Director, Creator Management
ROLE SUMMARYThe Director, Creator Management leads the "Creators" pillar within the CAIT (Creators, Affiliates, Influencers, & Talent) department for their assigned pod.
This role is a leader who goes beyond simple Creator procurement to set the creative standard from the initial brainstorm through to the final SMA (Social Media Ad), ensuring the department's output is cast for relevance, directed for quality, and optimized for views.
You will oversee the strategy and operations for sourcing high-volume, diverse makers and talent to fuel our clients' brand channels. You will bridge the gap between the CAIT team and the cross-functional team, ensuring that our external creator network is integrated directly into the AIM (Analyze, Ideate, Make) workflow to drive SMA Excellence.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES- Strategic Integration & SMA Excellence
- The New "Creative" Director: Partner with Client Partnerships, Strategy, and Creative leadership to architect creator-first campaigns. You will translate high-level brand concepts into casting strategies, ensuring we use creators to solve creative problems (diversity, volume, authenticity) that internal teams cannot solve alone.
- AIM Session Leadership: Oversee the integration of Associates and Residents into AIM sessions. Train the team to proactively pitch creator-led concepts that drive business results, moving the CAIT team from an "order taker" to a strategic partner.
- Quality Control: Define and enforce the standard for SMA Excellence. Ensure the team understands the distinction between "Creator as Talent" (delivering raw performance/assets) and "Veditor" (technical assembly), ensuring delivered assets are creatively effective and commercially safe.
- Virtual Directing Protocols: Establish the frameworks and training for "Virtual Directing," empowering your team to guide creator talent toward the right performance while the footage is still being shot.
- Team Operations & Financial Health
- Mentorship: Manage and develop a team of Associates and Residents. Train them to think less like project managers and more like Casting Directors and Producers.
- Pipeline Management: Oversee the end-to-end operational health of the Creator pillar. While Associates handle execution, you are accountable for the systems regarding contract negotiations, payment processing, and project timelines to ensure speed and compliance.
- Margin & Efficiency: Monitor the financial health of creator projects within your pod. Optimize workflows to reduce rounds of revisions and ensure we are delivering high-volume assets at a margin that works for the business.
- Risk Management: Serve as the escalation point for complex creator negotiations or usage rights issues, protecting the agency and client from liability.
- Industry Thought Leadership & Business Growth
- The Subject Matter Expert: Serve as VaynerMedia's internal authority on the Creator Economy. You are the person Account Directors call to help sell a CAIT incremental scope to a hesitant client, and the person Strategy looks to for the latest on platform creator trends.
- External Representation: Represent VaynerMedia at industry panels, events, and new business pitches, articulating our unique "Creators as Talent" philosophy.
- Trend Analysis: Turn trends from the creator economy into actionable business opportunities for our clients.
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE- 7-10 years of experience in social media, creative advertising, or talent management.
- Creative/Operator Hybrid: You have the taste level to improve a piece of creative work and the operational brain to manage the budget and timeline behind it.
- The Seller Mindset: You are comfortable in a room with clients, articulating the business value of creators and defending creative decisions.
- Practitioner Empathy: You understand the friction points of making content (because you've done it) and can build workflows that remove barriers for both the creator and the agency.
Leadership- Servant Leadership: You work for your team, not the other way around. You are responsible for creating an environment that fosters health, development, and inclusivity.
- Emotional Intelligence: You catch stress, fear, and anxiety in your team and convert it into practical optimism. When you need an outlet, you let it flow up, never down or across.
- Recruiting Partner: You actively partner with recruiting to support Vayner's talent practices and build the best possible team.
Accountability- Clouds and Dirt: You are a practitioner who balances high-level strategy (clouds) with execution (dirt). You understand that the work matters, but how you get there matters even more.
- Social-First Lens: You are accountable for carrying out your role with a social-first mindset, ensuring all output meets the Vayner standard of excellence.
- Ownership: You take responsibility for actions and impact, pointing thumbs (at yourself) and not fingers (at others). You navigate the team through challenges without placing blame.
Communication- Kind Candor: You deliver feedback that is clear, direct, fair, and empathetic. You view feedback as a gift and a catalyst for personal growth.
- Persuasion & Clarity: You can lead complex conversations and presentations at a moment's notice, delivering messages in a clear, authentic way to get buy-in from stakeholders.
- Navigating Difficulty: You prioritize and navigate difficult conversations effectively, setting the example for the team.
Growth Mindset- "Yes, And": You practice a mindset where all voices are valuable. You view challenges as opportunities to create something better.
- Change Management: You help guide teams through change, collaborating with senior levels to share what's working and accelerate growth across the company.
- Risk Taking: You identify opportunities for junior team members to take risks and give them the permission to challenge themselves.
Unsure if you meet the qualifications? We are always looking for talent which will continue to cultivate an inclusive and representative team that will enhance our perspectives, skill sets, background, and behaviors. We encourage those who are passionate about what we do to apply!
- Exact compensation may vary based on skills, experience, and location.
- Employer-sponsored 401k with match
- Medical, Dental, and vision coverage
- Unlimited PTO
- Caregiver (Parental) Leave
- Health and Wellness benefits
Base Salary
$140,000-$165,000 USD
