront of everything we do, whether it’s creating media plans that reflect the diversity of our communities, promote brand safety, and foster sustainability.

Our agency celebrates diversity in an inclusive environment where all of our 6,000+ strong talent across 90+ markets feel seen, heard, and valued. Our vision is to create not only a better media company, but also a better media industry, and maybe even a better world.

The Role

We’re looking for a Media Strategy Director who can bring sharp, creative thinking to two of Initiative’s most ambitious clients: HelloFresh and GetYourGuide.

For HelloFresh, you’ll lead both EMEA and UK strategy, working across one of the most complex and fast-moving marketing ecosystems in modern FMCG. You’ll define the strategic direction for how the brand continues to grow penetration, fame and customer lifetime value across markets, connecting global frameworks to local nuance.

It’s a dual remit that combines long-term brand growth with short-term performance efficiency. You’ll set the strategic rhythm for how media works across awareness, consideration and conversion, partnering closely with clients, performance specialists and comms design teams to ensure media ideas are as emotionally engaging as they are commercially effective.

In the UK, you’ll guide the brand’s local media narrative, using audience insight, data and cultural understanding to ensure HelloFresh remains distinctive in a category that moves fast and innovates faster. Across EMEA, you’ll help shape cross-market planning and influence global decision-making, ensuring the region continues to lead creatively and strategically.

For GetYourGuide, you’ll lead UK media strategy for one of Europe’s most exciting travel challengers. You’ll help them evolve from performance-led marketing into a brand that builds desire and loyalty, connecting media, culture and creativity to make GetYourGuide synonymous with experiences worth travelling for.

You’ll work closely with Initiative’s comms design, data and creative partnerships teams to apply our Fame & Flow approach, creating strategies that capture attention, create bold ideas and turn them into consistent, measurable growth.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Lead HelloFresh strategy across EMEA and the UK, setting frameworks that connect regional and local growth.
• Develop the UK media strategy for GetYourGuide, driving both brand salience and commercial results.
• Create integrated approaches that link brand storytelling with performance outcomes.
• Partner with senior clients to define growth priorities, audience opportunities and innovation spaces.
• Brief and inspire strategists across markets to deliver clear frameworks with,creative and commercially grounded thinking.

WHO YOU ARE

You’re a strategist who understands the relationship between culture, creativity and conversion. You’re confident operating across markets and categories, equally at ease with econometrics or cultural insight. You care about the craft of media strategy and know how to make it matter to clients, teams and consumers alike.

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Client:

• Demonstrate understanding of the clients' key business and challenges
• Contributes to client meetings in a valuable way, demonstrating the ability to challenge others’ opinions in the right forum/manner
• Deliver innovative thinking that inspires leading edge solutions and award-winning breakthrough work – contributing the creation of best in class work as standard (both internally & externally)
• Translates complex concepts into simple, powerful narratives using complex data/information, presenting key strategic implications/recommendations to the team/client
• Provides the client team with knowledge and expertise to speak confidently about the strategic direction where required
• Delivers upon measurable client and strategy business KPIs

Internal:

• Identify, develop & oversee the delivery of unique and innovative strategies to deliver the client’s desired objectives
• Demonstrates how Strategy can contribute to client retention, delivering thought leadership as well as communications solutions
• Demonstrate a good understanding of consumers & their behaviors
• Clearly demonstrate how the strategy delivers on the business need and focus on results and measurement
• Leads the Velocity Planning (process and tools) for the team and client base, championing usage across the agency
• Bring fresh thinking & inspiration into the Strategic Process to help the team’s springboard to better Strategic thinking
• Adoption, promotion & facilitation of the Cultural Analytical Process/Tools to help teams find new insights that unlock growth
• Deliver executable, relevant, on brand platforms with the potential for fame/award entry
• Writes cohesive communications architectures that deliver on the platform and give guidance for how the brand will play in culture
• Train, guide & assist the Strategists in development and packaging of ideas
• Works in constant partnership and positively collaborate with internal (CAM, Communications Design, Partnerships and SBUs) and external (media partners and other agency partners) partners to facilitate the delivery of best in class work
• Use qualitative and quantitative communications channel & cultural tool research to develop applicable insights into the consumer connection with the brand
• Partner with Analytics to develop new tools, inputting into the development of new & cutting edge proprietary planning, research and reporting models for Initiative
• Lead ideation team sessions in conjunction with the Communications Design team and relevant SBUs to generate creative & compelling communications ideas
• Actively collect, collate and foster best-in-class case studies of award-winning and award-worthy work from around the network.
• Contributes to agency culture and conversation through active participation in meetings and media partner presentations
• Participates in industry competitions / learning and development opportunities appropriate to your level to enable you to network and challenge yourself to use your skills with new teams and in a new environment

Commercial

• Contribute to Agency & Client revenue opportunities through Strategic output
• Works proactively with all partners (media, agency partners, academic institutions, creative consultancies), keeping up to date on their offer and using that information to help the Strategy Team unlock new growth opportunities for the client and/or the agency

New Business

• Actively contributes to business pitches (for new and/or existing clients) through the support and development of strategic work

Requirements:

• Experienced in integrated strategy and planning roles in media, creative, innovation or communications discipline (digital, content, invention, social, activation)
• Excellent understanding of the strategic process that is channel agnostic and how to apply to a client challenge or brief to deliver optimal solutions
• Excellent understanding of media implementation planning and investment systems, processes and goals and how these connect to the communications platform and strategic process
• Ability to think differently: creative & adaptive, entrepreneurial, independently minded; deeply immersed in cultural understanding and driven by a desire to know more the world / to better understand people’s motivations & behaviors in the shifting landscape
• Passionate about effective communication, curiosity for human behaviour and champion for creativity that is channelled into quality output for clients
• Broad and up-to-date knowledge of media and consumer trends and how to apply to client business
• Excellent communicator who can defend their opinion with key stakeholders, both internally and externally
• Confident, articulate and persuasive presenter with outstanding written and verbal skills that translate into clear message outtake
• Active in the development of others, fostering an open culture of learning and development
• A collaborative team player who champions the strategic process

THE PERKS

We guarantee that your career with us will be varied and exciting. Every day in this fast-paced environment presents a different challenge and if you work smart and are the best at what you do, your time here will produce endless possibilities for your future.

You will get our support in developing your skills at every step of your career journey with us. Your manager will help you create a tailored career path and through our in-house experts, and online performance management and learning and development tool, you will have access to a wide range of internal and external courses. In addition to this there are always plenty of internal sessions on the latest developments in the industry, e-learning courses, bite-size learning sessions and on the job training and development.

We aim to provide all of our people with a supportive and fun work environment where you can develop your full potential and benefit from the broad range of opportunities within the agency both in the UK and globally.

When you join us, we want to make sure you feel valued – and that you are rewarded for your fantastic work. So we also offer a range of benefits:

• Flexible annual leave. In addition, the office usually closes between Christmas & New Year
• Group Income Protection (after 2 years’ service)
• Life Assurance
• Private Medical Insurance or Health Cash Plan (dependent on level)
• Group Personal Pension Plan with matched contributions from 3-6%
• Core Hours (Mon-Thurs, flexible start/finish times)
• Early finish Fridays
• Generous Maternity & Paternity Pay
• Wellbeing programme, including subsidised monthly massages
• Paid time off for Volunteering
• Independent mortgage advice
• Financial education
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Interest free season ticket loan
• Free breakfast
• Subsidised Café
• Free eye tests
• Regular Bar Night
• Retail discounts
• Flexible benefits including Dental, Travel insurance, Ride2Work, GymFlex and many more!

Employee Transparency

At IPG Mediabrands, we celebrate differences and believe this makes us stronger. IPG Mediabrands are equal-opportunity employers committed to championing an inclusive culture that provides a sense of belonging for all our employees. We do not discriminate against any applicant based on age, disability, race, colour, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, belief, marital status or any other characteristic protected by law.

Please reach out to our Talent Inclusion Specialist Jess at Jess.Richardson@mbww.com if you would like to have a confidential conversation regarding any adjustments that would ensure our recruitment process is accessible for you. Please note requesting a reasonable adjustment will not affect your application.