Strategist

Your Role You are a skilled, user-centred strategist and insight-driven designer, empathetic, curious, and fluent in understanding end-to-end customer journeys. You translate complex concepts into simple, actionable, and innovative solutions that create clear opportunities for strong product and service experiences. You thrive at the intersection of data, technology, place, and creativity. Analytical yet imaginative, you balance logic and design to improve how people experience the digital and physical world. You see opportunities in ambiguity, deconstruct challenges, and devise better ways forward. You’re inspired by business innovation and emerging technologies but remain focused on solving today’s brand and user needs. You know how to develop strategies and deliverables that bring perspective, inspire innovation, and drive decisions. Collaboration is central to your approach. You partner across disciplines to design, deliver, and optimize meaningful solutions, promoting experimentation, motivation, and cross-regional collaboration. What You Will Do Work directly with clients to define the right opportunities and problems to solve, building trusted relationships and aligning strategies with their goals. Develop and present world-class, insight-led strategies — including research analysis, experience briefs, customer journeys, roadmaps, workshops, and retail strategies — from conception through launch and optimization. Collaborate closely with multidisciplinary teams of Strategists, Analysts, Planners, Architects, and Designers to develop engaging, effective, and measurable outcomes. Challenge clients and peers to think differently, bridging business challenges with brand and customer needs to deliver innovative, human-centred solutions. Your Qualifications 15+ years of experience creating human-centred design, service design, and experience strategies, preferably for clients in the lifestyle sector (retail, hospitality, entertainment, etc). Experience in progressive, creatively-driven environments that integrate strategy as a core part of the design process. Proven track record developing strategies such as customer journeys, archetypes, experience briefs, and strategic POVs that translate into solutions across digital and physical channels. Strong ability to conduct research, synthesize insights, and design engaging workshops that guide teams and clients toward actionable outcomes. Excellent communicator with the ability to craft compelling presentations, proposals, and narratives that help clients visualise and understand recommendations. Collaborative and entrepreneurial, comfortable navigating ambiguity, balancing individual ownership with teamwork, and iterating quickly across multiple workstreams. Empathetic, analytical, and responsive to feedback — able to infuse behavioural insight and design research methodologies into all stages of work. Technical Requirements Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign required), and Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Outlook), and other visual communication tools Fluency with digital collaboration tools such as Miro, Mural, Microsoft Teams etc. Familiarity with website development software/language, Readymag, Square Space and other technologies is a plus Familiarity with rapid prototyping tools such as Invision, Sketch, and AdobeXD a plus Life at Gensler At Gensler, we are as committed to enjoying life as we are to delivering best-in-class design. From internal design competitions to “Wellbeing Week,” our offices reflect our people’s diverse interests. We encourage every person at Gensler to lead a healthy and balanced life. Our comprehensive benefits include medical, dental, vision, disability, wellness programs, paid holidays, and paid time off. We also offer a profit sharing plan and twice annual bonus opportunities.  As part of the firm’s commitment to licensure and professional development, Gensler offers reimbursement for certain professional licenses and associated renewals and exam fees. In addition, we reimburse tuition for certain eligible programs or classes. We view our professional development programs as strategic investments in our future.