Associate Brand Strategist
About the role
AREA 17 partners with Craft on the 2026 Cohort, a structured entry point designed to grow and nurture junior talent into future leaders. You'll work in small, autonomous teams alongside senior strategists and designers, learning by doing rather than observing. This role joins a brand practice spanning two studios, reporting to an Associate Strategy Director and trained directly by the Head of Brand. You'll collaborate with designers to articulate strategy before execution, ground creative ideas in business logic, and help clients move from positioning to brand systems they can own. As no rigid split exists between senior and junior strategists, you'll help define how this practice operates.
Onboarding includes a structured 12-week program: intensive training, shadowing on an internal R&D project, then a live project role.
Requirements
- One to two years of strategy work experience, past the first-job hump but not a fresh graduate.
- Background in semiotics, UX, media strategy, or any commercial environment built on strategic problem-solving.
- A maker—someone who has built or launched something independently.
- Research skills that go well beyond what an AI can generate.
Benefits
- $60,000 - $75,000 salary.
- Hybrid working model.
- Early October start date.
- Fully paid medical, dental, and vision for employees and families.
- 401(k) with company match.
- HSA with annual employer contribution.
- Employer-paid life insurance.