Director of Creative Strategy

Game Seven Agency, an Excel Sports Management Company, is a full service creative and experiential agency that lives for sport, music and culture. From the biggest moments to the smallest details, we pride ourselves on being in the know and building relationships that matter, for brands that matter.

Our team is comprised of creatives, strategists, producers, designers, project managers, influencer managers, filmmakers, volunteers, activists, ballplayers, hypebeasts, social media moguls, runners, mixologists, party promoters, hip-hop elitists, show-bingers, hot-take havers, vintage t-shirt collectors, fitness fanatics, pet parents, plant parents, human parents, and general good time havers.

Clients include Hennessey, Nike, Jordan, Spotify, Meta, Instagram, TikTok, Amazon, Timberland, Oakley, Footlocker, Chime, Fanatics, Bleacher Report, Uninterrupted, and more.

Role Overview

As the Director of Creative Strategy, you’re a leader that’s responsible for building and ensuring our team is building big ideas, creative platforms/narratives, and activation plans. The ideal candidate is equally strategic and creative, has experience leading RFPs, and overseeing Strategists on their own work. 

You’ll work on existing client projects and new RFPs for everything from experiential activations and stunts to social plans and campaigns – coming up with the strategic plans, creative platforms, and ideas that bring it all to life. You’ll report to the VP of Strategy and have 1-2 direct reports to start.

Soft skills are extremely important to our team, especially as a leader. You need to be tapped in, passionate about the work, good at taking initiative, able to push your own ideas forward, communicate your ideas clearly, collaborate cross-functionally, and solve problems with empathy.

Important! The Strategy team at Game Seven isn’t writing briefs like at a big agency – we are the idea engine, responsible for cultural insights, great storytelling, and big ideas/activations.

Roles & Responsibilities

• Serve as the Strategy Lead on key workstreams (project-based and AORs), owning the strategy playbook, creative platform, big ideas, and activation plans.
• Manage and provide oversight to Strategists on projects, with feedback and direction that helps them build great work and sell their plans through to our clients.
• Build amazing decks. Great copy. Elevated design. Great visual references. Then, present and pitch your work to internal and external leaders, often VPs and CMOs.
• Lead on new RFPs, collaborating closely with Accounts, Creative, and Production to pitch amazing strategic & creative proposals.
• Serve as a strategic thought partner to our clients by helping define and shape the brand’s vision/role for their partnership with a roadmap for our team to help them get there.
• Go from brief to execution, being able to take in a client brief, build out a plan, and follow through on the execution of creative and production.
• Develop and implement new processes that help the team work better. 
• Assist in the development and growth of the Strategy department through education and hiring.

Requirements

• 8+ years of working in creative/strategy – agency, brand, tech preferred.
• 3-5 years of managing direct reports.
• Strong book (sport, music, entertainment are a plus).
• Great taste in creative work, strong level of polish in your own work.
• Experience building full strategy decks (copy, flow, design)
• Strong leadership skills and experience helping people grow in their roles.
• Proficiency in creating Google Slides decks (design, layout, speed, familiarity).
• Excellent pitching, storytelling, and communication skills.

The pay range for this position is $175,000 - $200,000 per year. This position is also eligible for benefits and discretionary bonus.

Please note that compensation information is a good-faith assessment associated with this position only and is provided pursuant to local salary transparency laws.

Ultimately, the salary may vary based upon, but not limited to, relevant experience, time in role, business sector, and geographic location, among other criteria.

This role is not eligible for sponsorship.

Game Seven provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.