Freelance Senior Creative Strategist (Performance & Planning)

WHY DEPT®?

We are a Growth Invention company built to help the world’s most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing, we create what is next by pioneering ideas, acting fast, and moving further because standing still just is not in our DNA.

We are drawn to people who stay curious, move with intent, and never stop inventing. Our culture runs on three values: better together, relentlessly curious, and get sh*t done. It is how we work, how we grow, and how we make things that matter.

At DEPT®, you will find the freedom to explore, the space to collaborate, and the trust to make a real impact for our clients, for each other, and for the world we are helping to build.

THE ROLE:

We’re looking for a freelance Senior Creative Strategist with a performance-first mindset. You understand how creative drives growth and you know how to build structured roadmaps that connect business goals, media investment, and creative testing into one clear plan.

You are fluent in the media landscape across platforms and know how creative actually behaves in paid environments. You’ve partnered closely with media teams, understand buying strategies and targeting nuances, and can translate performance data into actionable creative direction.

You are confident leading client conversations around creative performance, testing plans, and learning agendas. You do not wait for direction. You proactively identify gaps, propose solutions, and guide stakeholders toward clear next steps. You are highly organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable managing multiple workstreams. You understand how to build systems that keep testing structured, learning cumulative, and teams aligned.

This role sits at the intersection of creative, media, analytics, and client leadership. You will partner closely with cross-functional teams to ensure creative is not just inspiring, but measurable, scalable, and built to perform.

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

Creative Performance & Testing Leadership

• Build and lead creative testing roadmaps aligned to business objectives and media plans
• Develop and execute structured learning agendas across platforms and funnel stages
• Translate performance data into clear creative implications and next-step actions
• Identify performance gaps and proactively recommend new testing angles
• Ensure creative strategy ladders into measurable KPIs

Planning & Cross-Functional Integration

• Partner closely with Media and Analytics teams to align on creative testing strategy and various paid media channel needs
• Ensure creative plans reflect platform nuances across Meta, TikTok, Google, Snap, YouTube, and programmatic
• Collaborate with project management to scope work, define timelines, and maintain momentum
• Maintain strong documentation and organization across briefs, trackers, and performance recaps

Client Leadership & Communication

• Confidently lead client discussions on creative performance and testing strategy
• Present performance insights with clarity and authority
• Guide clients toward informed decisions grounded in data and platform knowledge
• Educate stakeholders on how creative and media work together to drive results
• Own and lead conversations, not just contribute to them

Execution & Optimization

• Write launch briefs and post mortem analysis and present both internally and externally
• Partner with Creative teams to ensure outputs align to hypotheses and learning goals
• Apply ongoing performance learnings to continuously refine strategy
• Maintain rigor in measurement, naming conventions, and test design

WHAT YOU BRING:

• 3+ years of agency experience in creative strategy, performance marketing, or growth strategy
• Deep understanding of paid media ecosystems including Meta, TikTok, Google, Snap, YouTube, and programmatic
• Proven experience building and managing creative testing frameworks
• Strong fluency in performance metrics and how they translate into creative decisions
• Confidence leading client conversations independently
• Experience working cross-functionally with Media,