DEPT® is a Growth Invention company built to help the world’s most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing, our 4,000+ specialists deliver growth invention services across Brand & Media, Experience, Commerce, CRM, and Technology & Data. We’re 50|50 tech and marketing, partner-led, and first to move. Clients include Google, Lufthansa, Meta, eBay, and OpenAI. We have been certified B Corp and Climate Neutral since 2021.

This role is part of our Creative & Media team based in Rotterdam and Amsterdam. Our team is a vibrant mix of talents, ranging from Creatives, Influencer Marketers, Brand & Content Strategists to Account Managers, Programmatic and Marketing Automation Consultants. Together, we blend imaginative storytelling and performance-driven strategies with cutting-edge technology to create engaging digital experiences that build lasting relationships with our clients like Netflix, Canva, Foot Locker, Philips & Biscoff.

JOB PURPOSE

As a Growth Strategy Director at DEPT®, you are the senior strategic lead and media figurehead for one of our most complex and high-profile accounts. You own the media agenda for the client and act as the primary point of contact for media strategy, content leadership, and cross-disciplinary collaboration.

You balance long-term strategic direction with hands-on leadership in execution, ensuring that ambition translates into impact. You connect media, content, creative, influencer, and performance disciplines into a cohesive full-funnel approach that challenges competitors and drives tangible business outcomes.

In this role, you operate comfortably within a complex, political corporate environment and are trusted by senior client stakeholders as a strategic partner. Internally, you are a connector, motivator, and decision-maker who brings clarity, urgency, and focus to teams, especially during high-pressure, large-scale campaigns such as international sports or brand moments.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Act as the senior media lead and content figurehead for the client, owning the media narrative and strategic direction
Steer the overall media agenda, ensuring consistency, quality, and ambition across brand and performance activities
Serve as the primary senior point of contact for media strategy towards the client's senior stakeholders
Navigate a complex, client environment with sensitivity, authority, and confidence
Present clear, compelling, and persuasive strategies to senior client management, translating complexity into actionable direction
Balance long-term strategic vision with day-to-day urgency, knowing when to zoom out and when to step in
Take hands-on leadership of large, high-impact campaigns (e.g. international brand moments, sponsorships, World Cup-scale activations)
Ensure strategies are executable, prioritised correctly, and delivered with pace and quality
Act as the link between disciplines, connecting media, creative, influencer, content, brand, and performance teams - both internally and externally
Challenge teams and clients to push beyond conventional media thinking
Proactively spot opportunities to expand the scope of work into broader strategic territories
Contribute to new business opportunities, organic growth, and competitive positioning
Help shape DEPT®’s media propositions, best practices, and strategic thought leadership

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Senior media strategist/media director-level professional with extensive agency experience
Proven track record leading large, complex, and demanding corporate accounts
Strong understanding of how to operate within, multi-stakeholder organisations
Full-funnel media expertise with a solid foundation in both digital and traditional media (e.g. digital TV, influencer, creative, brand & performance)
Ability to bridge brand and performance, strategy and execution
Knowledge of crafts beyond media and is capable of briefing and guiding a team of data, creative or tech experts
Excellent stakeholder management skills with strong political sensitivity