Associate Director, Strategy
Department: Strategic Solutions
Reports To: VP, Strategy
Location: Remote
Employment Type: Full-time
Position Overview
Underscore Marketing is seeking an Associate Director, Strategy to join our team within a small, fast-paced media agency specializing in pharmaceutical media advertising. This role is ideal for an analytically minded, self-motivated individual who can independently manage performance reporting, uncover actionable insights, and make strategic optimization recommendations for our pharmaceutical clients. In addition to day-to-day reporting and analysis, this role will contribute to bringing to life the agency's data analytics vision—executing against our roadmap towards smarter, more automated, and AI-enhanced data solutions to drive organic growth and differentiation. The ideal candidate will work cross-functionally across teams (strategy, planning, analytics, client services, data science & technology, and media execution) to identify and implement both analytics & overall process improvements, ensuring data-driven decision-making is at the core of our client and internal strategies.
Key Responsibilities
Performance Reporting & Insights
- Own and manage regular media performance reporting for multiple pharmaceutical accounts, ensuring accuracy, clarity, and timeliness
- Analyze marketing and media performance data to identify trends, insights, and optimization opportunities
- Translate complex datasets into clear narratives and actionable recommendations for internal teams and clients, bringing the data to life in a powerful way
- Develop dashboards, visualizations, and scorecards using relevant tools (e.g. Tableau, Power BI, Google Looker Studio)
Strategic & Analytical Methodologies
- Experience working with third-party health data providers, with clear understanding of approaches and methodologies used
- Ability to apply analytical frameworks and understanding of attribution methodologies, test/control analyses, and other marketing effectiveness measurement approaches to evaluate performance and guide media strategy
- Support the design and interpretation of A/B tests, pilots, and controlled experiments
- Contribute to modeling and predictive analysis projects
Data Vision, AI & Process Improvement
- Collaborate cross-functionally with internal agency teams and leadership to develop and refine the agency's reporting and analytics offerings and roadmap
- Support & execute against opportunities identified within the agency to integrate or leverage AI and automation to improve reporting speed, accuracy, and insights generation
- Work cross-functionally with media, account, and technology teams to enhance data flows, reporting templates, and processes
- Document and communicate best practices for analytics and performance optimization
Qualifications & Skills
Required Education & Experience
- Bachelor's degree in a related field (e.g., Data Science, Statistics, Marketing Analytics, Applied Mathematics, or a similar discipline)
- 2–3 years of professional experience (including internships) in marketing analytics, performance reporting, or related analytical roles
- Experience in or exposure to pharmaceutical media advertising across digital and traditional channels required
- Strong presentation skills, with experience presenting deliverables to clients and ensuring delivery excellence
Technical Skills
- Proficiency with data visualization
- Working knowledge of SQL, Python, or R for data manipulation and analysis is a plus
- Understanding of media measurement frameworks (e.g., attribution modeling, MMM, lift studies)
- Familiarity with AI/ML concepts and tools for reporting or analytics automation is advantageous
Core Competencies
- Strong analytical thinking and problem-solving skills
- Excellent communication skills—able to translate data into clear, actionable insights for non-technical audiences
- High attention to detail, accuracy, and data integrity
- Ability to manage multiple projects independently in a fast-paced, client-driven environment
- A proactive, curious mindset with a passion for learning and innovation
Why Join Us?
At Underscore Marketing, we value our team and invest in their success. We offer competitive compensation and benefits, including health coverage, retirement plans, paid time off, and professional growth opportunities. Our goal is to ensure you feel supported both personally and professionally while contributing to meaningful work in a dynamic, collaborative environment. Underscore Marketing is a woman-owned, independent agency specializing in life sciences. Since 2002, we've helped clients gain a competitive edge through bold, data-driven promotional strategies that deliver measurable results. Our team comprises media, strategy, and omnichannel analytics experts who thrive on collaboration, innovation, and results. When you join Underscore, you become part of a dynamic environment where your ideas matter, your growth is