Associate Creative Director, Earned Marketing

The role

A temporary creative leadership role at The New York Times, setting the creative direction for earned marketing across News, The Athletic, Games and Cooking: work designed to be shared and to generate press and social conversation. You would report to the Creative Director, Design, with a dotted line to the Executive Director, Brand Marketing, and work with marketing, editorial, comms, commerce, photo, outside agencies and the Games and Athletic creative teams. The role is hybrid, with about three office days a week in New York, and is paid hourly.

What you'll do

• Conceive and lead brand-building activations, partnerships and content designed to earn media coverage and social sharing
• Direct the day-to-day work of a Senior Designer, Earned, taking projects from strategy to launch
• Turn marketing strategies into clear, provocative creative direction for internal and external partners
• Develop ideas suited to the audience of each core product while keeping one coherent visual and conceptual thread
• Create work that naturally involves celebrities, influencers and culturally notable subscribers
• Guide social-first activations that prompt community engagement without depending only on paid media or editorial accounts
• With the Director, Creative Strategy and Earned Production and the Director, Brand Earned Activations, oversee outside agency relationships and brand standards
• Work with the Executive Director of Brand Activations and Talent to line up earned ideas with business goals
• Champion earned thinking across the organisation and build agreement among stakeholders
• Deliver high-concept ideas while balancing quality with the demands of the news cycle
• Support the company's journalistic independence and its mission

About you

• At least eight years of creative leadership, with a strong focus on earned media, PR-led activations or non-traditional advertising
• A portfolio of work that got people talking through PR, social trends or cultural moments
• A deep understanding of how social, celebrity and influencer ecosystems drive brand discovery
• Experience turning strategies, product roadmaps and news cycles into creative direction
• Experience serving the Times's varied product categories, from News to The Athletic, Games and Cooking
• The ability to build trusted relationships and manage complex stakeholders
• The operational agility to handle time-sensitive earned work while keeping craft standards high

What's on offer

• Depending on the role, variable pay such as an annual bonus and restricted stock
• Medical, dental and vision cover
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• 401(k) with company matching
• Employee stock purchase plan
• Paid holiday, paid sick days and paid parental leave
• Tuition reimbursement and professional development programmes

The process

• A CV is required; a cover letter, LinkedIn profile and portfolio link can be added
• The form asks about work authorisation, visa sponsorship, and whether you live in the New York City or Tri-State area and can commute for the office schedule
• Applicants are asked to submit their own work and not to use generative AI tools to produce substantive content at any point in the application or interviews

The details

• Pay: $85 – $97 per hour
• Contract: temporary
• Location: New York, NY; hybrid, typically three days a week in the office
• Level: senior (8+ years)

How to apply

Apply through The New York Times careers site. The listing asks applicants not to use generative AI for the substance of their application.