Copywriter

M&C Saatchi World Services is a full-service marketing company renowned for using commercial advertising to solve the world’s toughest challenges. World Services is a specialty branch of M&C Saatchi Group, and we provide strategic communications, behavior change, and marketing support to Public Sector clients with special emphasis on the US Federal Government and State, Local, Tribal, & Territorial leaders.

About The Role

M&C Saatchi World Services is seeking a conceptually strong Copywriter who can turn strategy and audience insight into original concepts, campaign ideas, distinctive messaging, and persuasive copy for integrated communications and campaigns across a diverse portfolio of mission-driven programs. Working from creative briefs, audience insight and communications strategy, you will help shape campaign platforms, creative territories, messaging, and executions that capture attention, make complex subjects meaningful, and motivate audiences to think, feel, or act.

This is a creative role that requires conceptual thinking, campaign development, and persuasive writing, but editorial, long-form and information-led content may also form part of the remit. The ideal candidate combines strong ideas with exceptional craft, can move confidently between a campaign line and a script, and understands how to maintain one clear creative idea across multiple formats and channels

This is a hybrid role; however, the ideal candidate will live in the greater NYC area or the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) region

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop original campaign concepts and creative territories in response to strategic and creative briefs, independently and in partnership with an Art Director (where necessary).
• Turn audience insights, behavioral objectives, and communications strategy into clear, relevant, and memorable creative ideas.
• Write persuasive copy across channels and formats, including campaign lines, headlines, body copy, digital and display advertising, social content, email, web and landing pages, out-of-home, print, presentations, and experiential materials.
• Write scripts and treatments for video, podcasts, animation, social video, radio, and other multimedia content, working with production teams to ensure the idea translates effectively into execution.
• Develop messaging frameworks, campaign narratives, brand language, taglines, naming ideas, and tone-of-voice guidance where required.
• Adapt ideas and copy for different audiences, platforms, placements, and stages of the audience journey without losing the central creative thought.
• Contribute actively to brainstorms, creative reviews, and briefing sessions from the earliest stages of a project.
• Present creative work clearly and persuasively, explaining the thinking behind the idea and responding constructively to feedback from colleagues, clients, and stakeholders.
• Collaborate closely with art directors, designers, strategists, producers, UX specialists, account teams, and subject-matter experts to develop integrated creative work.
• Work alongside other writers on programs that combine campaign creative with longer-form or information-led content, helping ensure that messaging and tone remain coherent across the audience experience.
• Revise, refine, and strengthen concepts and copy through multiple rounds of feedback while protecting the clarity and quality of the core idea.
• Check copy for accuracy, consistency, grammar, and alignment with approved strategy, brand standards, accessibility requirements, and relevant program guidance.

Key Attributes:

• A strong portfolio showing conceptual thinking and high-quality copy across a range of channels.
• Excellent conceptual thinking, with the ability to generate multiple creative routes rather than simply execute a predetermined message.
• Exceptional command of language and a strong instinct for headlines, rhythm, tone, structure, and the difference a single word can make.
• Ability to write concise, persuasive, audience-focused copy as well as longer scripts, manifestos, and campaign narratives when required.
• Experience developing ideas collaboratively with Art Directors and contributing to the visual as well as verbal direction of creative work.
• Strong understanding of brand strategy, campaign development, audience insight, and how creative ideas work across paid, owned, and earned channels.
• Ability to shift tone and style appropriately across brands, audiences, subject areas, and platforms. • Balancing creative ambition with accuracy, nuance, and sound judgment.
• Strong collaboration, organization, and time-management skills, with the ability to manage several briefs and deadlines without compromising craft.
• Working knowledge of creative production processes and the practical considerations involved in bringing copy-led ideas to life across different media.
• Experience supporting federal government, public affairs, behavior-change, international development, or other mission-driven communications programs is preferred, but not essential.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance, as required by the position.

Why You’ll Love It Here:

• Work on impactful programs supporting federal and defense-related initiatives.
• Collaborate with high-performing cross-functional teams across communications, digital and analytics disciplines.
• Opportunity to shape strategic public engagement initiatives at enterprise scale.
• Flexible hybrid working environment.
• Exposure to complex, mission-driven stakeholder engagement challenges.
• Career development opportunities within a fast-growing global organization.

What You Get

We offer a competitive salary and a benefits package designed to support your health, family life, financial wellbeing, and growth.

• 12 weeks’ full pay for Primary Carers and 6 weeks for Secondary Carers (after one year of service; return requirements apply for subsequent leave). This applies to birth, adoption, and surrogacy.
• Up to 10 days’ paid fertility leave per year (5 per cycle)
• 2 days’ paid leave for new grandparents
• $2,500 annual interest-free parental loan
• $6,000 interest-free fertility treatment loan Healthcare & wellbeing
• Choice of three medical plans (HSA at $0 cost; EPO 75% employer funded; PPO 65% employer funded)
• 70% employer-funded dental and vision coverage
• Generous paid time off, sick leave, and company holidays, including an office closure between
• Christmas & New Year's
• Gym membership reimbursement and/or Wellhub subscription
• 401(k) with 4% employer match
• 24/7 mental health support through Self Space
• Social events, happy hours, professional development trainings, etc.
• Work from anywhere for up to 2 weeks per year (subject to approval) Culture & development
• $300 annual cultural stimulation allowance (accrued monthly; available after 90 days)
• Weekly Thursday happy hour
• Mentorship and Buddy programs

About M&C Saatchi World Services

M&C Saatchi World Services is a specialist division of M+C Saatchi Group, the world’s largest independent communications network. Our specialists work in office hubs across six continents, grounding our global expertise in local nuance. We offer award-winning commercial communications capabilities, which are utilized by global organizations to address the world’s most complex problems across defence, development, diplomacy, homeland and national security, law and order, health, education, and the environment.

We work with clients that want to help the hardest-to-reach, hardest-to-influence audiences. This includes a range of Western Government departments, such as DOS and USAID; partner governments, including the U.K. and Australia; and prominent IGOs/NGOs such as the U.N.

We are a comms agency that works on behaviour change projects typically focused on issues related to Security, Defence and Stabilization. Whether it’s producing critically acclaimed feature films in Africa, to TV shows in the Middle East, to pop music videos in Asia, we have a record of leveraging creativity to access communities anywhere in the world.