Strategist

Overview

Established in 2004 OLIVER is the worlds first and only specialist in designing building and running bespoke in-house agencies and marketing ecosystems for brands. We partner with over 300 clients in 40 countries and counting. Our unique model drives creativity and efficiency allowing us to deliver tailored solutions that resonate deeply with audiences.

As a part of The Brandtech Group we’re at the forefront of leveraging cutting-edge AI technology to revolutionise how we create and deliver work. Our AI solutions enhance efficiency spark creativity and drive insightful decision-making empowering our teams to produce innovative and impactful results.

Role: Strategist

Location: Johannesburg South Africa

We’re looking for a Strategist who thrives in the unique challenge of being both an insider and an agency partner. You’ll provide end-to-end strategic guidance to senior clients across diverse categories, acting as a trusted advisor who can move seamlessly between brand strategy, creative strategy and commercial problem solving. This isn’t a role where you’ll sit on the sidelines. You’ll be expected to get your hands dirty, work at pace and bring a point of view that challenges the status quo.

You’ll partner closely with Managing Partners, Business Directors, ECDs and CDs to drive both the quality of strategic thinking and the commercial growth of your accounts. And when opportunity knocks for new business you’ll be ready to open the door.

• Strategic Leadership
• Provide strategic direction that transforms business challenges into creative opportunities with a track record of work that demonstrates commercial impact
• Write crystal-clear creative propositions and compelling briefs that consistently inspire high quality creative work
• Act as a trusted creative partner actively involved in shaping ideas, providing strategic input throughout development and championing work that delivers against both creative and commercial ambitions
• Guide creative development with confidence knowing when to push for brave work and when to build a bridge to clients
• Lead the development of brand positioning, messaging frameworks, campaign strategies and comms architectures that set brands up for long-term success
• Challenge clients when necessary, knowing when to push back and when to build bridges
• Own the strategic quality bar across your accounts ensuring every brief, deck and presentation is clear, compelling and commercially grounded
• Be disciplined in your approach to problem solving, using communications frameworks and structured thinking to address complex challenges
• Demonstrate the craft of strategy daily from insight mining to brief writing to creative evaluation
• Stay immersed in what makes great work, studying case studies and staying current with creative trends
• Deliver work that performs on the OLIVER creative scale and earns recognition at effectiveness and creative awards

• Play an active role in the growth and financial success of your portfolio of accounts, acting as a commercial partner to Managing Partners and Business Directors
• Position OLIVER for upstream opportunities, broadening our scope beyond execution into strategic consulting
• Proactively identify opportunities for organic growth through cross-selling existing capabilities (Gen AI, Sustainability, B2B, Social etc.)
• Be commercially savvy about your own time and team resources, ensuring efficiency without compromising quality

• Build and maintain strong relationships with senior clients, earning your seat at the table for their biggest strategic challenges
• Work as a true insider; understanding the politics, pressures and priorities of your clients’ business as well as they do
• Facilitate workshops and lead strategic conversations with C-suite stakeholders and cross-functional teams
• Manage complexity well, especially in matrix organizations with multiple agency partners and internal stakeholders
• Proactively manage day-to-day client relationships, anticipating needs and bringing solutions before problems arise

• Support new business efforts with compelling strategic…