Head of Strategy

Who are we?

MATTE is a 360° full-service creative studio at the convergence of hype, storytelling and design. We bring people together to inspire new ways of engaging, to provoke long term progress, and to entertain audiences around the world, while helping forward-thinking brands and institutions nimbly and truly do the same. Our studio capabilities range from strategic ideation and insights, creative development, branding and identity, experiential, web design and development, campaigns and content creation, all the way through full-scale production and execution.

About this role

We're seeking a dynamic, multi-disciplinary strategic leader to join our team as Head of Strategy. This person will be instrumental in evolving the strategic practice at MATTE-bridging culture, insight, and creativity-and embedding strategy into the heart of our agency's work.

They will lead strategy across all pillars of our business-from brand to campaign to content and experience-while playing an active, embedded role across client workstreams. They will partner directly with executive leadership to scale our strategic offering, strengthen client relationships, and set the vision for how strategy drives value across everything we do.

Strategic Leadership & Vision

• Define and evolve MATTE's strategic practice, methodologies, and POV across culture, brand, campaign, social, and experiential strategy across all client accounts.
• Partner with Executive Leadership to grow strategy as a core capability at the agency-building a world-class department that delivers differentiated thinking and measurable results.
• Champion thought leadership internally and externally, identifying new frameworks, trends, and cultural shifts that fuel client and internal growth.

Client Strategy & Day-to-Day Engagement

• Serve as a senior strategic lead on key client accounts-immersing in their business, shaping strategy, and staying close to execution.
• Lead strategic development across major brand initiatives, social and content calendars, campaign planning, cultural activations, and experiential programs.
• Uncover deep insights that inform creative development, grounded in audience behavior, platform nuance, and cultural relevance.
• Ensure strategy is an active, visible function in client relationships-contributing to growth, retention, and trust.

Team Leadership & Development

• Hire, manage, and mentor a multidisciplinary team of strategists with expertise in brand, content, culture, social, and research.
• Create a collaborative, high-performing environment focused on rigorous thinking and creativity.
• Design professional development paths and implement practices that promote diversity of thought and consistent elevation of strategic craft.

Insights, Research & Innovation

• Develop proprietary research tools, methodologies, and cultural frameworks to drive strategic differentiation and client value.
• Translate data and insights into sharp, actionable strategies that inspire breakthrough creative work.
• Stay ahead of emerging trends in consumer behavior, media, and culture-and educate internal teams and clients on their impact.

Cross-Functional & Creative Collaboration

• Act as a critical partner to Creative, Production, Accounts, and New Business teams to ensure strategic cohesion across the full lifecycle of work.
• Lead the development of briefs, strategy presentations, and pitch narratives that inspire internal teams and excite clients.
• Elevate strategic consistency and integrity across all client touchpoints-from pitch to production.

Growth & New Business

• Contribute to new business efforts, helping to shape proposals, RFP responses, and pitch strategy.
• Identify opportunities to expand existing client relationships through strategic innovation, upselling, and strong delivery.

What you will bring

• 12+ years of experience in brand, creative, and cultural strategy within a top-tier creative or advertising agency environment.
• Expertise across a wide spectrum of strategy disciplines: campaign, brand, social, content, culture, experiential, research and insights.
• Proven experience leading integrated strategy across multiple accounts and industries.
• Demonstrated success in building and scaling strategic teams and functions.
• Deep understanding of cultural and consumer behavior trends and how they inform brand action.
• Strong communicator and storyteller who can distill complexity into compelling, persuasive narratives.
• A collaborative leader who thrives in a dynamic, creative, and entrepreneurial environment.
• Proficiency in qualitative and quantitative research techniques, trend analysis, and insight generation.

Salary

$200,000-$240,000/year

Benefits include

• Full Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage
• 401k with a 4% company contribution max match
• Fully covered Citibike membership
• Talkspace membership
• Competitive PTO package
• End of Year Recharge
• Sabbatical Program
• Paid Parental Leave
• 4x days a week in office [Monday-Thursday]