Associate Strategy Director at AQKA

Please note: The studio is advertising for this role as both perm and freelance - and are open to working with candidates in multiple ways. Applying via their website will be for the perm role. Applying via this link is for freelance/contract positions. Please, when contacting the hirer, provide a CV and details on your day rate.

The Associate Strategy Director is a pivotal role, operating at the intersection of brand and experience.

This role shapes holistic solutions that deliver compelling brand narratives and exceptional, intuitive user experiences. Collaborating closely with Strategy Directors and across all studio disciplines, you will translate client challenges into actionable strategies, ensuring solutions are strategically sound, creatively compelling, and demonstrably effective. This position requires strong grounding in user behaviors and intuitive interactions, complemented by an acute awareness of brand positioning and market dynamics, with a clear emphasis on the experiential.

Located on the Nieuwe Herengracht in central Amsterdam, you will also have access to our diverse network of specialists by collaborating across our European, Middle East and South African studios. You will work in an environment which fosters a meritocratic culture and encourages ownership, and you will be surrounded by some of the brightest minds in their fields.    

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead Project Execution: Act as the brand & experience strategic lead on projects, guiding multi-disciplinary teams from ideation to implementation and across deliverables.
• Uncover Holistic Insights: Conduct comprehensive user research, competitive analysis, and market & cultural trend forecasting to identify key user needs, motivations, and brand opportunities.
• Shape Integrated Strategies: Translate complex insights into cohesive strategies, defining compelling brand positioning, messaging frameworks, and intuitive user journeys, ecosystem maps, and experience visions.
• Orchestrate Solution Development: Guide the creation of impactful solutions, ensuring seamless alignment between brand narratives, experience principles, and functional requirements across diverse digital and physical touchpoints - with clients and colleagues.
• Drive Strategic Alignment: Facilitate workshops and present persuasive strategic recommendations to clients and internal stakeholders, securing buy-in for integrated brand and experience directions.
• Foster Client & Business Growth: Support new business efforts and cultivate strong client relationships by identifying strategic opportunities, contributing to pitches and helping with the scoping of projects.
• Elevate Strategic Practice: Continuously refine and evolve strategic design techniques and processes, contributing to the overall excellence and growth of the strategy department.
• Mentor junior strategists on project-specific tasks and strategic methodologies, helping to foster their growth and development within the team. As well as offer guidance to other more junior team members across our studio.