Principal Digital Strategist

Principal Digital Strategist

Zürich, hybrid

DEPT® is a Growth Invention company built to help the world’s most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing, our 4,000+ specialists deliver growth invention services across Brand & Media, Experience, Commerce, CRM, and Technology & Data. We’re 50|50 tech and marketing, partner-led, and first to move. Clients include Google, Lufthansa, Meta, eBay, and OpenAI. We have been certified B Corp and Climate Neutral since 2021.

ABOUT THE JOB

This position sits in our Experience & Engineering business unit within DACH. We primarily deliver large-scale website-, platform-, portal-, and app design and build projects, combining our skills in developing future-ready technical solutions with our expertise in creating beautiful designs and content to help local Swiss clients including Ricola, Schweiz Tourismus, CSS Group, Swiss Re, Concordia, Edelweiss and many more. We pride ourselves on delivering exceptionally engaging digital experiences that cater to both, rising user expectations and an AI-assisted/agentic future. Led by the ambition to change perceptions and shape new behaviors that make a difference in the market.

You’re stepping into a key consulting role, not just on projects, but orchestrating skills, portfolios, and possibilities. As a Principal Digital Strategist, you’ll shape vision, elevate thinking, unlock innovation and grow both clients and internal craft capabilities - working closely with Designers, Content-, Data- , AI- and Tech experts, as well as the local client service and new business team.

You will play a trusted advisor role across meaningful client partnerships, with real influence on outcomes. Getting the opportunity to direct, coach, and grow our operational craft, as well as contributing to how we evolve as a team and as an agency, from strategy methods to client approach. You will have the support from an EMEA-wide strategy unit and your DACH strategy team that value your voice and invest in your growth within a culture of openness, autonomy and ambition, where you can truly shape your path.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Instil market-leading trends, insights and new technical thinking into digital strategy that our clients couldn’t get anywhere else
• Connect the dots and provide direction across a wider range of strategic disciplines; from brand strategy to transformation strategy, to CX strategy, to product strategy to tech strategy to AI-/data strategy
• Build and maintain trusted client relationships: being on speed dial for our clients to align on challenges, ideas or ambitions - with a holistic, integrated mindset
• Innovate our offering by working closely with tech, data & AI, experience, and design to ensure we are delivering market-leading strategic approaches to our clients
• Upping the benchmark of the work and ensuring we are leading the industry by pushing the boundaries of what’s possible while delivering incremental improvements on ROI
• Lead and participate in new business pitches; locally (CH-based) and globally.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• A high level of relevant experience within a strategy-focused role in an agency setting
• Swiss German-native, English fluent speaker
• A solid understanding of & long-standing experience with digital, experience and engineering
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, including the ability to communicate complex subjects simply
• Obsessed by consumer behavior and researching ways to create meaningful value for every target group out there
• Ability to work with Senior clients on portfolio decisions, business cases, key strategy projects, roadmaps and comfortable presenting to C-level audiences
• Very efficient, producing significant output with minimal wasted effort
• Focused under pressure and can get stuff done on a tight deadline
• Loves learning and inspiring with new things
• Great interpersonal and listening skills
• Very organised, with a high attention to detail
• Experience with insurances is a plus
• Availability to start working in Zürich

WE OFFER

• Company pension scheme
• Flexible working hours, working from home and (some) travel for clients, hybrid remote policy (2 days from the office)
• An excellent salary based on experience and equal pay policies
• Health & Wellbeing - you have free, anonymous and unlimited access to 1-on-1 online coaching and mindfulness consultations with psychologists via chat, phone or video call
• €30 per month - You can use the flexible package for digital food stamps and/or fitness providers/sport clubs/massage studios, internet costs, and/ or public transport
• Future Bens - We cooperate with FutureBens and offer you exclusive access to sustainable, healthy products at attractive deals
• Social and cultural events, plenty of opportunities to connect with international colleagues through organised activities and celebrations.
• Inspirational talks and AI-masterclases, bringing the outside in with regular guest speakers and events.
• Learning and Development, supporting your growth with continuous opportunities to learn and advance.
• Buddy program: You will be paired with a ‘Buddy’ to help you through your first weeks’ at DEPT®.
• A reputation for doing good. DEPT® has been a Certified B Corp® since 2021 and named ‘Agency of the Year’ at both The Lovies and The Webby Awards.
• Awesome clients. Whether big or small, local or global — at DEPT® you’ll get the opportunity to work with clients of all sizes and across all industries. And we celebrate all of our successes together!
• The opportunity for possibility. We want to enable you to do what you do best and help you develop your skills further with training, development and certifications.
• Global annual DEPT® Cares Month in which employees come together and donate their skills to support local charities.

WHY DEPT®?

We are a Growth Invention company built to help the world’s most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing, we create what is next by pioneering ideas, acting fast, and moving further because standing still just is not in our DNA.

We are drawn to people who stay curious, move with intent, and never stop inventing. Our culture runs on three values: better together, relentlessly curious, and get sh*t done. It is how we work, how we grow, and how we make things that matter.

At DEPT®, you will find the freedom to explore, the space to collaborate, and the trust to make a real impact for our clients, for each other, and for the world we are helping to build.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION

At DEPT®, we take pride in creating an inclusive workplace where everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive. We actively seek to recruit, develop, nurture, and retain talented individuals from diverse backgrounds, with varying skills and perspectives.

Not sure you meet all qualifications? Apply, and let us decide! Research shows that women and members of underrepresented groups tend not to apply for jobs when they think they may not meet every requirement, when in fact they do. We believe in giving everyone a fair chance to shine.

We also encourage you to reach out to us and discuss any reasonable adjustments we can make to support you throughout the recruitment process and your time with us.

Want to know more about our dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion? Check out our efforts here.