Senior Futures Strategist

**Synthesis x Senior Futures Strategist**:
At Synthesis we push the boundaries of what’s possible with Open Source Intelligence. It’s a fast-paced, rapidly-changing environment vibrant with collaboration and creativity, at the intersection of data science, cultural analysis & brand consultancy (we call this HCDS: Human Centred Data Science).

We are looking for people who are culturally curious and passionate about data storytelling.

We work with famous brands including Netflix, Nike, PepsiCo, 2K Games, Amazon Music, Pernod Ricard, Brown Forman and Tetra Pak. Our team is nimble, diverse, and adaptable. Together we represent a variety of experiences - from computer science, digital anthropology, engineering, advertising, to gaming and law.

We will have a great working relationship if you...
- Are comfortable with open-ended challenges, a fair for working collaboratively and finding creative solutions
- Are innately curious, interested in macro, consumer, cultural and category shifts
- Have the drive to learn and innovate new technologies and methodologies Have strong written and communication skills
**Senior Futures Strategists at Synthesis develop strategies, innovations and scenarios for the sharpest insights and marketing professionals in the world.**

**Your core focus**:

- Leading a business unit. Working closely with the leadership team. You will have freedom to guide and coach a multidisciplinary team of data scientists and strategists. This includes taking the lead on decisions around recruitment and financial planning. You will oversee multiple projects, ensuring resourcing is efficient and output is high quality.
- Business development: Working together with the leadership team, you will play a crucial role in establishing and growing client partnerships with existing and new clients. This means writing proposals, pitching, helping design approaches for new and existing clients and brainstorming cross-sell ideas to grow clients across the business.
- Commercial foresight storytelling: You will craft persuasive, memorable data-driven narratives and scenarios around how people will live, work and play, and how businesses will operate and grow in the next 5-10 years, including translating words into experiences to bring the future to life, presenting confidently and persuasively to influence the next steps of senior stakeholders.
- Act as a trusted advisor for world leading clients, serving as the day-to-day lead and decision-maker. Your role will require you to deeply understand our client’s business, run projects end-to-end and have a ‘nose’ for what’s next through forward-looking insights and innovations that will be most useful and inspiring for their growth strategy.

**You’ll need**:

- 8+ years experience working in trends and foresight, strategy and planning, management consultancy, role or related experience. Foresight experience is an advantage.
- Strong analytical skills: an ability to translate client requirements into data briefings with the data science team, confidently digest complex dataset, and process and layer different data outputs to build a complete picture of people, categories and themes in the next 5-10 years
- Strong creativity and communication skills: extraordinary writing, visual storytelling, experiences design and presentation skills to bring ideas to life
- Strong interpersonal skills: a flexible thinker who thrives in positive, collaborative environments, is able to work under pressure. Naturally adopts a ‘plussing’ approach
- pushes, questions and stretches thinking by adding, not criticising without suggestions
- Openness and enjoyment of iteratively developing your ideas, drawing on the value of the diverse perspectives of those around you. You recognise the value of having an array of approaches at your disposal rather than focusing solely on one methodology or model.
- Advantageous, but not required:

- Experienced working with Google Scholar and Google Patents as well as census, search, social, advertising & e-commerce data
- Knowledge of quantitative, statistical and qualitative research techniques and analysis

**About Working Here**

We are a diverse team, we value creativity, ‘plussing’ mindset and collaboration. To help create this we offer flexible working and a supportive environment. This includes the following benefits:

- Twice yearly, uncapped, profit share bonus scheme—so everyone is collectively rewarded for business success.
- 20 days paid holidays per annum + Public holidays + Whole company paid ‘reading week’ between Christmas and New Year.
- 10:00-15:00 core working hours for meetings, otherwise flexible working.
- No meeting Friday, wherever possible, to secure Friday as a focus working day.
- Opportunity to work remotely for up to 4 weeks per calendar year.
- Performance Program to support continuous learning, including an annual conference or language learning budget, time allocated for learning and mentorship.