Associate Director, Strategy & Innovation

The Opportunity

Liquid Media is seeking an Associate Director, Strategy & Innovation to lead strategy across gaming and entertainment accounts, mentor junior strategists, and scale the team's output.

This role requires bridging senior strategic vision with day-to-day execution, delivering culturally relevant, platform-native, and impactful marketing strategies for brands.

What You'll Be Doing

• Strategy Leadership & Team Development
• Support the Strategy Lead in managing and developing junior team members through coaching, feedback, and strategic guidance.
• Review and strengthen strategic work across the team, ensuring deliverables meet Liquid Media's standards for clarity, insight, and cultural relevance.
• Collaborate with Strategy and Agency leadership to maintain consistent strategic outputs across accounts.
• Model a culture of curiosity, social fluency, and strategic thinking.
• Contribute to project staffing and workload planning to support sustainable team operations.
• Conduct regular coaching and development conversations with direct reports, providing actionable feedback and accelerating their growth.
• Help establish strategic expectations, quality standards, and development plans for junior team members.
• Social & Platform Strategy
• Own social strategy across assigned client accounts with platform-specific approaches on TikTok, YouTube, Twitch, Instagram, Reddit, X, and Discord.
• Identify cultural moments, gaming tentpoles, live-service opportunities, and community milestones to drive audience engagement.
• Develop short-form content strategies for TikTok, Reels, and Shorts aimed at driving discovery, engagement, and conversion.
• Create community strategy frameworks to help brands authentically engage with their target audiences.
• Develop creator marketing and platform strategies to enhance audience engagement, community growth, and brand advocacy.
• Integrated Marketing Strategy
• Develop integrated campaign strategies connecting social, creator, paid, and earned media into cohesive brand narratives.
• Translate business and marketing objectives into multi-channel campaign strategies with clear strategic rationale.
• Partner closely with Account and Creative teams to ensure strategic recommendations are effectively executed.
• Adapt and evolve strategic recommendations using performance insights and campaign learnings.
• Innovation & Insights
• Stay ahead of emerging platforms, creator behaviors, content formats, and cultural shifts.
• Define measurement approaches and success metrics evaluating audience quality, brand impact, and long-term program performance.
• Use performance data and audience insights to inform recommendations and program evolution.
• Contribute thought leadership, trend analysis, and strategic points of view strengthening Liquid Media's positioning in gaming and entertainment marketing.
• Client Partnership & New Business
• Serve as senior strategic counsel on assigned client accounts, building trusted relationships with client stakeholders.
• Participate in new business pitches by developing strategic frameworks, shaping pitch narratives, and presenting strategic recommendations to prospective clients.
• Identify and articulate growth opportunities within existing accounts, grounded in strategic rationale and client business goals.
• Represent Liquid Media at industry events, gaming activations, and community-focused opportunities.

What You'll Need

• 7+ years of experience in social media strategy, integrated marketing strategy, creator strategy, or related fields.
• Experience supporting or managing junior strategists, with a genuine desire to invest in others' growth.
• Demonstrated ability to develop social and creator strategies across multiple channels and integrate them into cohesive brand narratives.
• Strong knowledge of gaming, esports, entertainment, and creator ecosystems.
• Deep familiarity with TikTok, YouTube, Twitch, Instagram, Reddit, X, and Discord.
• Strategic and creative thinking skills with the ability to translate business objectives into clear multi-channel strategies.
• An analytical mindset with experience using performance data and audience insights to inform strategic recommendations.
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills with the ability to articulate complex ideas clearly to clients, creative teams, and direct reports.
• Experience working cross-functionally with creative, production, account, and client stakeholder teams.
• Ability to travel domestically approximately 20% for client meetings, cross-functional planning sessions, and agency initiatives as needed.

You’ll Earn Bonus Points If You Have

• Existing relationships within gaming, esports, creator, or entertainment industries.
• Experience developing strategies across both organic social and paid media.
• Familiarity with project management platforms like ClickUp, Asana, or Airtable.
• Experience with social media management and CMS platforms.
• Experience contributing to successful new business pitches and account growth initiatives.

Salary Range (U.S.-based role)

The anticipated base salary range for this position is $110,000 – $120,000.

Actual compensation will be determined based on job-related factors such as skills, experience, education, internal equity, and geographic location, where applicable and permitted by law.

Benefits & Other Compensation

This position is eligible for company-provided benefits, which may include health insurance, paid time off, paid holidays, and retirement-related benefits, subject to plan terms and eligibility requirements.

Disclaimer

Team Liquid does not work with third-party agencies or agents. Official recruiting communications are only shared through verified Team Liquid channels.

Department

Liquid Media

Locations

Los Angeles, California, US Remote

Employment type

Full-time