Director, Creative Strategy

Darkroom•New York, NY

6d•$160,000 - $175,000•Remote

About The Position

Darkroom is seeking a visionary creative leader with extensive experience in developing ad concepts for digital paid media advertising formats on platforms like Meta and TikTok. The ideal candidate will possess a deep understanding of both creative execution and performance marketing, with the ability to provide tactical feedback on design and video while balancing creative testing with brand building. This role is crucial for the Performance Creative and/or Organic Social service, focusing on enhancing creative strategy, delivering impactful ads, increasing creative diversity across various formats (statics, motion, video, UGC, AI), and producing a high volume of creative assets (50+ per month). The position requires a blend of creativity, AI, and performance marketing expertise, leading Designers and Editors to execute paid media assets. The role reports to the Director of Creative and is a fully remote position operating within the EST Time Zone, with all business conducted in English.

Requirements

2+ years in a Director-level or equivalent leadership role, with experience leading creative strategy, managing teams, and driving performance marketing results.
4+ years of creative strategy work on performance ad programs, with specific focus working on short form video and statics.
Must have experience driving creative strategy on Meta and creating short-form video.
A digital portfolio showcasing performance ad work that includes short-form video, motion, and statics, with examples of impact on metrics like hold rate or CTR.
Evidence of strong creative diversity that includes both highly designed and low-fidelity creative.
Ability to storyboard, cut, and ship ads.
Proficiency in Figma to fix hierarchy and pacing, and in Photoshop or Illustrator to polish assets.
Understanding of and ability to use metrics like thumb-stop rate, 3-second hold, hook retention, CTR, and CPA to decide what to test next.
Experience using tools like Claude, Midjourney, Perplexity, Icon, Runway, or similar to increase speed and volume.
Experience shipping ads with AI-assisted elements.
Excellent communication skills, both written and in presenting to clients.
Ability to give crisp, actionable feedback to designers and editors and navigate pushback from clients.
Ability to turn vague goals into testable concepts, track results, and call the next iteration without hand-holding.
Comfortable in Figma including Auto Layout, components, and systems.
Strong in Adobe Creative Suite.
Must have full-funnel ownership, including accountability for testing, iteration, or driving deliverables and results.
Excellent client presentation and salesmanship skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience on TikTok, YouTube, Amazon, and Display Platforms.
Experience with Organic Social strategies for Instagram and TikTok.

Responsibilities

Lead high-tempo creative strategy and direction for full-funnel ad programs, typically Meta and TikTok, but also YouTube, Amazon, and Display Platforms.
Own the creative end-to-end: concept, testing, and iteration, not just strategy-setting.
Lead organic content strategies for Instagram and TikTok by owning content pillars, creative direction, briefing, and performance measurement.
Deliver expert advice, concepts, directions, and briefs to sell products and services through short-form video.
Translate client’s marketing strategy and performance data into clear, compelling ad concepts, using metrics like thumb-stop rate, hold rate, and clickthrough rate to adapt creatives.
Brief Designers and Editors on the creation of assets including static ads, animations, mobile-first videos, and storyboards for short-form content.
Jump into shape up a design in Figma or whip up an ad yourself if need be.
Present creative work to stakeholders and clients with clarity, confidence, and strategic rationale.
Monitor performance data in collaboration with the marketing team to inform creative iterations and improve results over time.
Design and implement scalable processes, systems, and testing frameworks that raise the quality and speed floor as the department grows.
Mentor and upskill strategists against a defined methodology.
Shape the agency’s approach on creative strategy and document a point of view on how testing, concepting, and creative decision-making should work at Darkroom.