Strategy Director - Sports & Entertainment Agency

Strategy & Planning Director

£100,000 + Benefits

London, UK

We're excited to be recruiting a Strategy & Planning Director for a leading global agency operating at the intersection of sport, entertainment and culture. They partner with some of the world’s boldest and most inspiring brands, creating work that is culturally relevant, creatively ambitious and commercially effective.

This is a senior strategic role for an experienced planner who can elevate strategic thinking, strengthen creative output, and bring clarity and cultural intelligence to complex challenges.

The Role

As Strategy & Planning Director, you’ll be a senior strategic leader within the agency, shaping the thinking behind major client partnerships and flagship creative work. Reporting into the Executive Creative Director, you’ll work across a diverse client roster — leading briefs, building strategic platforms, and translating insight from brands, properties and fans into compelling ideas.

You’ll collaborate closely with Business Directors, Creative Directors and the wider Planning team, ensuring work is bold, intelligent and culturally connected. The role suits someone who combines strategic rigour with hands-on collaboration, and who can make complex thinking feel simple and actionable.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Lead sponsorship and partnership strategy across multiple clients and categories, including sport, entertainment, lifestyle, tech and consumer brands.
• Develop long-term strategic narratives and frameworks that guide creative development and unlock new thinking.
• Translate brand, category and audience insight into sharp, inspiring briefs.
• Bring clarity and simplicity to complex information, avoiding unnecessary jargon.

Cultural Intelligence

• Demonstrate deep curiosity across culture, including sport, entertainment, fashion, gaming, music, behaviour and technology.
• Identify cultural shifts and audience behaviours, translating them into strategic opportunities for brands.
• Ensure partnership ideas go beyond impressions to drive genuine audience action.

Data & Research

• Build strategies grounded in robust data, research and behavioural understanding.
• Use quantitative, qualitative, cultural, social and audience research, working with internal and external partners where required.
• Turn insight into clear, persuasive narratives that inform decisions and inspire creative teams.

Creative & Pitch Leadership

• Act as strategic lead on new business pitches, shaping narratives and insight-led stories.
• Collaborate with Creative Directors to ensure ideas are strategically sound and culturally relevant.
• Present confidently in pitch and client environments, bringing energy and storytelling craft.

Collaboration & Leadership

• Play a key role within the agency’s Europe-based Planning team, mentoring senior planners and supporting their development.
• Partner with Business Directors to influence client relationships and guide long-term planning.
• Work closely with creative teams from brief through to delivery.

Client & Stakeholder Management

• Lead strategic conversations with senior client stakeholders, acting as a trusted adviser.
• Provide clear recommendation paths and guide clients through strategic decision-making.
• Constructively challenge briefs and assumptions where needed.

Agency Contribution

• Support the growth of existing accounts through proactive thought leadership and opportunity spotting.

Experience Required

• Significant agency experience in strategy or planning, ideally within sport, entertainment, partnerships or creative agencies.
• Proven experience leading strategy for major clients, global brands or culturally influential work.
• Strong pitch experience, including narrative development and confident presentation.
• Ability to translate insight into clear briefs and practical strategic frameworks.
• High cultural fluency with the ability to turn cultural shifts into actionable ideas.
• Experience using research and data to inform strategy and communicate insights clearly.
• Strong senior stakeholder management skills.
• A collaborative leadership style with experience mentoring talent.