Lead Strategist

We're looking for a brand strategy lead who can take a brand engagement from the first discovery conversation all the way through to the final handoff and keep it on track the whole way.

Strategy at Attic Salt covers a lot of ground. It's strategic and creative, but it's also a business role. The person we need right now isn't just a strong writer with a strategy title. We need someone who can run the room, find the real insight, and hold that thinking steady so the work stays sharp from kickoff to launch. If you care about the small details and the big picture in equal measure, and clients tend to trust you with both, keep reading .

WHAT THE ROLE ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE

This is a senior, hands-on job with real ownership of strategy. You'll set the strategic direction for our engagements and see it through end to end, and you'll help build the process that keeps our work consistent as we grow. You'll work closely with our creative leadership to shape direction together, then give the team a clear strategy to build against.

Day-to-day that means:

• Owning the strategy from kickoff and discovery through launch and into our Transform phase, so nothing falls through the cracks between strategy, design, and delivery.
• Running client interviews and workshops. You ask the good questions, listen for what matters, and turn it into strategy, creative direction, and messaging.
• Fitting the work into our iACT framework so big ideas become something the team can actually deliver.
• Identify & writing the core of a brand's strategy: mission, vision, values, positioning, brand platforms, USPs, value props, plus the verbal identity that brings it to life (brand story, tone of voice, pillars, and headlines when the project calls for it).
• Keeping the work true to the strategy. You're not a designer, but you know great brand design when you see it and can push designers when the visuals aren't landing the strategy.

NON NEGOTIABLES

Please only apply if you fit the following criteria:

• 5+ years at or with a branding-focused agency, leading clients through brand work on your own, start to finish.
• A discovery-to-strategy process you've built or run and can walk us through in detail. How you work matters here as much as what you make.
• Real facilitation chops. You've run discovery sessions and workshops, held a room, and made sense of messy input.
• A portfolio of brand strategy and verbal identity you've led or had a real hand in (brand architecture, positioning, USPs, tone of voice, messaging guidelines).
• Experience with tech and software brands.
• Seriously organized and detail-oriented. Drop the word "Tacos" somewhere in your application for bonus points.
• Great with people. You build trust with clients and teammates quickly.
• Phoenix-based is a plus, but we're open to fully remote for the right person.

WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT HERE

• Great creative work that actually moves the needle.
• Open-minded, respectful clients who want to do something worthwhile.
• A small, talented team with none of the bureaucracy.
• Leadership that cares about craft and hands you real ownership of strategy.
• A defining seat as we work to 2–3x by the end of 2026.
• A real say in where strategy at Attic Salt goes next.

DETAILS

This role is temp-to-perm. You'll start on a contract basis, with the plan to bring you on full-time once we've found our rhythm together.

• Salary $75-95k (depending on experience & location)
• Flexible schedule
• Paid national holidays
• Company-wide break from December 24 to January 2
• Solid bonuses for new business referrals

ABOUT ATTIC SALT

Attic Salt® is an identity transformation studio focused on brand strategy and design systems. We work closely with ambitious organizations to figure out who they are, fix how they show up, and reshape their whole brand experience. We're small, collaborative, and hands-on, and we care a lot about craft, clarity, and process.

WEB & SOCIAL LINKS

• https://atticsalt.co (please check out our work to see what we do before applying)
• https://www.instagram.com/atticsaltco
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/atticsaltbranding

Sound like something you want to be a part of?

Join the brand revolution.