Junior Associate Strategist / Associate Strategist

About HumanBranding

HumanBranding is a marketing consultancy and global leader in humanistic insights. We help organizations understand why people behave the way they do and transform those insights into business, brand, and communication strategies.

Our work is grounded in Applied Anthropology Thinking (AAT)™ , HumanBranding's proprietary methodology. By combining anthropology, behavioural science, strategy, and marketing communications, we uncover the hidden cultural, emotional, and subconscious drivers that shape decision-making and behaviour. We don't stop at understanding people. We help our clients change behaviour and create meaningful business impact.

For more than 20 years, we've helped leading global organizations uncover deeper human truths by going beyond surface-level answers and traditional research approaches.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a Junior Associate Strategists, and Associate Strategists to join our growing team.

These roles are ideal for intellectually curious individuals who are fascinated by human behaviour, culture, decision-making, and the forces that shape how people think and act. Successful candidates are analytical, entrepreneurial, collaborative, and comfortable working in a fast-paced setting where learning never stops.

Unlike many traditional research roles, these positions focus on understanding the deeper drivers of behaviour and translating those insights into strategic recommendations for clients. Team members support qualitative and integrated research projects from project set-up through final deliverables, contributing to discussion guides and research materials, interviews and observations, qualitative analysis, and the identification of emerging themes, patterns, and strategic implications. They also help develop client-ready reports, presentations, and recommendations; participate in brainstorming and insight-development workshops; contribute to proposals and business development initiatives; support day-to-day project execution and coordination; and build expertise in HumanBranding's Applied Anthropology Thinking (AAT)™ methodology.

What We're Looking For

We're interested in candidates who are naturally curious about people and culture and who enjoy asking "why" as much as "what."

Ideal backgrounds include





- Social Sciences degrees including Anthropology, Sociology, Psychology
- Marketing
- Behavioural Science
- Communications
- Consumer Insights
- Healthcare and pharmaceutical

Qualifications

Junior Associate Strategist

- 1-3 years of relevant professional experience.
- Strong writing, analytical, and critical-thinking skills.
- Excellent verbal and written communication.

Associate Strategist

- 2-5 years of experience in market research (quantitative & qualitative methodologies), strategic insights, marketing, behavioural science, or a related field.
- Demonstrated ability to analyze complex information and synthesize strategic insights.
- Experience supporting or leading components of qualitative research projects.
- Experience client-side in healthcare and/or pharmaceuticals

What You’ll Do Research & Project Execution

- Support qualitative and integrated research projects from project set-up through final deliverables.
- Assist with administrative project management and project coordination activities.
- Contribute to the development of discussion guides and research materials.
- Participate in interviews, observational research, and other qualitative methodologies, with opportunities to moderate select methodologies and respondent groups as experience develops.

Analysis & Insight Development

- Analyze qualitative data to identify themes, patterns, behaviours, and strategic implications.
- Support project teams in translating research findings into meaningful human insights and business recommendations.
- Apply HumanBranding's Applied Anthropology Thinking (AAT)™ methodology to uncover deeper cultural, emotional, and subconscious drivers of behaviour.
- Contribute to brainstorming sessions and insight-generation workshops. Client Deliverables
- Support the development of client presentations, reports, and debrief documents.




- Assist in visualizing findings and bringing strategic recommendations to life through compelling storytelling and presentation materials.
- Present portions of findings internally and progressively contribute to client-facing presentations as experience grows.

Business Development

- Contribute to proposal development, including background research, drafting content, and supporting opportunity pursuits.
- Assist with capability presentations, credentials materials, and other business development initiatives.
- Support the identification of emerging business opportunities and marketplace trends.

Continuous Learning & Methodology

- Build expertise in HumanBranding's proprietary Applied Anthropology Thinking (AAT)™ methodology and humanistic insights approach.
- Develop a strong understanding of cultural, social, psychological, linguistic, and behavioural drivers that influence decision-making.
- Participate in internal knowledge-sharing, cultural trend analysis, and ongoing professional development activities.

What Makes HumanBranding Different Unlike traditional market research roles focused primarily on data collection and reporting, our strategists are trained to decode the deeper drivers of human behaviour. Using anthropology, behavioural science, and strategic thinking, we help clients understand not only what people do, but why they do it and how behaviour can be influenced through brand, communications, and business strategy.

Required Skills

- Proficiency in MS365 standard suite, including Word, Outlook, Excel/spreadsheet budgeting templates; and PowerPoint/Canva or equivalent presentation software.
- Experience with CRM programs (ie Monday.com) is an asset.
- Familiarity with and comfortable using new technology, including AI models.

Preferred Skills

- Excellent written and spoken English.
- French skills are an asset; proficiency in other languages is also an asset.

Pay range and compensation package $65,000.00 - $85,000.00 CAD annual salary, commensurate with experience and role.

Location: Hybrid in-office (Toronto-GTA based) and remote. Occasional travel required; must hold valid passport without restriction for travel in North America.

Equal Opportunity Statement

We are committed to diversity and inclusivity in our hiring practices and encourage applications from all qualified individuals.

📌 Junior Associate Strategists / Associate Strategists (Greater Toronto Area)
🏢 HumanBranding
📍 Greater Toronto Area