Creative Strategy Manager

Creative Strategy Manager at Mastercard scores 0 out of 100 on AI centrality, which makes it AI Level 1 of 4 (Little AI) on this board. The level measures how much of the work is AI, not seniority.

Lisbon, PortugalmidFull time

AI in this role

Creative Strategy Manager to develop creative strategies, uncover insights, and lead briefs across European markets for Mastercard Advisors.

creative-strategymarket-researchstorytellingworkshop-facilitationstrategic-planning

Our Purpose

Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Together with our customers, we’re helping build a sustainable economy where everyone can prosper. We support a wide range of digital payments choices, making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technology and innovation, partnerships and networks combine to deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential.

Title and Summary

Creative Strategy Manager

The Creative Strategy Manager is responsible for helping clients see their challenges differently.
As part of Advisors Creative Desk (ACD) — the creative powerhouse of Mastercard Advisors — they turn business problems, human insights, and cultural shifts into creative opportunities that drive growth and make brands more meaningful.
They are strategist, storyteller, and facilitator in equal measure: someone who can uncover an insight, lead a workshop, write a brief, challenge a room full of opinions, and help a team find the clearest path forward.
Drawing on experience from leading agencies or consultancies, they bring together strategic rigor, creativity, and diplomacy. They provide guidance and quality leadership across projects while remaining hands-on in the work itself—helping transform complexity into clarity, and clarity into great ideas.

Key Responsibilities
Strategic Development & Ownership
Lead the development of creative strategies on key briefs
Provide strategic leadership across a portfolio of countries within the European region, identifying cross-market opportunities, sharing best practices, and driving strategic excellence at scale
Translate business objectives, brand challenges, and insights into clear strategic directions and creative platforms
Own strategic thinking across assigned projects, ensuring consistency, clarity, and creative ambition
Insight & Research Excellence
Conduct and guide desk research across markets, competitors, consumers, and cultural trends
Distill complex information into sharp, inspiring insights that unlock strong creative ideas
Push beyond surface-level findings to uncover meaningful and differentiated strategic perspectives
Creative Briefing & Writing
Write high-quality creative briefs that inspire creative teams while aligning internal and client stakeholders
Shape strategic narratives, key messages, and presentation materials for client-facing deliverables
Partner with Creative Strategy Managers on briefing sessions and creative handovers
Collaboration & Diplomacy
Work closely with creatives, account managers, project managers, and clients to ensure smooth strategic delivery
Act as a strategic partner to creative teams throughout the development process, providing constructive feedback and guidance
Navigate differing viewpoints with confidence and diplomacy, balancing creative ambition with client and business realities
Guidance & Quality Control
Support and mentor Creative Strategists, helping elevate strategic thinking, writing, and research quality
Review and refine strategic outputs produced by junior team members
Contribute to the development of strategic best practices, frameworks, and internal tools
All About You
10+ years of experience in creative strategy, brand planning, or communications strategy within a leading creative agency, brand consultancy, or equivalent strategic environment.
Exceptional strategic thinker and writer, able to turn insights into compelling narratives, sharp briefs, and creative opportunities.
Experienced facilitator and storyteller, confident leading workshops, presenting to senior audiences, and aligning diverse stakeholders around a common direction.
Strong collaborator and diplomat, skilled at navigating complexity, balancing competing perspectives, and building trust across clients, creatives, and cross-functional teams.
Comfortable operating across multiple European markets, bringing cultural sensitivity, strategic rigor, and fluent English communication in both written and verbal settings.

Corporate Security Responsibility

All activities involving access to Mastercard assets, information, and networks comes with an inherent risk to the organization and, therefore, it is expected that every person working for, or on behalf of, Mastercard is responsible for information security and must:

Abide by Mastercard’s security policies and practices;
Ensure the confidentiality and integrity of the information being accessed;
Report any suspected information security violation or breach, and
Complete all periodic mandatory security trainings in accordance with Mastercard’s guidelines.

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Skills and AI tools this role asks for

Creative StrategyMarket ResearchStorytellingWorkshop FacilitationStrategic Planning

Questions you could be asked

Tell me about a project where creative strategy was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where market research was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where storytelling was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where workshop facilitation was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where strategic planning was part of your work. What did you do?

Adapt your resume

List these exact terms on your resume: Creative Strategy, Market Research, Storytelling, Workshop Facilitation, and Strategic Planning. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them — a tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.

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