OUR COMPANY

Initiative celebrates diversity in an inclusive environment where all of our 6,000+ strong talent across 90+ markets feel seen, heard, and valued. Our vision is to create not only a better media company, but also a better media industry, and maybe even a better world.

We believe in the power of media to reshape our industry and orchestrate a brand’s entire consumer experience, by balancing both what unites people and what makes them different. When brands unite people in culture, they build Fame, and when brands connect individuals to their unique journeys, they build customer Flow. Media responsibility is at the forefront of everything we do, whether it’s creating media plans that reflect the diversity of our communities, promote brand safety, and foster sustainability. 

Our agency celebrates diversity in an inclusive environment where all of our 6,000+ strong talent across 90+ markets feel seen, heard, and valued. Our vision is to create not only a better media company, but also a better media industry, and maybe even a better world.

We make a promise to our people that we double down on seeing, celebrating & elevating all the things that make you, uniquely you. And just as we do for our brands and clients, we connect our people to the journeys that matter in building a meaningful career.

There are four I’s in Initiative and these represent our core values and behaviors.

➢ INDIVID[YOU]ALITY – you bring your genuine and unique self to and into the work, every day.

➢ INSTINCT – you’re tuned in and armed with intelligence; you have a bias for action – shit happens when you’re around.

➢ IMAGINATION – your ability to imagine and bring to life the ideas, solutions, and the future of Initiative, makes us THE create media agency in the world.

➢ IMPACT! – you care deeply about the impact you have on our clients, their customers, our community, the media landscape and our world at large.

ABOUT INITIATIVE HEALTH

Initiative Health is a specialist division of Initiative, focused on delivering transformative media and marketing strategies within the dynamic and highly regulated world of healthcare and pharma. Through our proprietary ‘Fame and Flow’ approach, we help healthcare and pharmaceutical brands drive better patient outcomes while delivering measurable business outcomes. We are seeking an Associate Strategy Director to lead strategic output for a core health and pharma portfolio, leveraging deep industry expertise to deliver impactful, HCP and consumer multi-channel campaigns.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Output and Client Leadership

• Lead the strategic development for key healthcare and pharma clients, ensuring all work aligns with Initiative’s Fame and Flow framework while addressing the unique challenges of the health sector.
• Deliver innovative, insight-driven strategies that inspire leading-edge solutions, ensuring best-in-class work across the client portfolio.
• Act as a strategic advisor to clients, confidently articulating the impact of marketing strategies on healthcare consumer, patients and healthcare professional (HCP) engagement, brand performance, and market share.
• Collaborate with Comms Design (planning) to ensure seamless integration of strategies into media plans that balance brand-building and performance goals.

Pharma Expertise and Market Insights

• Demonstrate an understanding of the global pharma marketing landscape, including key trends, regulatory changes, and digital innovations that shape healthcare communications.
• Identify and interpret industry shifts (e.g., omnichannel marketing, personalised medicine, virtual consultations) and articulate their implications for marketing strategies.
• Leverage insights into pharma-specific patient and HCP experiences to design multi-channel campaigns that optimise engagement and the path to prescription.
• Maintain fluency in pharma regulations and compliance standards to ensure all strategies adhere to industry guidelines.

Fame and Flow Champion

• Act as a key advocate for the Fame and Flow process within Initiative Health, embedding its usage across client teams and driving understanding within the agency.
• Champion the use of tools such as TGI, GWI, YouGov, and pharma-specific research platforms to ensure strategies are supported by robust data and actionable insights.

Pitching and New Business

• Lead strategy for small to medium-sized pitches within the health sector, uniting cross-functional teams to develop cohesive and compelling responses.
• Confidently present strategic thinking to prospective clients, demonstrating Initiative Health’s expertise in pharma marketing and the value of our Fame and Flow approach.
• Actively contribute to larger pitch processes, providing strategic insights and solutions that help win new health and pharma business.

Innovation and Product Development

• Drive innovation by contributing to the development of tools, processes, and products tailored to the needs of health and pharma clients.
• Identify opportunities to bring forward-thinking solutions to client challenges, including leveraging emerging technologies, digital trends and data solutions in the healthcare space.

Team Leadership and Development

• Lead training initiatives such as strategy inductions with new clients, health-focused craft sessions, and industry updates to enhance the team’s expertise.
• Act as a role model for strategic excellence, fostering collaboration, curiosity, and high performance across Initiative Health.

Crafting Excellence

• Develop robust audience strategies by combining insights into patient and HCP journeys with data from TGI, GWI, YouGov, our proprietary HCP data set and other pharma-specific tools.
• Ensure strategies are actionable and measurable, aligning with pharma client objectives while balancing compliance and creativity.
• Design multi-channel campaigns that deliver value across digital, in-person, and virtual touchpoints, optimising engagement and driving tangible results.

Experience and Background

• Experience in media or healthcare marketing
• Strong knowledge of the pharma marketing landscape, including regulatory environments, audience insights, and omnichannel marketing trends.
• Proven ability to deliver innovative and effective strategies that resonate with both patients and HCPs while meeting business goals.
• Experienced in deriving key insights from 3P healthcare reports/research platforms.
• Proficiency with strategic tools and frameworks, including TGI, GWI, YouGov, and healthcare-specific platforms.
• Background in planning or performance media, with expertise in balancing brand-building and performance-driven strategies.

Qualifications and Skills

• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to inspire confidence and influence clients and internal stakeholders.
• Experience managing and mentoring junior team members, fostering their development and building a high-performing team.
• A passion for staying ahead of healthcare trends, consumer behaviour, and regulatory changes, translating these into actionable insights.
• A creative and collaborative mindset, with the ability to work effectively across departments, with external healthcare partners and with partner agencies.

Employee Transparency 

At IPG Mediabrands, we celebrate differences and believe this makes us stronger. IPG Mediabrands are equal-opportunity employers committed to championing an inclusive culture that provides a sense of belonging for all our employees. We do not discriminate against any applicant based on age, disability, race, colour, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, belief, marital status or any other characteristic protected by law. 

Please reach out to our Talent Inclusion Specialist Jess at [email protected] if you would like to have a confidential conversation regarding any adjustments that would ensure our recruitment process is accessible for you. Please note requesting a reasonable adjustment will not affect your application. 

The Perks 

We aim to provide all our people with a supportive and fun work environment where you can develop your full potential and benefit from the broad range of opportunities within the agency. When you join us, we want to make sure you feel valued – and that you are rewarded for your fantastic work. So, we also offer a range of benefits:

• Flexi–leave, with 25 days annual leave to be taken as minimum. In addition to your holiday entitlement, the office usually closes between Christmas & New Year 
• Free breakfast and free lunch
• Early finish Fridays
• Core Hours (Mon-Thurs, flexible start/finish times)
• Retail discounts
• Electric vehicle salary sacrifice car scheme 
• Wellbeing programme, including Headspace & flu jabs 
• Interest free season ticket loan
• Paid time off for Volunteering
• Group Income Protection
• Life Assurance
• Private Medical Insurance or Health Cash Plan (dependent on level)
• Group Personal Pension Plan with matched contributions from 3-6%
• Generous Parental Leave & Pay
• Independent mortgage advice
• Financial education
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Free eye tests
• Flexible benefits including Dental, Travel insurance, Cycle to Work, Gym Discounts and many more!