Elmwood Brand & Design Consultancy
Strategy Director
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Strategy Director
Strategic Brand Design Consultant — Strategy Director
About Elmwood
Elmwood is a globally recognised, award-winning strategic brand design consultancy with studios in London, New York, Singapore, and Shanghai. We partner with some of the world’s most ambitious consumer, corporate, and healthcare brands to craft high-impact creative that moves people and markets.
Rooted in purpose and powered by creativity, our mission is simple: get our clients from intent to impact – faster.
As proud members of the MSQ Group and B Corp certified, we unite strategy, design, and experience to shape brands that are not only standout—but stand FOR something.
The Department
Elmwood’s strategy team creates meaningful brand, business, and design strategies. We provoke new thinking and identify possibilities that go beyond category norms, bringing clarity to challenges and crystallising convictions. Through agile strategies, we help brands transform opportunity into impactful, actionable outcomes.
This role Kell building brands with intent. Joining a globally recognised consultancy that designs brands capable of shaping futures.
The Role
Elmwood is looking for a Strategy Director to join our team.
As a leader and natural collaborator, you will define, lead, and successfully deliver large-scale strategy projects and workstreams for our clients. You will work alongside global businesses to create brands that are more meaningful, more memorable, and more impactful. You will thrill at the prospect of pushing boundaries with leading think diffuse—help brands reposition themselves to be more agile. Where your stretch character leads to tangible, impactful brand transformation, driving commercial outcomes from strategy to design.
Key Responsibilities:
- Deliver large-scale strategic workstreams in collaboration with clients to craft compelling brand ideas with clear intent, intented insights and strategic thinking.
- Challenge assumptions and offer the best strategic outcome for our clients.
- Support research and creative strategic thinking by translating strategic projects from ground-level problems to actionable next steps for showcase, brands, projects, insight clean room, defining purpose, position, customer experience, insights, brand overview, product innovation, naming strategies, naming exploration, naming development etc.
- Work with design and other tertiary functions to bring clarity and deliver strategic framework that starts to guide direction for the Rossلهة project from top down.
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Requirements
You'll thrive in our team if you can demonstrate fulfilment in these core areas:
- Wielding effective research insights and supporting consumer experiences
- Confidence in strategic projects with staggered, data-driven methods, deep cultural understanding, and adeptness to deliver in partnerships across strategy, design, and business conversations.
- Demonstrating the ability to formulate brand and design strategies that foster impactful outcomes.
- Strong narrative capability – crafting, presenting and leading strategic sessions with conviction, ensuring creative solutions drive commercial success.
- Expertise in brand workshops that alter the trajectory of brands with radical but tangible, dynamic strategies.
- Proven leadership mindset, closely in touch with traditional tools and methods while pushing the boundaries of clever collaborations and new emerging trends.
- Translation to translation from the top-down and refine overall competitive markets by creating thoughtful, inspiring guidance for design teams on ground-level issues.
- Guide and support the delivery of our strategic ambitions through collaborative workstreams.
- Closed-door sessions for meticulous detail and longer-term thinking with style and depth.
Additionally:
- Confidence and driver’s license in a tech-forward, tools field – from conception, to leveraging AI & machine learning for more powerful strategy and workflow enhancements.
Position Your Journey
Show us how you've successfully navigated through and gone beyond sizeable brand projects from various industries. You’ll also get the opportunity to see our strategic output and how we democratise how strategy is used across our business.
What You’ll Bring
Elmwood’s Strategy Directors share these experiences:
- Proven reputation at C-suite level for driving change and uplifting brands in established or scalable, innovative growth agencies.
- Strong expertise in brand strategy fundamentals, from brand architecture and portfolio strategy, to creation of brand platforms and frameworks, with skills in identity design, naming, and brand refresh processes.
- Experience in leading comprehensive projects for a mix of sectors including consumer, healthcare, and enterprise.
- *Excellent grasp of digital, content, and experience design and how to shape meaningful brand experiences.
- Confidence in future innovation, research detonation, and new ways of conceiving brand engagement.
- Hands-on cultural and stakeholder management experience in strategy, outside design to business alignment, with mature decision-making and impact generation.
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What You’ll Be
- A teamworker who inspires trust curriculum and celebrates both collaboration from colleagues and solutions for clients, but knows how to roll up sleeves when necessary.
- Curious learner who seeks to grow smaller and larger areas of influence, extending intel with relevant strategic perspectives.
- Compassionate manager who hones clear communication and facilitates team elevator across studios.
Competitive Benefits
We champion our team’s success: Here’s why making the move to Elmwood is a smart choice.
Location: London Studio
- Hybrid working with flexible hours (7:30 AM - 4:30 PM)
- Our vibrant Covent Garden studio offers an energetic workspace with unlimited tea/coffee, fruit, showers, and bicycle storage.
- 26 days’ leave annually, additional well-being days and three extra days over Christmas and New Year – plus enhanced parental leave for families.
- Performance-based workcation (up to [flexible duration] leave).
- Comprehensive health insurance, subsidised gym, physiotherapy sessions, access to GP, life coaching sessions for well-nourished balance.
- Fully loaded MacBook, MacBook Pro or iPad for seamless creation and communication.
Change happens when people thrive. And we’ll help you grow right here.
Our Commitment to Inclusion
Elmwood is an equal opportunity employer. We value difference, cultivate diversity, and revel in new perspectives—making every individual feel seen and celebrated. Diverse backgrounds, identities, and experiences? You’re welcome.
For support applying, we provide alternative formats, remote interviews, and flexible arrangements. Contact us so together we can showcase your best.
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