About the Position

Strategist

Brand: VML

Location: Milan, Italy

About the Company

VML is a global creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce to create connected brands that drive growth. Guided by a Human First philosophy, VML is known for its innovative work for brands and consistently ranks among the world’s leading creative companies, including the WARC Creative 100. VML’s global network spans 55+ markets with principal offices in Buenos Aires, Kansas City, London, New York, São Paulo, Shanghai, and Singapore.

VML is part of WPP, the trusted growth partner for the world's leading brands. Powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform WPP Open, WPP unites cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, creativity, production, enterprise solutions, and expert strategic counsel.

For more information, please visit www.vml.com and follow along on LinkedIn #WeAreVML.

About the Role

VML is looking for a Strategist to join the strategic department in Milan.

The selected candidate will be part of the team developing brand and communication strategies for Italian and international clients, contributing to transforming business and marketing objectives into clear, relevant, and actionable strategic directions.

They will work closely with the Account, Creative, Data, and Social teams, acting as a strategic reference point for both the internal team and the client.

Responsibilities

Analyze the competitive scenario, market, category, consumers, and cultural dynamics.
Analyze the brand, its positioning, values, purpose, and distinctive assets.
Define targets, audiences, consumer insights, and opportunities relevant to the brand.
Identify, interpret, and translate cultural, social, technological, and consumption trends into strategic opportunities.
Integrate data, qualitative and quantitative research, social listening, and intelligence sources to build solid insights.
Develop positioning, brand propositions, strategic territories, communication platforms, and creative guidelines.
Translate business and communication objectives into creative briefs, strategic documents, presentations, and points of view.
Present and support strategic recommendations to senior stakeholders, facilitating discussions and workshops.
Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, contributing to the alignment between strategy, creativity, and execution.
Support the growth and development of junior figures, sharing methods, skills, and best practices.
Contribute to pitches, new business projects, and the agency's thought leadership activities.

Requirements

Experience, approximately 5+ years, in creative or communication agencies, strategic consulting firms, brand consultancy, or similar contexts.
Proven experience in developing brand and communication strategies, preferably on integrated projects for Italian and international clients.
Analytical and strategic thinking skills.
Excellent knowledge of the main research tools, competitive analysis, audience intelligence, and trend analysis approaches.
Familiarity with social languages, platforms, and trends, along with the ability to distinguish truly relevant phenomena from mere background noise.
Writing, summarization, and storytelling skills.
Excellent presentation, client management, and workshop facilitation skills.
Ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams.
Autonomy in managing multiple projects, priorities, and deadlines in fast-paced and dynamic contexts.
Curiosity, open-mindedness, and multidisciplinary interests.
Fluency in Italian and English, both written and spoken.

We Offer

Gross Annual Salary: €35,000-€42,000 EUR
Employment Contract: Governed by CCNL Aziende del Terziario distribuzione e Servizi
Work Arrangement: Hybrid approach, with teams in the office an average of four days a week.
Compensation: Determined based on internal benchmarks and specific market conditions for the discipline.
Benefits: Competitive salary, remote work options, professional development budget, and more.

About VML

VML is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.

Note: When you click "Submit Application", this will send any information you add below to VML. Before you do this, we think it's a good idea to read through our Recruitment Privacy Policy. California residents should read our California Recruitment Privacy Notice. This explains what we do with your personal data when you apply for a role with us, and how you can update the information you have provided us with or how to remove it.

Strategist

Job description