United States Department of Defense

Associate Director, Creative Strategy

United States Department of Defense

full-time

Posted on:

Location Type: Remote

Location: Alabama • Arizona • United States

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Salary

💰 $106,900 - $130,000 per year

Job Level

Senior

About the role

  • Lead creative strategy from insight to brief, translating audience, category, and cultural signals into compelling storytelling opportunities.
  • Translate data, research, and performance learnings into clear, actionable messaging and creative direction for performance creative.
  • Own and elevate strategic brief development, setting the narrative, insight, and messaging foundation for all creative work.
  • Mentor and manage a team of Creative Strategists and Senior Creative Strategists, fostering craft excellence, consistency, and strategic thinking.
  • Shape team-wide standards and frameworks that scale across global campaigns.
  • Develop integrated creative platforms and messaging architectures that align to brand objectives while driving measurable performance.
  • Stay ahead of emerging trends in culture, digital storytelling, and creator-driven content to inform innovation.
  • Partner with research teams to interpret market, audience, and category insights to uncover the “why” behind consumer behavior for creative application.
  • Review creative work with a high bar for narrative clarity, craft, and platform resonance.
  • Contribute to thought leadership through internal frameworks, case studies, POVs, and client presentations.
  • Represent the Creative Strategy discipline in senior-level client conversations and inter-agency forums.
  • Serving as the primary strategic point of contact for clients across all creative work.
  • Anticipate client needs, proactively identifying opportunities, gaps, and next steps in partnership with account and internal leadership.
  • Partner closely with Analytics, Media, and other Associate Directors to align creative testing roadmaps and ensure strategy is grounded in proof points.
  • Guide creative teams through ideation, ensuring concepts ladder directly to audience insights and strategic intent.
  • Partner with Creative Operations to manage resourcing, workflow, and prioritization across workstreams.

Requirements

  • 7+ years of experience in creative strategy, brand strategy, content/comms strategy, or performance marketing (agency experience preferred).
  • (insert management experience)
  • Strong storytelling skills, with the ability to translate insights into sharp, inspiring creative narratives and messaging frameworks.
  • Exceptional client-facing communication skills—clear, confident, and compelling in both written and verbal presentations.
  • Deep understanding of paid media platforms, and how creative shapes performance, across Google, Meta, TikTok, Snap, and programmatic environments.
  • Experience shaping global campaigns and navigating complexity across multiple markets.
  • Comfort operating in ambiguity and bringing clarity, structure, and POV to incomplete inputs.
  • A proven track record of cross-functional leadership, team mentorship, and raising the bar for strategic craft.
Benefits
  • Healthcare, Dental, and Vision coverage
  • 401k plan, plus matching
  • PTO
  • Paid Company Holidays
  • Parental Leave

Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard skills
creative strategybrand strategycontent strategyperformance marketingstorytellingmessaging frameworksnarrative claritycreative directiondata interpretationcampaign development
Soft skills
client-facing communicationteam mentorshipstrategic thinkingcross-functional leadershipproactive identification of opportunitiesnavigating complexityoperating in ambiguitycraft excellenceclear communicationinspiring narratives