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Associate Director, Creative Strategy

NY, US, CA, US, IL, US - Remote

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.

THE ROLE:

We’re looking for an Associate Director of Performance Creative Strategy who leads with data, thinks in systems, and knows how to turn performance signals into better creative.

You will play a critical role in shaping creative strategy through real-time performance insights. Operating close to in-market creative, you analyze and evolve work based on what is actually driving results, and translate those learnings into clear inputs for upstream strategy. You ensure messaging is informed by real signals, not just instinct, while bringing a deep understanding of how paid media works across platforms and how creative drives performance.

You are fluent in creative analysis and testing methodologies, with a strong instinct for identifying patterns in data and translating them into clear, actionable next steps. You know how to build and scale testing roadmaps, connect disparate performance signals, and turn learnings into new creative directions that drive incremental impact.

You’re also a strong leader and partner, comfortable guiding a team of strategists, workshopping insights with senior clients, and collaborating closely with creative, media, and analytics teams to maintain a tight, always-on feedback loop.

This role reports directly to the Director of Creative Strategy and partners closely with another Associate Director focused on creative briefing and messaging strategy. Together, you connect what should be made with what is proven to work.

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

Performance-Driven Creative Leadership

  • Own the development and evolution of creative testing roadmaps, grounded in clear hypotheses and business objectives.
  • Lead ongoing creative analysis, identifying patterns, performance drivers, and areas of opportunity across campaigns and platforms.
  • Translate raw data and performance outputs into sharp, actionable insights that inform new creative directions.
  • Define and implement testing methodologies (A/B testing, creative lift studies) that drive measurable learning and iteration.
  • Establish and maintain a continuous learning loop, ensuring insights are captured, synthesized, and fed back into creative development.

Strategic Application & Ideation

  • Turn performance insights into scalable creative ideas and test concepts designed to unlock growth.
  • Partner with creative and strategy teams to ensure concepts are rooted in proven signals, not just intuition.
  • Identify opportunities to scale winning creative patterns across audiences, markets, and platforms.
  • Contribute to evergreen and campaign-based creative strategies with a strong POV on what will drive performance.

Team Leadership & Craft Development

  • Manage and mentor a team of Creative Strategists and Senior Creative Strategists, with a focus on elevating analytical rigor and strategic thinking.
  • Coach teams on how to go deeper in performance analysis, creative auditing, and insight generation.
  • Lead internal workshops and knowledge shares to uplevel team capabilities in testing, measurement, and creative effectiveness.
  • Set a high bar for how data is interpreted, communicated, and applied to creative work.

Client Partnership & Collaboration

  • Act as a senior strategic partner to clients, confidently presenting performance insights, learnings, and testing plans.
  • Lead working sessions with clients to workshop performance trends, testing frameworks, and optimization opportunities.
  • Partner closely with Media and Analytics teams to ensure alignment on measurement frameworks and performance signals.
  • Collaborate with the Associate Director of Creative Strategy (briefing/messaging) to connect performance insights with upstream strategy and execution.

AI & Scaled Insight Generation

  • Use AI to go beyond surface-level analysis, identifying patterns and signals across large creative datasets that would be difficult to uncover manually.
  • Apply AI-driven approaches to creative auditing, enabling faster, more comprehensive understanding of what is driving performance.
  • Integrate AI into testing and learning workflows to accelerate iteration and improve decision-making.
  • Stay on top of emerging tools and push the team to adopt smarter, more efficient ways of working.

WHAT YOU BRING:

  • 7+ years of experience in performance marketing, creative strategy, growth strategy, or a related field (agency experience preferred).
  • 2–3+ years of experience managing and developing high-performing teams.
  • Deep understanding of paid media ecosystems, including Google Ads, Meta, TikTok, Snap, Reddit, and programmatic.
  • Strong expertise in creative analysis, with the ability to extract meaningful insights from complex or imperfect data sets.
  • Experience building and scaling testing roadmaps, including A/B testing and creative lift methodologies.
  • Proven ability to translate performance data into clear, actionable creative direction.
  • Confidence in client-facing environments, with strong communication and storytelling skills grounded in data.
  • Ability to operate in fast-paced environments, balancing multiple workstreams while maintaining rigor and clarity.

WHAT DO WE OFFER?

We are a collaborative, open-door, best-idea-wins environment that fosters personal and company growth and has fun doing it. Here is a snapshot of our  benefits package:

  • Healthcare, Dental, and Vision coverage
  • 401k plan, plus matching
  • PTO
  • Paid Company Holidays
  • Parental Leave

WE SUPPORT YOU BEING YOU: 

DEPT® is an equal opportunity employer (EOE). We believe our work is its best when our people feel safe and free to be themselves. We’re committed to an inclusive and barrier-free recruitment and selection process and workplace, regardless of anyone’s identity, background, beliefs, lifestyle or disabilities. So tell us about any accommodations you need. It’s totally confidential and only used to make sure you feel fully supported at every step. 

DEPT® participates in E-Verify, meaning your Form I-9 information will be sent to the federal government to confirm you are authorized to work in the U.S. 

We are a B Corp-certified company passionate about purpose-driven work.  Our hope is that you can feel good about the contributions DEPT® is making to the world and we always have an open door for your ideas in making the world a better place. 

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 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, Coach, eBay, and OpenAI.

Learn more about DEPT®

 

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.

#LI-Remote

The anticipated salary range for this position is listed below. Salary is based on a range of factors that include relevant experience, expertise, physical location, and organizational impact. This is based on a 40-hour workweek and leveling. Keep in mind, we’re flexible.

US Remote Range

$108,600 - $135,000 USD

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