Strategic Planning Associate

Strategic Planning Associate (Merkley & Partners, Inc., New York, NY)

Conduct advanced quantitative and qualitative research to evaluate consumer behavior, market trends, campaign effectiveness, and brand perception across various verticals and target segments. Design and implement custom market research studies to support strategic business decisions, including brand positioning, audience segmentation, campaign testing, and messaging development. Analyze and synthesize large-scale data sets from internal and third-party sources (including surveys, social listening, purchase behavior, web analytics, and CRM systems) to uncover actionable insights that guide marketing strategies and investments. Develop data-backed marketing strategies and recommendations for new and existing products and services, including full-funnel customer journey mapping and persona profiling. Create detailed research reports, white papers, and executive presentations for internal and client stakeholders, translating complex findings into clear and compelling strategic narratives. Collaborate with cross-functional teams (including media planning, creative, and brand strategy) to integrate data insights into marketing plans, targeting strategies, and campaign execution. Design, field, and analyze consumer surveys, focus groups, and in-depth interviews, ensuring alignment with client goals and project timelines. Evaluate and refine research methodologies, frameworks, and toolsets used across the strategy team to ensure rigor, consistency, and innovation. Present research findings and marketing strategies to clients, internal leadership, and external partners, articulating the business implications of data and insight. Serve as an internal subject matter expert on marketing analytics, consumer behavior, and competitive intelligence, supporting both campaign development and broader brand strategy initiatives. Participate in thought leadership by contributing to white papers, trend reports, and industry-facing presentations on marketing insights and emerging consumer trends. Mentor junior researchers and strategists on effective research design, data interpretation, and communication of insights. Up to 20% travel required to domestic client sites for meetings and to conduct market research. Telecommuting may be permitted up to 3 days per week. When not telecommuting, must report to Merkley & Partners, Inc. at 200 Varick Street, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10014. Salary: $123,000 - $130,000 per year.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS: Bachelor’s degree or U.S. equivalent in Advertising, Marketing, or a related field, plus 5 years of professional experience as a Brand Strategist or any occupation, job title, position working with client management and performing end-to-end project planning from discovery through execution.

Must also have experience in the following: 5 years of professional experience designing, conducting, and analyzing research (including interviews, focus groups, quantitative studies and workshops); 5 years of professional experience collaborating with media planners, creatives, account teams, and clients as well as presenting to senior stakeholders and guiding strategic conversations; 5 years of professional experience with client management (including presenting to senior level clients); 5 years of professional experience developing integrated marketing strategies informed by consumer research, competitive analysis, and market trend evaluation; 4 years of professional experience working with demographic data, consumer profiles, and syndicated research tools (including MRI-Simmons and YouGov); 2 years of professional experience applying advanced data analysis techniques to marketing data using tools including SQL and Tableau to extract insights and inform strategic recommendations; 1 year of professional experience servicing clients in the luxury or automotive sectors; and 1 year of professional experience applying advanced data analysis techniques to marketing data using mTab and ThoughtSpot to extract insights and inform strategic recommendations.

CONTACT: Please email resumes to careers@merkleyandpartners.com. Must specify AD Code (GLRG)