Head of Integrated Strategic Planning (Remote US)

About this role

HEAD OF INTEGRATED STRATEGIC PLANNING JOB DESCRIPTION

Directive Consulting is the leading B2B marketing agency for companies that are done optimizing for metrics that don't move the business. With over a decade of expertise and 420+ B2B brands behind us, we know what real results look like. We operate through 3 divisions: Performance, Communications, and Commerce, each built to share intelligence and align on revenue. Our methodology, DiscoverabilityOS™, aligns brand and demand to guide your ICP to choose you across every decision point. Across Technology, Industrial, and Services verticals, that system spans everything from Paid Media and Content Marketing to PR and Paid Social to Marketplace and Lifecycle Marketing.

At Directive, we're always looking to connect with talented people who care about work that actually counts. As we grow across all 3 divisions, we're seeking forward-thinking people who thrive in fast-paced environments, are obsessed with analytics and storytelling, and are ready to make their mark doing B2B marketing that actually means something.

THE ROLE

We're looking for an Associate Director, Integrated Strategic Planning dedicated to Performance Marketing to connect business goals, audience insights, brand positioning, and channel strategy into a clear plan for growth. This is not a channel-by-channel planning role. You'll wear two different “hats”: uncovering the insight that gives a brand a meaningful advantage and leading the translation of that insight into an integrated performance marketing plan that teams can execute and measure.

You'll lead strategic planning for Performance Marketing engagements, aligning paid media, performance creative, landing page experiences, analytics, and client business outcomes around a shared understanding of the customer and the business opportunity. You'll turn complex inputs into focused briefs, fully connected conversion journeys, and actionable recommendations. Your job is to ensure its channels and teams work toward shared business outcomes.

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

AUDIENCE RESEARCH & INSIGHT DEVELOPMENT

- Lead research into client businesses, ideal customer profiles, buying committees, competitors, and category dynamics.

- Synthesize customer interviews, market research, search behavior, and campaign data into insights that shape strategy.

- Map the B2B buying journey, identifying decision points, barriers, and opportunities to influence consideration and conversion.

- Turn research into a clear strategic point of view — not just a collection of observations.

INTEGRATED STRATEGY & PLANNING

- Lead integrated strategic planning within Performance Marketing, connecting audience insight, messaging, paid media, performance creative, and conversion experiences to client growth objectives.

- Define the audience, positioning, messaging priorities, channel roles, and sequencing needed to meet client business goals.

- Partner with paid media, design, copy, landing page, and analytics specialists to define coordinated performance marketing plans across paid search, paid social, display, and video.

- Apply DiscoverabilityOS™ principles within Performance Marketing, aligning audience targeting, messaging, and conversion experiences with the decision points that matter to the client's ideal customers.

CREATIVE BRIEFING & COLLABORATION

- Write focused strategic and creative briefs that clarify the business challenge, audience insight, value proposition, and desired response.

- Partner with performance design, copy, paid media, and landing page teams to turn strategy into compelling creative and connected conversion experiences.

- Facilitate planning workshops and working sessions that align stakeholders around one direction.

- Evaluate concepts and plans against the brief, keeping work grounded in audience needs and business outcomes.

STRATEGY & CLIENT PARTNERSHIP

- Own the strategic planning direction for assigned Performance Marketing engagements, partnering with client success and channel leads to clarify objectives, challenge assumptions, and prioritize opportunities.

- Present research, strategic recommendations, and integrated plans in language clients and senior stakeholders can act on.

- Lead the strategic narrative for Performance Marketing pitches and account expansion opportunities, grounding recommendations in audience insight and evidence.

- Build alignment across Performance Marketing teams and clients, documenting decisions and explaining the trade-offs behind the plan.

MEASUREMENT & BUSINESS IMPACT

- Translate business objectives into a measurement framework with shared goals, channel-specific indicators, and clear learning priorities.

- Partner with analytics and paid media teams to interpret performance across engagement, conversion, lead quality, pipeline, and revenue where data is available.

- Develop test-and-learn plans that validate audience, messaging, creative, and channel assumptions.

- Recommend adjustments based on evidence, acknowledging attribution limits and balancing short-term performance with long-term brand growth.

- Consider budget, scope, and delivery constraints so recommendations are commercially sound and executable.

AI & TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION

- Use AI and research tools to support insight synthesis, competitive analysis, and planning efficiency.

- Validate AI-generated outputs against reliable sources and protect confidential client information.

- Establish repeatable research, briefing, and planning standards for Performance Marketing, coaching colleagues in their use and improving strategic quality — not just the speed of producing presentations.

WHAT YOU OFFER /QUALIFICATIONS

EXPERIENCE & BACKGROUND

- Substantial experience in strategic planning, integrated performance marketing, or account planning within an agency or growth-focused business, with demonstrated ownership of complex client strategies.

- A…