Strategy Director

Barrows boasts over 30 years of expertise in the global retail design sector, continually evolving to meet the diverse needs of the regions we serve. Our unwavering commitment revolves around a singular mission: crafting solutions that ignite shopper conversion. From strategic insights to seamless execution, our comprehensive suite of services spans insights and strategy, design conceptualization, all the way to engineering and implementation. With a strong foundation in manufacturing, our designs are steeped in technical proficiency, ensuring tangible real-world impact. We pride ourselves on delivering remarkable solutions tailored to our clients' unique requirements.

Our global team of Barrows employees, irrespective of background or role, share a common ethos characterized by a can-do attitude and a relentless drive to deliver excellence. This collective spirit not only fosters top-tier work but also cultivates a sense of camaraderie rarely found in multinational agencies.

Barrows is looking for a Strategy Director with 8+ years of retail, shopper and/or marketing experience to join our dynamic team in New York.  Strategists are at the core of everything we do at Barrows. They ground our most complex projects, turning research and data into actionable insights then translating how that comes to life for the shopper.  Equally analytical and creative, they have a love for solving problems in new and exciting ways. They are logical, methodical and measured with their approach, always with a story rooted in insights. 

Did someone say story? On the flip side, our strategists are our hero storytellers- they’re passionate about the when why, bringing this to life through epic presentations that set Barrows apart. They thrive in our high-paced environment and have a passion for getting inside the mind of the shopper (whether online, in-store, in the bar or just about anywhere else) to inform the strategies we bring to life. We’re looking for a thought leader, and strategic powerhouse to help lead the department into our next stage of growth and success. 

We are looking for the right person with the right attitude

• Someone who is eager to learn and anchors their behavior in humility, approaching everyone with a kind and respectful attitude
• Someone who rises to the challenge and excels in ambiguity
• A confident communicator who is comfortable around c-level/senior executives but also an empathetic collaborator who can engage and earn the trust of person at any level within our organization. 
• A leader who can identify and grasp the task at hand and handle it with efficiency, strategic vision and precision. 
• Someone who comes with a finger on the pulse as it relates to cultural trends, shopping and retail trends, and a POV on the rapid evolution retail has experienced in the last decade (and what’s to come)
• Someone with indefinite curiosity who can hunt for data to uncover meaningful insights, through traditional tools (like GWI, p2pi, etc.) and refined desktop research
• A resilient individual with a willingness to be as scrappy as they are polished
• An openness to feedback as a career tool on a pursuit of continuous professional improvement

In addition to bringing this killer attitude, energy, and veteran skill set, they must be able to lead the development of strategy against the North American client portfolio with the following key accountabilities:

• Navigate, research and distill brand, consumer, shopper and category data to infer critical and actionable insights that dictate strategic vision
• Develop commerce-forward strategy, delivering direction and execution for all core projects and client programs in conjunction with SVP of North American Strategy
• Write a compelling narrative that takes mountains of data, and transforms it into an impressive sales story for clients and retailers  
• Collaborate with Client Partnership and Creative leadership to deliver bulletproof end-to-end strategic commerce ideas
• Embrace the role of thought leader, owning every room (virtual or physical), being a true partner to every client team as an industry persona and senior leader at Barrows
• Communicate strategic visions to clients; help clients socialize strategy to their greater organization
• Exhibit a deep understanding of the US traditional retail landscape (mass, grocery, drug, liquor, c-store) inclusive of nationwide channel variation, with nuanced knowledge of top retailers (Walmart, Kroger, Target, Walgreens, Total Wine, 7-11)
• Collaborate, and inspire inter-agency partners, bringing a deep understanding of end-to-end strategy from ATL to BTL, ensuring Barrows is driving shelf-back programming and ideas where possible and leading from a commerce lens

• 8+ years of agency and/or strategy experience in brand, trade or shopper marketing or category management/sales
• Bachelor’s degree in related field
• Superior storytelling ability with excellent presentation skills
• Polished writing ability with professional tone
• Experience developing category or retailer led BTL programming, retail strategy, and shopper journeys strongly preferred
• Bring forth a passion for the psychology behind how and why shoppers make purchase decisions
• Exhibit a deep understanding of the US retail landscape, inclusive of channel variation and top retailers in the marketplace
• Toolkit and BTL experience preferred
• Shopper experience and holistic 360-degree planning preferred
• Ability to adapt to changing priorities, while working quickly against short deadlines
• Ability to work in the New York office (Flatiron) 3 days per week - Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

The salary range for this role is $125,000 to $175,000*

*exact compensation will be determined based on individual experience

Benefits include:

• Unlimited PTO
• Medical, Dental, Vision (with an option for free medical care!)
• 401K with a % match
• Various maternity/paternity leave options
• Fully funded disability and life insurance options
• Headspace subscription
• Wellness Stipend
• and more....