Associate Creative Director, Earned Marketing (Temporary)

Responsibilities

• Concept and lead the development of brand-building activations, partnerships, and communications content designed specifically to generate earned media and social sharing.
• Direct the day-to-day work of a Senior Designer, Earned providing clear conceptual vision to guide projects from strategy to launch. You will oversee the translation of earned media concepts into high-quality design solutions, ensuring that every deliverable—from seeding kits to social assets—upholds The New York Times's rigorous brand standards.
• Translate marketing strategies into clear, provocative creative directives that excite internal teams and external partners.
• Develop creative ideas tailored to the unique audiences of our core products, ensuring a cohesive visual and conceptual narrative for News, The Athletic, Games, and Cooking.
• Create work that natively integrates celebrities, influencers, and culturally noteworthy subscribers to amplify our mission in ways that feel authentic and newsworthy.
• Guide the creation of "social-first" activations designed to thrive on digital platforms and spark community engagement without relying solely on paid media or editorially motivated social media handles.
• In partnership with the Director, Creative Strategy and Earned Production and Director, Brand Earned Activations, guide external agency relationships to ensure top-notch quality and brand/product standards are enforced.
• Work closely with the Executive Director of Brand Activations and Talent to ensure earned ideas align with broader business goals.
• Act as an ambassador for earned thinking across the organization, engaging the right stakeholders in productive conversations to build alignment.
• Execute high-concept ideas, balancing quality with the demands of the news cycle.
• Demonstrate support and understanding of our value of journalistic independence and a strong commitment to our mission to seek the truth and help people understand the world.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in creative leadership, with a heavy focus on earned media, PR-led activations, or non-traditional advertising.
• A portfolio that demonstrates “work the world talked about”—campaigns that broke through via PR, social trends, or cultural moments.
• Deep understanding of how to leverage Social, Celebrity, and Influencer ecosystems to drive brand discovery.
• Experience translating marketing strategies, product roadmaps, and the news cycle into clear creative directives.
• Service diverse categories across the NYT portfolio, from the rigor of News to the fandom of The Athletic and the community-driven spaces of Games and Cooking.
• Cultivate trusted relationships across the organization and navigate complex stakeholder dynamics.
• Operational agility to navigate the time sensitive requirements of earned media while maintaining high standards of craft.