Senior Strategist and Partnership Lead

Research, 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 settings
• Partner 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.

• 7+ years of relevant work experience in an advertising agency setting with campaign development, account planning, strategy development, or program development experience
• Preferred: Have held senior strategy roles (whether at creative, digital, media agencies or consultancies) across multiple categories/verticals
• Bachelor’s degree mandatory, advanced degree in behavioral sciences, marketing, advertising, or business preferred
• Comfortable working autonomously, applying previous experience, and making recommendations to help enhance agency offering, consulting with subject matter experts/staff as needed
• Ability to conduct and interpret primary and secondary research and use this data to glean insights, developing user personas, customer journeys and communications plans
• Confidence in and willingness to present in public settings
• Ability and comfort to manage and/or lead focus groups/ moderators from drafting guides to preparing, analyzing and presenting reports/findings
• The ability to translate clients’ goals and objectives into actionable and measurable marketing recommendations
• Data first-mentality – experience leveraging both qualitative and quantitative data as much as possible to back recommendations and tell compelling stories
• Entrepreneurial “can do” attitude, business acumen, and a relentless passion for collaboration and innovation
• Knowledge of, or experience, in approaching, convening, and working with senior clients as well as diverse partners and stakeholders to support campaign initiatives and goals
• Strong and proven strategic problem-solving skills
• Proven track record of winning new business
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; natural storyteller
• Ability to develop easy rapport with diverse partners, subcontractors, and internal agency team
• Ability to creatively tackle problems and develop solutions
• Advocate for synergy with team members, requiring accountability (timelines/budgets); resourcefulness (make it happen); and collaboration with a constructive mentality to deliver the end goal

Civilian expects every employee, regardless of role or responsibility, to uphold its core values. The agency’s core values—and the behaviors that support those core values—are as follows:  

Seek First to Understand

• Communicate with people directly. Listen to other people’s ideas and concerns with genuine curiosity and an open mind. Try to understand where people are coming from and give them the benefit of the doubt. Practice kindness and treat one another with respect.

Practice We Over Me

• Think of the entire agency as your team. Collaborate with, contribute to, and elevate the people around you. Solve problems quickly and constructively and in all things work for the greater good.

Operate with Integrity

• Be trustworthy and reliable. Demonstrate sound judgment. Take responsibility for your actions. Always do the right thing.

Rise to the Challenge

• Greet challenges as opportunities. Work with determination and tenacity to find a way through obstacles (without compromising integrity, boundaries, or protocols). Bring the full breadth of your creativity and ingenuity to the challenge at hand.

Make Things Better

• Every day, make something better for your team, your work, or the world. Embrace steady improvement. Demonstrate passion for the agency’s success and a commitment to producing great work and measurable results.

Civilian is committed to an ongoing journey in becoming an actively anti-racist, inclusive organization where everyone can feel a sense of belonging and that their diverse experiences, voices, backgrounds, and contributions matter. Through an intentional focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in our agency, we harness the unique contributions and lived experiences of our team to create innovative work in response to some of our society’s most pressing challenges.

How We Put This Commitment Into Practice At Civilian:

• We continually aim to create a safe, welcoming, and open environment where all employees and partners feel like they belong, are valued, can bring their whole selves to work, and are key to our agency’s overall success.
• We consistently assess how BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and other diverse individuals can thrive in a predominantly white/white privileged industry and organization; and are continually working to create an equitable workplace where each unique employee brings value to the organization’s culture.
• We hire and promote the most qualified individuals regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability, age, parental status, national origin, religion, color, or creed. We only get better when diverse ideas, perspectives, and identities come together, and therefore actively seek out candidates with non-traditional backgrounds, education, experiences, and skills who bring new viewpoints to our agency.
• We value the input of all staff in decision-making, policy development, and other day-to-day practices at our agency.

This 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.

This 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.