We are currently looking for a Senior Strategist to join one of the groups specialist divisions. This role sits within M&C Saatchi World Services of M&C Saatchi Group. World Services is a specialist division of M&C Saatchi Group. Partnering with governments, civil society, foundations, academia, and the private sector, we work on the critical issues of our time, including national security, social justice and conflict prevention.

We provide a fully integrated, end to end service, combining multi-discipline communications teams with subject matter experts, across the world. Our work is domestic and global, often affecting the most vulnerable in society, with international activity orientated towards developing countries, and fragile, conflict affected states.

We have almost 250 colleagues globally based in the UK, US, Singapore, Australia, and Dubai working with clients across all corners of the world. We are deeply proud of our trusted, collaborative, and diverse culture. We also recognise our need to continuously grow and evolve.

We're looking for a Senior strategist who's interested in working on some of the most meaningful, exciting and challenging communications tasks in the Middle East.

If you're obsessed with understanding different cultures, with human psychology & behavioral change and never put down your phone/books when it comes to staying up to date on geopolitics, get in touch! Languages would be a plus! You'll be working with other strategists to help build and run communication strategies from insight to delivery while working with one of the smartest and most engaged agencies in the business.

Responsibilities are to:

• Apply best practices in advertising, communications, and behaviour change to develop communications solutions that address client problem sets.
• Develop an intimate understanding of client problem sets which encompass some of the world’s most intractable societal, political, security, and cultural issues.
• Develop achievable communications objectives, supporting communications and effects frameworks, conduct market analysis in partnership with internal and external stakeholders, and to refine target audience understanding.
• Shape the strategic output across a portfolio of work, provide guidance and pastoral support to other strategists, and strategy support to accounts teams.
• To source and apply research and insight from a range of adjacent disciplines such as psychology, behavioural science, business strategy, social sciences and more.
• Develop a firm understanding of Measures of Performance and Effect in regard to strategy and resultant change in knowledge, attitudes and behaviours.
• To regularly report on these measures to the Agency and clients.
• Work with creative/production staff and partners to ensure creative products and solutions are strategically correct and achieve or better the client goal.

About You:

• Problem solving. Critical thinking. The ability to clearly articulate ideas in oral, written and presentation formats.
• The fundamental techniques, tools and practices of a communications strategist. (Ref. IPA Foundational & Advanced).
• Experienced in developing, unaided, communications strategies from first principles through to implementation.
• Ability to communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders. A confident, well-prepared presenter.
• Ability to quickly analyse and synthesise large volumes of data and insight from multiple sources.
• Ability to work with, brief and extract the best out of creative, production, research, media, subject-matter experts.
• Understanding of research practices, and experience working with research tools to measure effectiveness of campaigns and strategies.
• Proficient in all components of Microsoft Office (primarily Outlook, Word, Powerpoint and Excel).

What we offer:

A competitive salary and benefits package that includes 27 days holiday per year, pension contributions, private healthcare, discounted dental insurance, enhanced maternity/parental leave, plus a whole host of others including:

• Cultural stimulation allowance - £250 per person per year
• Half days off before bank holidays
• Emergency care days for dependants
• Up to 5 days volunteering leave per year to work for a registered charity
• Up to 10 days special emergency leave per year
• Season Ticket loan
• Payroll Giving Scheme
• Thursday drinks to unwind and socialize
• An annual Summer and Christmas party
• Our commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion sees us offer inclusive bank holidays

We also offer learning opportunities around DE&I, targeted mentoring programmes and the opportunity to participate in several active Employee Led Networks and associated events. Finally, this role will be supported with all the necessary personal development required to set someone up for success.

The M&C Saatchi Group UK has pledged its commitment to create a company that values difference, with an inclusive culture brought to life through equity with business-wide activity across people, culture, industry and society. As part of this, M&C Saatchi Group continues to be an Equal Opportunity Employer which does not and shall not discriminate, celebrates diversity and bases all hiring and promotion decisions solely on merit, without regard for any personal characteristics.

All employee and candidate information is kept confidential according to General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

No recruitment agencies please.

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