Creative Strategist [209679]

This is a remote opportunity, but you must live in the Eastern Time Zone. We’re looking for a Creative Strategist to join a fast-growing internal creative agency within a leading e-commerce company’s healthcare business unit. This is a senior IC role on a newly formed creative strategy team focused exclusively on strategic output—briefs, creative direction, consumer insights, and campaign strategy. The team is shifting from traditional long-lead campaigns toward an always-on content model with iterative paid social campaigns at the center. You’ll develop campaign strategies, launch them across paid social and digital channels, then review performance on 2–4 week cycles to brief the creative team on optimizations and additional assets needed. This requires a strategist who deeply understands how paid social platforms work, stays current on platform changes and best practices, and can translate performance data into actionable creative direction—not a social content manager or community manager. You’ll own the RX and non-RX pet healthcare verticals, bridging marketing stakeholders, channel partners, and creative teams. The environment is fast-paced, iterative, and intentionally undefined—the team is building the function from the ground up. If you thrive in ambiguity and bring a roll-up-your-sleeves mentality, this is the role. What You’ll Do

• Lead creative strategy and brief development across paid social, email, site, owned & operated channels, video, print, and event activations—with paid social campaign strategy as a core competency.
• Own the strategic brief process end-to-end: translate business objectives into consumer-facing messaging frameworks, develop campaign strategies, and brief creative teams with clear, insight-driven direction.
• Run iterative campaign cycles: launch campaigns, review performance data on 2–4 week sprints, and develop follow-up briefs for the creative team on what to optimize, iterate, or produce next based on channel needs and results.
• Develop platform-specific messaging strategies across Meta, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and other paid social channels—tailoring creative direction by platform and funnel stage (upper, mid, lower).
• Challenge and refine incoming briefs when creative asks don’t align with media plans or paid social best practices (e.g., questioning 30-second spots for social, right-sizing asset volume, recommending phased approaches).
• Interpret consumer insights, performance metrics, and market research provided by marketing and analytics teams—translating findings into actionable creative strategy. This is an insights interpreter role, not a data mining role.
• Present strategic proposals and campaign concepts to senior stakeholders (Senior Director level and above); defend creative strategy and sell in work against the brief.
• Lead cross-functional kick-off meetings, ensuring alignment across marketing, media, performance marketing, CRM, site experience, and creative teams.
• Oversee agency relationship for B2B/CVC work—review briefs, ensure strategic alignment with brand guidelines.
• Mentor junior strategists transitioning from account/operational backgrounds into strategic roles.
• Stay current on paid social platform changes, emerging formats, and competitive trends—proactively bringing insights and inspiration to creative teams.
• Help evolve the creative strategy function: define KPIs, refine processes, and expand the team’s role beyond brief-writing into creative inspiration and territory exploration.

What You’ll Need

• 7+ years of experience in creative strategy, brand strategy, or content strategy with strong paid social campaign experience. Agency experience strongly preferred—especially agencies with digital/social/performance capabilities.
• Deep fluency in paid social campaign strategy: understands how Meta, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube ad ecosystems work, what formats and messaging perform, and how to guide creative teams on platform-specific creative direction. Not a media buyer—a strategist who speaks the language.
• Experience working in iterative, performance-informed creative cycles: launch, measure, learn, re-brief. Comfortable reviewing campaign performance data and translating it into a creative action plan on a 2–4 week cadence.
• Full-funnel messaging fluency: ability to tailor strategy and messaging by funnel stage and channel—YouTube awareness vs. lower-funnel Meta ads vs. email vs. site.
• Proven ability to write tight, insight-driven creative briefs that inspire creative teams and align cross-functional stakeholders.
• Excellent stakeholder management: comfortable with Associate Director+ stakeholders, presenting strategy, defending creative direction, and managing feedback loops.
• Account management sensibility: either held account/client service roles previously or naturally operates with that relationship-building, cross-functional style. The team functions as an internal agency.
• Comfortable interpreting performance data, consumer research, and paid social analytics to inform creative decisions.
• Ability to work independently after initial ramp; proactive and productive without rigid structure.

Nice to Have

• Experience at a social-first brand or agency known for social/digital strategy (Taco Bell, Oreo-type brand environments; VaynerMedia, Mekanism, Movers+Shakers, Gut-type agencies).
• Pet industry, pet health, or animal wellness category experience.
• Comms planning background or understanding of how comms planning intersects with creative and media strategy.
• E-commerce or DTC brand experience.
• Familiarity with Workfront or similar project management tools.

About Aquent Talent Aquent Talent connects the best talent in marketing, creative, and design with the world’s biggest brands. Our eligible talent get access to amazing benefits like subsidized health, vision, and dental plans, paid sick leave, and retirement plans with a match. We also offer free online training through Aquent Gymnasium. More information on our awesome benefits! Aquent is an equal-opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics. We’re about creating an inclusive environment-one where different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives are valued, and everyone can contribute, grow their careers, and thrive.