--- title: 'Strategy Lead at APPLY' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/strategy-lead-apply-toronto-fa7dt413j4gs' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-07' --- # Strategy Lead at APPLY - **Company:** APPLY - **Location:** Toronto, Canada - **Compensation:** $130k–$170k - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** remote - **Posted:** 2026-07-11 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-07 - **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/applydigital/799aa6b7-ef74-4471-88d7-417228537128 ## Job description ## ABOUT APPLY APPLY is the Agentic Customer Experience (ACx) partner for the world's most ambitious consumer and entertainment brands. We bring together deep domain expertise across Retail, CPG, Sports, and Media with AI-native delivery capability, designing and delivering agentic solutions that turn CX vision into commercial reality. We are the partner of choice for brands like Arc'teryx, NFL, Lululemon, and Kraft Heinz. For more information, visit applydigital.com. LOCATION: APPLY is hybrid/remote friendly. The preferred candidate should be based in Canada, working in hours that align to ET (Eastern Timezone). ## THE ROLE: As a Strategy Lead, you'll help our clients grow through Agentic Customer Experience (ACx): the practice of designing brand experiences that show up with intelligence, relevance and continuity across every part of a customer's ecosystem. Reporting into the Strategy team, you'll lead ACx initiatives working with cross-functional teams to bring strategies to life, grow client relationships into new opportunities, and help evolve our strategic practice for an agent-mediated future. Read our full ACx report here: https://www.applydigital.com/insights/learn/the-acx-report/ ## RESPONSIBILITIES Client Partnership & Business Development: - Build and lead senior client relationships grounded in genuine understanding of their business. - Identify and develop new opportunities within accounts through rigorous insight and point of view. Strategic Leadership: - Lead primary and secondary research to surface business insights and identify strategic opportunities. - Develop deliverables that connect audience and experience findings to commercial outcomes. - Bring domain depth in sports,media, and entertainment to add credibility and context to the work. - Facilitate workshops with executive stakeholders to align on direction and build momentum. Team Management & Mentorship: - Partner with the Head of Strategy and peers to evolve how we work, including integrating agentic and AI-native approaches. - Contribute to methodology, tools, and ways of working that make the team sharper. Communication & Delivery: - Create compelling presentations that engage and inspire clients and stakeholders. - Partner across disciplines - product, experience, engineering - to see strategy through to execution. - Apply business casing and value frameworks to test proposed directions. ## REQUIREMENTS - 8+ years of experience in strategy or digital/customer experience design roles. - 3+ years in consulting or agency environments. - Proven experience working with entertainment, sports, and/or media clients or within an entertainment, sports, or media organization. - Proven track record in digital and customer experience strategy development. - Strong expertise in primary and secondary research methodologies. - Experience designing and facilitating workshops with executive-level stakeholders. - Comfortable using AI tools in your day-to-day work, with an eye on how they're reshaping customer experience. - Excellent data analysis, research and communication skills. - Ability to thrive in dynamic environments while managing multiple projects. ## LIFE AT APPLY People are at the core of everything we do at APPLY. We provide you with modern tools, systems and approaches, value your time, safety, and health, and strive to build a work community where you can thrive and grow. Here are a few benefits we offer to support you: Agentic Delivery: Our people work in a modern way to deliver client outcomes. Broaden your skills on a range of engagements with international brands that have a global impact. An inclusive and safe environment: We’re truly committed to building a culture where you are celebrated and everyone feels welcome and safe. AI & Strategic Upskilling: Accelerate your professional growth with generous training budgets and mentorship, with a specific focus on Agentic AI expertise and the critical human skills required for the future of work. Generous vacation policy: Work-life balance is key to our team’s success, so we offer flexible personal time off (PTO); allowing ample time away from work to promote overall well-being. Customizable benefits: Tailor your extended health and dental plan to your needs, priorities, and preferences. Flexible work arrangements: We work in a variety of ways, from remote, to in-office, to a blend of both. APPLY is a safe, respectful, and inclusive community where differences are celebrated. We are committed to equal opportunity and fostering a workplace where everyone belongs. Learn more in our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) section. For recruitment accommodations, please email careers@applydigital.com. ## About APPLY ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: APPLY is an agentic customer experience agency that helps brands deliver continuous, contextual, and personal experiences using Google Cloud’s AI and data platform. - **Entity Type**: Private (no disclosed funding rounds; appears bootstrapped or self-funded) - **Headquarters**: Toronto, Canada (inferred from multiple job listings and office locations) - **Founded**: Not publicly available - **Founders**: Not publicly available (Dr. Ali Alkhafaji serves as CEO; no founder information disclosed) ## Core Business - **Primary industries**: Digital agency / consulting, specializing in customer experience (CX), marketing, commerce, and data. - **Target customers**: B2B – enterprise brands in sports, media, CPG, and retail. - **Mission or purpose**: “Achieve human depth at agentic scale for the world’s most ambitious brands” – applying agentic intelligence across the entire experience ecosystem. ## Products & Services - **Agentic Customer Experience (ACx)**: End-to-end strategy, experience design, and delivery powered by Google Cloud (Gemini, BigQuery, Agent Platform). Includes predefined solutions for content, commerce, and data that are customizable and fast to deploy. - **Consulting & Strategy**: Deep industry expertise in sports, media, CPG, and retail; connecting cross-industry insights to unlock opportunities. - **Technology Implementation**: Google Cloud Premier Partner services, including integration of AI, data analytics, and marketing automation. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed - **Key Metric**: 650+ specialists, 9 global locations, 1,000+ projects delivered (as of 2025) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Google Cloud (Premier Partner); extended partnerships across content, marketing, commerce, and data platforms. - **Growth Signals**: Recent focus on “agentic” capabilities; growing team (multiple open roles listed); expanding into remote and hybrid work globally. ## Competitive Advantages - **Agentic focus**: Early mover in “Agentic Customer Experience” (ACx), combining AI agents with human strategy. - **Google Cloud depth**: Premier Partner status provides deep access to Gemini, BigQuery, and Agent Platform. - **Industry specialization**: Proven track record in sports, media, CPG, and retail with 1,000+ delivered projects. - **Human + AI blend**: Emphasizes “human depth at agentic scale” – not just technology but also craft and strategy. ## Strategic Focus - **Current priorities**: Scaling agentic solutions across content, commerce, and data; expanding partnerships; hiring for key technical and leadership roles (Principal Agentic Engineer, Tech Lead, Product Design Lead). - **Direction for growth**: Continue leading the agentic CX space, deepening Google Cloud integration, and entering new verticals. ## Why Work Here - **Culture highlights**: Collaborative, driven, inclusive environment with a focus on continuous growth. Diversity celebrated and everyone is encouraged to “come as you are.” - **Remote/hybrid/office policy**: Flexible – “a variety of ways, from remote to in-office, to a blend of both.” Some roles are fully remote (e.g., Senior Director, Business Development) while others are hybrid (e.g., Partner Lead in Santiago). - **Notable perks**: Generous training budgets (partner tech certifications, workshops, mentorship), customizable health/dental plans, generous vacation policy, and work-life balance emphasis. - **Engineering culture**: Sharp minds working on meaningful projects with global brands; exposure to cutting-edge Google Cloud AI tools. ## Sources 1. [applydigital.com/careers](https://www.applydigital.com/careers/) 2. [applydigital.com/about-us](https://www.applydigital.com/about-us/) 3. [applydigital.com](https://www.applydigital.com/) 4. [jobs.lever.co/applydigital](https://jobs.lever.co/applydigital) 5. 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