Senior Manager, Creative Strategy

Job Title: Senior Manager, Creative Strategy

Location: New York, NY or Remote

Start Date: ASAP

Whalar is the leading, most awarded, independent Creator and Social agency. We transform brands into cultural drivers by unlocking the full creative power of Creators.

We go beyond the conventional social and influencer strategy. We have the technology and methodology to tap into the beating pulse of communities, listen to nuances that move culture, and connect brands in ways that make them unforgettable.

With hubs in London, Berlin, New York, and Los Angeles, our reach is global. Learn more:

About the role:

The Senior Manager, Creative Strategy, will develop insight driven strategies that connect culture, consumers, creators, and creative execution to deliver impactful social first work for clients. This role will translate cultural trends, audience insights, and campaign objectives into clear strategic direction, while partnering closely with Creative, Client Services, and cross functional teams to inspire breakthrough ideas and drive meaningful client impact. The ideal candidate is a curious, culturally fluent strategist who understands the creator landscape and knows how to turn observations into compelling insights and creative opportunities.

Here’s what you’ll do day-to-day:

Strategic Foundation

• Develop internal and client-facing POVs and strategic foundations for project-specific and AOR clients.
• Proactively deliver insight-driven strategic thinking that uncovers opportunities, challenges, assumptions, and inspires teams and clients.
• Foster cross-functional collaboration between Creative and Creative Strategy, seamlessly bridging strategic thinking with creative execution.
• Translate cultural, consumer, and platform insights into actionable strategic recommendations.

Campaign Development & Management

• Translate client briefs into clear strategic objectives, identifying key opportunities, priorities, and success metrics.
• Lead productive brainstorms and ideation sessions internally and externally.
• Partner with Client Services counterparts to develop cohesive campaign narratives.
• Ensure creative output aligns with strategic goals, audience insights, and campaign objectives.

Cultural Trend Analysis & Insight Development

• Monitor social trends, insights, and online behaviors to strategically inform creative ideation for timely, relevant, and social-first executions.
• Monitor and analyze cultural trends on an ongoing basis to shape strategies that resonate with brands & target communities.
• Lead cultural and community audits that fuel brainstorming sessions, campaign development, and audience understanding.

Creator Brief & Content Review

• Partner with Client Services counterparts to review and refine creator briefs.
• Partner with Client Services counterparts to review and refine creator content.
• Ensure creator deliverables reflect platform best practices, build upon past learnings, and are optimized against campaign objectives.
• Provide strategic and creative feedback to strengthen content performance and brand alignment.

Performance & Industry Analysis

• Leverage measured campaign outcomes to refine and evolve future strategies and ideas.
• Stay ahead of emerging social trends, creators, and platforms, incorporating insights into strategic thought leadership and client work.

Client Collaboration & Growth

• Provide strategic and creative guidance to key clients across accounts, strengthening relationships and building trust in partnership with Client Services.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with paid media, measurement, and Client Services teams to deliver integrated client solutions and seamless execution.
• Contribute to agency growth through proactive thinking, innovative ideas, and strategic leadership.

Here’s what we’re looking for:

• 4+ years of experience developing and executing social strategies within an agency setting, with a strong understanding of social platforms, culture, and audience behavior.
• Relentless Curiosity: Remain in constant pursuit of “the why” — embody the willingness to dig deep. We live inside the zeitgeist, not just observe it. We get below the surface of our data, audiences, and communities to unlock the central heartbeat of where Strategy and Creative connect.
• Translating Observations Into Insights: Ability to take hard facts, stats, trends, and observations, and turn them into truths that reveal underlying tensions and motivations that will resonate with our audiences.
• Creative Writing: Copy should be concise, precise, and simple… where simple doesn’t mean easy. It means being clear. Every word must earn its place on the page. Our words should fuel a feeling – we want to spark, provoke, and excite something in the reader.
• Creator Intelligence: Deep understanding of what makes creator partnerships feel authentic, credible, and culturally relevant, ensuring creators remain at the heart of every story we tell.
• The “Creative” In Strategy: Develop insight-driven strategies that inspire bold creative thinking, providing clear strategic direction while creating space for breakthrough ideas.

The salary range for this role is $75,000 - $80,000 and serves as a general guideline for the potential compensation. The final salary offer will be determined based on a comprehensive evaluation of factors such as the candidate's experience, expertise, alignment with the position's requirements, location, and, ultimately, budget approvals.

Our values:

At Whalar, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) isn't just a statement, it's our collective strength. Our people are our superpower. A diverse team and inclusive leadership have shaped Whalar since our inception in 2016, fueling a constant evolution of growth. We champion a culture of respect and empathy, fostering a sense of belonging that transcends demographics. We hire individuals of all backgrounds and empower them to thrive, challenge stereotypes, and actively break societal barriers.

The perks:

Whalar provides flexible benefits and collaborative work environments/experiences, so employees can work productively in a setting that best and uniquely suits their needs.

• Medical, Dental, Vision
• 25 days of PTO + Sick days + Winter break
• Monthly phone/internet reimbursement
• Professional development stipend
• New joiner's Home office allowance
• Up to 16 weeks of paid parental leave
• Volunteer days
• Identity theft protection & Legal assistance
• Company Paid Life & Disability Insurance
• Voluntary Life Insurance Policy
• Voluntary Hospital and Critical Illness Insurance
• Voluntary Pet insurance
• Employee Resource Groups

Whalar provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Equal opportunity extends to all aspects of the employment relationship, including hiring, promotions, training, working conditions, compensation, and benefits.