Back to jobs
New

Sr. Director, Brand Strategy (Consumer & Lifestyle)

Denver, CO

Merge Storytelling and Technology

We bring together the minds and passions of creative pioneers, tech innovators, and data explorers to help ambitious clients solve business challenges and rise to the top. MERGE has enduring client partnerships with American Express, T-Mobile, LG, Subway, Kate Spade NY, Coach, The North Face, Meta, Adobe, BlueCross BlueShield, Abbott, Astellas, Supernus, CSL, GE Healthcare, Broward Health, Indiana University Health, Nationwide, and Morgan Stanley. With offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Kansas City, Montreal, New York City and Los Angeles. MERGE uses a talent-to-task process that enables clients to think higher and feel deeper about their customers. 

Promote Health, Wellness & Happiness

We are committed to promoting health, wellness and happiness in the world by partnering with purpose-driven clients in purpose-driven industries in healthcare, life science, and consumer products. Our deep vertical expertise and category insights stem from decade-long partnerships with our top clients.

Emerge to the Top of Your Career

At MERGE, we strive to create a superior work experience where talented and ambitious people grow. An experience that encourages people to think higher and feel deeper. An experience where people engage their minds and hearts to do the best work of their careers.

As our Sr. Director, Brand Strategy you will…

Lead and innovate across key strategic areas within our consumer & lifestyle business, driving brand positioning, portfolio architecture, audience definition and segmentation. You will architect shopper-centric and path-to-purchase strategies while developing comprehensive approaches that drive both brand consideration and consumer conversion.

Your primary focus will be reducing friction across the consumer journey in partnership with our Experience Strategy team, creating seamless experiences from consumer-driven awareness through shopper-driven consideration and purchase. You will connect brand strategy with shopper expertise across the full marketing ecosystem, spearheading omnichannel brand and shopper strategies with particular emphasis on the intersection of eCommerce, in-store retail, and digital transactional touch-points.

You will apply strategic principles across different business models and leverage data-driven insights to drive tangible business results for our consumer & lifestyle clients. Your role will be instrumental in bridging the gap between brand strategy and shopper behavior, ensuring our clients achieve measurable success in today's complex retail landscape.

Be Accountable and Responsible 

  • Develop and maintain deep understanding of client business, market, customer, and brand information to support strategic solutions, with specialized focus on shopper path-to-purchase across consumer, retail, and B2B contexts
  • Demonstrate consistent curiosity and learning about new products, technologies, and MERGE offerings that support client work
  • Identify collaboration opportunities across strategy roles and the broader MERGE organization to maximize client value
  • Direct research and analysis, synthesizing qualitative and quantitative data (audience segmentation, POS/sales data, loyalty insights, eCommerce analytics) to uncover actionable insights that fuel strategy
  • Lead and facilitate critical workshops and client sessions, presenting strategic outputs from creative briefs to comprehensive deliverables like brand planning strategies, path-to-purchase playbooks, and annual shopper marketing roadmaps
  • Stay current on retail technology, e-commerce trends, Retail Media Networks (RMNs), and shopper marketing innovations, applying insights and thought leadership to drive client success
  • Translate consumer brand-building and shopper marketing principles to B2B environments
  • Mentor junior strategy personnel and champion collaborative mindset across the organization to integrate services for clients
  • Champion and innovate upon Brand Strategy discipline principles at MERGE and with clients
  • Author and present strategic narratives to senior and C-level clients, integrating data and storytelling to deliver compelling visions for brand growth and omnichannel success
  • Leverage AI technology and relevant software, tools, and templates applicable to Brand and Shopper Strategy

These are the qualifications we’re looking for

  • Minimum 7 years of relevant professional experience in an ad or marketing agency setting, with a focus on shopper and brand strategy; experience in B2B is a plus!
  • At least 2 years in a project leadership role, with proven experience collaborating with and presenting to executive leadership.
  • Bachelor's degree preferred, or equivalent work experience
  • Thrives in a fast paced, growing and evolving environment
  • Motivated by adaptability, and demonstrates strong entrepreneurial spirit
  • Strong executive presence, recognized as a thought leader both in the industry and for our clients
  • Proven expertise in developing and applying end-to-end brand strategies, with mastery in:
    • Translating Brand Positioning into Conversion & Purchase
    • Audience definition and segmentation
    • Communications message planning
    • Omnichannel marketing & mapping, with special emphasis on advertising, social, CRM, media, events, in-store, e-commerce, in-store retail, and the digital shelf
    • Shopper Engagement & Conversion Strategy
    • B2B Marketing Strategy
    • Performance Marketing that ties campaigns directly to sales lift and business results
  • Mastery of the modern strategist's toolkit, including:
    • Strategic foundations building, from path-to-purchase frameworks and ecosystem maps to authoring insightful creative briefs
    • Collaboration/workshop platforms (Miro, Mural, Jamboard)
    • Data & Insights platforms
    • Deep familiarity with syndicated research (MRI/Simmons, Kantar) and hands-on experience interpreting retail panel data, POS data, or eCommerce analysis

 

At MERGE, we’re committed to fostering an environment where our team members can thrive in both their careers and personal lives, ensuring they feel supported and empowered to succeed.

MERGE believes in transparency and equity. In accordance with state regulations, we’re proud to include salary ranges in our job postings to ensure fair compensation practices.

The salary range for this role is $137,000 - $173,000, based on the individual’s skills, experience, qualifications, location, and other relevant factors. The salary pay range is subject to change and may be modified at any time.  

MERGE is proud to invest in benefits that include meaningful Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, 401K, Lifestyle Spending Account, Employer Paid Life & Disability Insurance, Flexible Time off & Holidays plus many other benefits and rewards.

Applicants for employment in the US must have work authorization that does not now or in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the United States.

#LI-DP1

#LI-HYBRid

And here’s how we live our values at MERGE

  • Ability. Mastering our craft
  • Agility. Delivering with a growth mindset
  • Humility. Collaborating for shared success

MERGE is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer

MERGE welcomes and celebrates diversity regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, veteran status or people with abilities. We believe that the more diverse we are, the more creative our work will be!

Create a Job Alert

Interested in building your career at MERGE? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

MERGE offers a hybrid work model. If you live in or near a city where we have an office we encourage you to go into the office 2 days a week. Which office location(s) are you open to? *
Select...
Select...
Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in MERGE’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.