Senior Strategist and Partnership Lead

Job OverviewResponsible for turning data into insights and insights into pivotal strategies for public-sector clients. The Senior Strategist and Partnership Lead identifies compelling insights, strategic approaches, consumer motivators and barriers, and community partnerships for the agency’s clients, acting as a catalyst to move brands forward and to devise innovative ways to engage customers. The Senior Strategist represents the voice of the consumer and develops a deep understanding of the client’s business environment, competitive landscape, vision, and objectives.Who You AreA full-service creative agency veteran, you are a big-idea, original-thinker who questions assumptions, dives into data, and encourages clients (and internal account and creative teams) to improve strategic outputs, question assumptions, and reshape assignments into unique deliverables. You care about equity and improving underserved communities across California, and have a strong track record of collaborating with multidisciplinary team members to develop and present integrated, innovative, research-driven strategic marketing solutions for good. You easily build and form partnerships with diverse organizations and new people, and are passionate about planning creative and innovative strategies that solve community problems and make the world betterYou bring order to chaos by creating frameworks that explain the inexplicable and find magic in the details. Bilingual Spanish-speaker preferred. Who We Are: Marketers For GoodCivilian is a values-driven marketing communications agency that believes how we work matters as much as what we create. As a Certified B Corporation, we partner with organizations working to improve lives, strengthen communities, and create positive social change.Our work spans mental health and wellness, youth suicide prevention, reducing the effects of adverse childhood experiences, environmental sustainability, education, and inclusive economic development. We approach complex challenges with curiosity, empathy, and rigor, using strategy and creativity to help move people, policy, and systems forward.Our culture is grounded in five core values: seek first to understand, practice we over me, operate with integrity, rise to the challenge, and make things better. These values shape how we collaborate, support one another, and show up for our clients and communities.With headquarters in San Diego and offices in Sacramento and Washington, DC, Civilian attracts people who want to do meaningful work, grow professionally, and have fun along the way. We support our team with humane working hours, meaningful benefits, and a culture designed to last. ResponsibilitiesResearch, Strategy, and Evaluation (60%)Lead the discovery process to uncover consumer, competitive, and client insights. Design, gather, conduct, and evaluate primary and secondary research as needed on best practices, competitive landscape, market trends, and consumer insights; translate findings into actionable insights and strategies.Collaborate with account and creative teams to write clear, compelling, and informed campaign briefs.Collaborate with key stakeholders and internal teams to further develop campaign tactics, messaging, and creative concepts; facilitate brainstorms and working sessions among key stakeholders.Develop strategies that incorporate best practices in public sector campaigns.Create and deliver detailed research, strategy, or evaluation reports; assist with account deliverables, including content development, copywriting, reports, and others as needed.Facilitate strategic planning and stakeholder sessions with internal teams, subcontractors, partners, and clients.Present ideas and help sell-in work for clients or in new business settingsPartner with account teams to ensure ongoing adherence to strategy throughout the duration of the account/campaign.Identify business goals and develop measurable KPIs to track the progress of initiatives.Lead campaign evaluation and research activities, including but not limited to surveys, focus groups, and other evaluation methods; ensure that campaign evaluation plans, methodologies, and costs, including midstream evaluations and post-campaign evaluations as required by RFPs and/or as recommended by Civilian and submitted in Civilian RFP responses are delivered as proposed upon contract execution. For focus groups, plan, manage or outsource recruitment, devise moderator guides, facilitate, and evaluate findings as needed.Define key performance indicators to support brand strategy and objectives, conduct analysis to determine program ROI, help create and inform metric reports and dashboards, and make recommendations based on learnings.Manage subcontractor scope of work, timelines, and deliverables as needed.Community Outreach (20%)Identify and Cultivate Partnerships: Research and identify potential partnerships, co-marketing opportunities, and key stakeholder audiences. Conduct targeted outreach to build mutually beneficial relationships that support organizational goals, enhance campaign impact, and expand the reach of communications efforts.Plan, organize, manage, and coordinate community outreach initiatives and public engagement programs to support client campaign goals (e.g., stakeholder forums, priority audience work groups, workshops, contests, events, grant programs)Create and Manage Stakeholder Databases and Relationship Management Systems: Develop and maintain stakeholder databases, Including CivLink, that track contact information and engagement history, ensuring organized and accessible data for outreach efforts. Implement relationship management systems to support consistent communication and strengthen stakeholder relationships, optimizing opportunities for strategic engagement.Provide Comprehensive Community Outreach and Engagement Reporting: Prepare reports on community outreach initiatives, including key metrics, engagement insights, and stakeholder feedback. Highlight achievements and recommend improvements to keep clients informed and engaged in campaign progress.Business Development (20%)Lead the development of Civilian’s strategic approach for public sector campaigns and initiatives and other verticals as part of business development proposals, including conducting research, writing proposals and work plans, and developing budgets.Help prepare for and participate in business development pitches.Identify and explore opportunities for growth within new or existing client organizations.Keep abreast of best practices, current events, news, and trends related to public health, social marketing, and specific client focus areas; translate findings to agency staff and specific accounts to provide ongoing improvements and adjustments.Qualifications7+ years of relevant work experience in an advertising agency setting with campaign development, account planning, strategy development, or program development experiencePreferred: Have held senior strategy roles (whether at creative, digital, media agencies or consultancies) across multiple categories/verticalsBachelor’s degree mandatory, advanced degree in behavioral sciences, marketing, advertising, or business preferredComfortable working autonomously, applying previous experience, and making recommendations to help enhance agency offering, consulting with subject matter experts/staff as neededAbility to conduct and interpret primary and secondary research and use this data to glean insights, developing user personas, customer journeys and communications plansConfidence in and willingness to present in public settingsAbility and comfort to manage and/or lead focus groups/ moderators from drafting guides to preparing, analyzing and presenting reports/findingsThe ability to translate clients’ goals and objectives into actionable and measurable marketing recommendationsData first-mentality – experience leveraging both qualitative and quantitative data as much as possible to back recommendations and tell compelling storiesEntrepreneurial “can do” attitude, business acumen, and a relentless passion for collaboration and innovationKnowledge of, or experience, in approaching, convening, and working with senior clients as well as diverse partners and stakeholders to support campaign initiatives and goalsStrong and proven strategic problem-solving skillsProven track record of winning new businessExcellent written and verbal communication skills; natural storytellerAbility to develop easy rapport with diverse partners, subcontractors, and internal agency teamAbility to creatively tackle problems and develop solutionsAdvocate for synergy with team members, requiring accountability (timelines/budgets); resourcefulness (make it happen); and collaboration with a constructive mentality to deliver the end goalLocationThis position is a hybrid role based in San Diego, California. Remote working options with in-office Wednesdays and biweekly half-day Fridays for collaboration and team building. Work outside of a commutable distance to San Diego is not permitted at this time. Compensation & BenefitsThis is a full-time salaried position with a comprehensive benefits package. Salary Range: $100,000 - $125,000, depending on experience. Health coverage: Tiered medical plans with a fully employer-paid option, plus expanded employer-paid coverage after four years. Employer-paid dental and vision included.Insurance and protection: Company-paid life insurance, AD&D, and legal support, with optional supplemental coverage.Time off and flexibility: Generous PTO, flexible schedules, paid holidays, parental leave, and volunteer time off.Retirement: A Safe Harbor 401(k) with employer contributions.Wellbeing support: An Employee Assistance Program.Growth: Ongoing professional development support.Office experience: Ergonomic, dog-friendly offices designed to support focus and collaboration, with on-site parking and access to a fitness center.