--- title: 'Associate Director, Creative Strategy (Paid) at Darkroom' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/associate-director-creative-strategy-paid-darkroom-new-york-t0mpc28m38b2' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-07' --- # Associate Director, Creative Strategy (Paid) at Darkroom - **Company:** Darkroom - **Location:** New York, NY - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** remote - **Posted:** 2026-08-13 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-07 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/darkroom/3607a04f-6818-4635-a308-bc1444d227ab ## Job description ## ABOUT DARKROOM Darkroom is the leading next-generation growth marketing firm engineering the brands of tomorrow. Founded in 2017, we set out to redefine what a modern agency could be, by replacing the inertia of legacy advertising behemoths with a model built for speed, intelligence, and measurable impact. At our core, Darkroom is a human services company powered by Shadow, a universal AI commerce layer that integrates executive-level strategy with proprietary agentic technology. This fusion enables our teams to deliver outsized returns by enhancing creative output, operational efficiency, and revenue generation across every stage of the customer journey. Our track record speaks for itself: billions in attributable revenue driven across e-commerce marketplaces, media networks, DTC ecosystems, and social commerce platforms. Every engagement feeds into our proprietary data infrastructure, enabling a continuous feedback loop that accelerates growth, improves margins, and compounds results across our client portfolio. What began as a boutique design studio has evolved into one of the fastest-growing private companies in America (Inc. 5000) and among the most effective performance media agencies of the 2020s (Varos). Our founders were recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30 for advancing the intersection of technology, marketing, and advertising, cementing Darkroom’s role as a defining player in the future of media innovation. ## ABOUT THE ROLE We’re looking for a visionary creative leader with deep experience in developing ad concepts for digital paid media advertising formats on Meta, TikTok, and other channels. You’re able to dive deep into the pixels and give tactical feedback on design and video, but understand how to thread the needle between performance frameworks, creative testing, and world-building assets. You’re likely a Creative Strategist by trade with a background in Design, Video Editing, or Performance Marketing. You are hyper-focused on paid media performance and developing advertisements that sell products and services. You'll work on our Performance Creative service—our Al-powered creative strategy engagement for paid media clients that want to work with us on the following: - Expertise: Engage us for our expertise in creative strategy, which includes assessing the efficacy of their ad hooks, ad bodies, and general creative direction. You will have a clear perspective on how to improve this over time. - Sales: Deliver game changing creative ads that sell their products and services better than anyone else. - Diversity: Increase the creative diversity of their ad program through the use of multiple ad formats: statics, motion, video, UGC, AI. - Volume: Increase the volume of their performance creative program by delivering upwards of 50-100 new ads per month with the intention of scaling that as needed. This role is ideal for someone who thrives at the intersection of creativity, AI, and performance - combining bold visual storytelling with data-informed design decisions. You'll report to the Director of Creative and lead the management of Designers and Editors to execute paid media assets across a variety of formats, including static ads, short-form videos, motion graphics, and UGC content. Your work will directly impact client performance by delivering a high-volume of ad concepts, elevated creative direction, and data-backed testing frameworks. This is a fully remote role operating in the EST Time Zone and all business is conducted 100% in English. ## WHAT YOU’LL DO: Responsibilities: - Creative Strategy: Lead high-tempo creative strategy and direction for full-funnel ad programs, typically Meta and TikTok, but also YouTube, Amazon, and Display Platforms. - Testing & Learning: Design the testing roadmap (what gets tested, in what order, against what hypothesis, and what a real win looks like before spend goes live.) - Copywriting: Own ad copy for US-based clients, flexing in tone of voice according to funnel stage and threading the needle when clients ask you to “punch up the copy. - Short Form Video Expert: Deliver expert advice, concepts, directions, and briefs to sell products and services through short-form video. - Data Analysis: Translate client’s marketing strategy and performance data into clear, compelling ad concepts (This includes using metrics like thumb-stop rate, hold rate, and clickthrough rate. You’re super comfortable adapting creatives to impact these metrics.) - Cross-Team Collaboration: Brief Designers and Editors on the creation of assets including static ads, animations, mobile-first videos, and storyboards for short-form content. You’re capable of jumping into shape up a design in Figma or whip up an ad yourself without concern, if need be. This isn’t the role for strategy-only folks. - Executive Presentation: Present creative work to stakeholders and clients with clarity, confidence, and strategic rationale. - Performance Iteration: Monitor performance data in collaboration with the marketing team to inform creative iterations and improve results over time. YOU SHOULD APPLY IF THIS SOUNDS LIKE YOU: - 3+ years of creative strategy work on performance ad programs, with specific focus working on short form video and statics. If you have not made any short-form video or driven creative strategy on Meta, this role is not for you. - A digital portfolio showcasing performance ad work that includes short-form video, motion, and statics. Examples of what you did to impact metrics like hold rate or CTR. Evidence of strong creative diversity that includes both highly designed and low-fidelity creative. - You can storyboard, cut, and ship ads. You can jump into Figma to fix hierarchy and pacing, and into Photoshop or Illustrator to polish assets. Strategy-only folks will not be a fit. - You speak in hooks, angles, and metrics. You know thumb-stop rate, 3-second hold, hook retention, CTR, and CPA, and you use them to decide what to test next. - You already use tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney, Perplexity, Icon, Runway, or similar to increase speed and volume. You have shipped ads with AI-assisted elements, not just experiments. - You’re an excellent communicator, both in writing and when presenting to clients. You give crisp, actionable feedback to designers and editors and know how to navigate pushback from clients - You can turn vague goals into testable concepts, track results, and call the next iteration without hand-holding. - Deep in Figma including Auto Layout, Components, and handoff. Strong in Adobe Creative Suite. ## HARD DISQUALIFIERS - No Meta performance creative ad experience. - No portfolio link or no performance context. - Strategy-only with no hands-on design ability. - Not excellent in client presentation and salesmanship. ## WHAT IT'S LIKE TO WORK AT DARKROOM Darkroom is not a typical agency. We are looking for A players who want to build something great. We move fast, think deeply, and expect every team member to bring insight and rigor to everything they touch. We hold a high bar for performance, creativity, and ownership — but we also support each other relentlessly. No egos, no red tape — just world-class talent building something remarkable. We believe in autonomy with accountability, truth over comfort, and outcomes over optics. - Unlimited PTO + US holidays: Rebooting is part of the work. Take the time you need to stay sharp. - Remote-First Culture: Many roles are fully remote. Employees based in or near our New York or Lisbon HQs are expected to work hybrid with weekly in-office time. Hub locations include the Brazil and Spain. - Health & Wellness: Company-sponsored medical, dental, and vision coverage. - Finances, growth, and retirement: Darkroom offers a robust 401(k) program with company match and profit-sharing opportunities to help you save and grow as the company grows. - Parental Leave: Flexible parental leave to support new parents during this important transition. - Growth: Our interdisciplinary model gives every Darkroomer exposure far beyond their core role. Grow your skills, expand your influence, and stay at the forefront of the industry. - Compensation: The base salary range for this role is $100,000-$120,000 per year. This range represents the anticipated minimum and maximum for this position and applies to candidates based in New York, including New York City, in compliance with the New York State Pay Transparency Law and the New York City Salary Transparency Law. Actual compensation within this range will be determined based on experience, skills, and qualifications. ## EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT Darkroom is an equal opportunity workplace—we are dedicated to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national orientation, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. ## About Darkroom ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Darkroom is a full-service digital growth marketing agency that combines human expertise with a proprietary AI commerce layer (Shadow) to drive measurable revenue for consumer brands across paid media, e-commerce marketplaces, and social commerce. - **Entity Type**: Private (Privately Held) - **Headquarters**: New York, New York, United States - **Founded**: 2017 - **Founders**: Lucas DiPietrantonio (CEO) and Peter Gao (Managing Director, Social Commerce) – both recognized on Forbes 30 Under 30 for their contributions to marketing & advertising [darkroomagency.com/about](https://www.darkroomagency.com/about) ## Core Business - **Primary Industry**: Advertising Services / Digital Marketing - **Target Customers**: Growth-stage consumer brands (B2C) – mid-market to enterprise, including DTC, e-commerce marketplace, and social commerce companies. - **Mission**: “The growth marketing agency built for the AI Era” – focused on delivering trackable revenue growth through a blend of senior human talent and an agentic AI technology stack [darkroomagency.com](https://www.darkroomagency.com/) ## Products & Services Darkroom’s services are organized under five core verticals, each supported by their AI platform Shadow: - **Paid Media Management**: Full-funnel strategies across paid social, connected TV, paid search, programmatic, retail media, and mobile. Manages over $250M in media spend. - **Performance Creative**: Short-form video, UGC, AI-generated ads, static design, and motion graphics – treated as the primary growth lever. - **E-Commerce Marketplace Management**: Amazon and TikTok Shop management including strategy, advertising, creative, inventory, and SEO. - **Retention Marketing**: Email, SMS, and lifecycle campaigns to maximize customer lifetime value. - **AI Marketing (Shadow)**: A universal commerce layer that powers AI search (SEO, GEO, AI search ads), agentic commerce, sentiment analysis, and content creation – deeply embedded into every client team. - **Supporting Offerings**: Growth strategy, conversion rate optimization, website development (Shopify), organic social management, creator program management, design studio, and financial services. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed (privately held) - **Key Metric**: The company has generated over $1B in trackable revenue for clients; manages over $250M in media across channels [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/darkroomagency) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: No external investors (bootstrapped). Clients include **Olipop, TOTEME, Unilever, Amazon, Everlane, Adobe, Sauz, VYBES, Verb Energy**. - **Growth Signals**: - Named to the **Inc. 5000** list of fastest-growing private companies in America. - Employee headcount: **96** (+35.2% YoY) with hubs in **New York, Lisbon, São Paulo, and Barcelona**. - Operates across **17 countries** with a global team. - Active job postings: **28** (though trending down recently) [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/darkroomagency) ## Competitive Advantages - **First AI-native agency**: Shadow is built into every team and workflow, giving clients an integrated human-AI marketing team. - **Top-heavy, senior-first model**: Leadership and senior talent are directly involved in client accounts, ensuring strategic depth. - **Design-grade creative**: One of the few performance agencies with a Chief Creative Officer and in-house design studio, infusing brand-quality creative into performance marketing. - **Omni-channel integration**: Manages all major commerce channels (Amazon, TikTok Shop, DTC, Retail) as one unified program. - **Proven track record**: Billions in client revenue and hundreds of millions in media under management provide proprietary data and insights. ## Strategic Focus - **Scaling the AI platform**: Shadow is being positioned as a universal commerce layer, with investments in agentic commerce, AI search, and automated workflows. - **Global hub expansion**: Growing teams in Lisbon, São Paulo, and Barcelona to access diverse talent and support a 24/5 operational model. - **Deep vertical specialization**: Continuing to concentrate on high-growth consumer verticals (CPG, fashion, beauty, health/wellness) rather than expanding horizontally. - **Productization of services**: Blending services with technology to offer retainer-based and outcome-based partnerships. ## Why Work Here - **Culture**: “Built for the AI future” – employees are expected to work alongside AI tools daily; strong emphasis on output, innovation, and continuous learning. - **Work policy**: Remote-first with physical hubs in New York, Lisbon, São Paulo, and Barcelona. All employees operate on EST time and gather for team meetups and annual company events. - **Perks**: Unlimited PTO (with a minimum of 14 days plus holidays), 401k with company match, medical/dental/vision for US employees, performance bonuses, and clear internal promotion paths based on results. - **Engineering focus**: The Full Stack Engineer role (Shadow) offers $170K–$200K salary, indicating strong investment in technical talent [indeed.com](https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Darkroom-3). - **Talent base**: High-caliber peers from top agencies (VaynerMedia, Wpromote, Hawke Media) and companies (Accenture, Google). ## Sources 1. [darkroomagency.com](https://www.darkroomagency.com/) 2. [darkroomagency.com/careers](https://www.darkroomagency.com/careers) 3. [darkroomagency.com/about](https://www.darkroomagency.com/about) 4. [linkedin.com/company/darkroomagency](https://www.linkedin.com/company/darkroomagency) 5. [indeed.com/cmp/Darkroom-3](https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Darkroom-3) ## Other roles at Darkroom - [Director, Paid Media](https://feeny.ai/job/director-paid-media-darkroom-new-york-cg2cqr4sb81s) — New York, NY - [Creator Manager, TikTok Shop](https://feeny.ai/job/creator-manager-tiktok-shop-darkroom-brazil-0f38nk0h600w) — Brazil - [Creator Manager, UGC & Affiliate](https://feeny.ai/job/creator-manager-ugc-affiliate-darkroom-brazil-ev8y64kd2dpp) — Brazil - [Associate Director, Retention](https://feeny.ai/job/associate-director-retention-darkroom-brazil-30442zdnsv98) — Brazil - [Director, Creative Strategy](https://feeny.ai/job/director-creative-strategy-darkroom-new-york-58my8q6pvn71) — New York, NY - [Recruiter](https://feeny.ai/job/recruiter-darkroom-brazil-gx7yfsg55eg3) — Brazil - [Lead Account Executive, Commerce Growth](https://feeny.ai/job/lead-account-executive-commerce-growth-darkroom-new-york-fjqd1z7y5t5s) — New York, NY - [Senior Paid Search Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-paid-search-specialist-darkroom-brazil-jjnv76nv9syw) — Brazil - [Video Editor](https://feeny.ai/job/video-editor-darkroom-brazil-hw1g7w1h60s9) — Brazil - [Director, Growth Strategy](https://feeny.ai/job/director-growth-strategy-darkroom-new-york-9p6eqr5wpxdv) — New York, NY