Associate Director, Strategy & Innovation

Team Liquid•Santa Monica, CA

7h•$110,000 - $120,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Liquid Media is looking for an Associate Director, Strategy & Innovation to serve as a senior strategic voice within our Strategy & Innovation team, owning strategy across a portfolio of gaming and entertainment accounts while helping develop junior strategists and scale the team's overall output. This role bridges senior strategic vision with day-to-day execution, delivering social, creator, and integrated marketing strategies that are culturally credible, platform-native, and built for genuine audience impact. Working closely with Creative, Production, Client Services, and client stakeholders, you'll help shape strategic programs and campaigns that connect brands with gaming, entertainment, and creator communities in authentic and meaningful ways. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys both building strong strategies and helping others grow through coaching, mentorship, and collaborative problem-solving.

Requirements

7+ years of experience in social media strategy, integrated marketing strategy, creator strategy, or related disciplines.
Experience supporting or managing junior strategists, with a genuine desire to invest in others' growth.
Demonstrated ability to develop social and creator strategies across multiple channels and connect them into cohesive brand narratives.
Strong knowledge of gaming, esports, entertainment, and creator ecosystems.
Deep familiarity with TikTok, YouTube, Twitch, Instagram, Reddit, X, and Discord.
Strong strategic and creative thinking skills with the ability to translate business objectives into clear multi-channel strategies.
Analytical mindset with experience using performance data and audience insights to inform strategic recommendations.
Exceptional communication and presentation skills with the ability to articulate complex ideas clearly to clients, creative teams, and direct reports.
Experience working cross-functionally with creative, production, account, and client stakeholder teams.
Ability to travel domestically approximately 20% for client meetings, cross-functional planning sessions, and agency initiatives as needed.

Nice To Haves

Existing relationships within gaming, esports, creator, or entertainment industries.
Experience developing strategies across both organic social and paid media.
Familiarity with project management platforms such as ClickUp, Asana, or Airtable.
Experience with social media management and CMS platforms.
Experience contributing to successful new business pitches and account growth initiatives.

Responsibilities

Support the Strategy Lead in managing and developing Strategy Managers, Content Specialists, and Coordinators through coaching, feedback, and strategic guidance.
Review and strengthen strategic work across the team, ensuring deliverables reflect Liquid Media's standards for clarity, insight, and cultural relevance.
Collaborate closely with Strategy and Agency leadership to maintain consistency across accounts and strategic outputs.
Model a team culture of curiosity, social fluency, and strategic thinking.
Contribute to project staffing and workload planning conversations, helping support sustainable team operations.
Conduct regular coaching and development conversations with direct reports, providing actionable feedback and helping accelerate growth.
Help establish strategic expectations, quality standards, and development plans for junior team members.
Own social strategy across assigned client accounts with platform-specific approaches across TikTok, YouTube, Twitch, Instagram, Reddit, X, and Discord.
Identify cultural moments, gaming tentpoles, live-service opportunities, and community milestones that can drive audience engagement.
Develop short-form content strategies across TikTok, Reels, and Shorts designed to drive discovery, engagement, and conversion.
Build community strategy frameworks that help brands show up authentically in the spaces where audiences engage.
Develop creator marketing and platform strategies that strengthen audience engagement, community growth, and brand advocacy.
Develop integrated campaign strategies that connect social, creator, paid, and earned media into cohesive brand narratives.
Translate business and marketing objectives into multi-channel campaign strategies with clear strategic rationale.
Partner closely with Account and Creative teams to ensure strategic recommendations are executed effectively.
Adapt and evolve strategic recommendations using performance insights and campaign learnings.
Stay ahead of emerging platforms, creator behaviors, content formats, and cultural shifts.
Define measurement approaches and success metrics that evaluate audience quality, brand impact, and long-term program performance.
Use performance data and audience insights to inform recommendations and program evolution.
Contribute thought leadership, trend analysis, and strategic points of view that strengthen Liquid Media's positioning in gaming and entertainment marketing.
Serve as senior strategic counsel on assigned client accounts, building trusted relationships with client stakeholders.
Participate in new business pitches by developing strategic frameworks, shaping pitch narratives, and presenting strategic recommendations to prospective clients.
Identify and articulate growth opportunities within existing accounts, grounded in strategic rationale and client business goals.
Represent Liquid Media at industry events, gaming activations, and community-focused opportunities.