Sr. Strategist, Performance Marketing

Sr. Strategist, Performance Marketing

At Viral Nation, we specialize in building social-first ecosystems for brands to connect with the modern consumer journey. Our integrated solutions align strategy, talent, media, and technology with culturally relevant creativity to scale the world's fastest-growing digital brands. Viral Nation offers a fluid, creative, and growth-oriented environment that will support your ambitions to apply your talents in an open, collaborative, and fast-paced culture. Our ability to stay at the forefront of the industry has fueled our success and will guide us in paving the path forward. We're driven to push boundaries and think beyond today to deliver strategies, and we're just getting started.

While we continuously exceed our goals, we need your help – our success is only as great as our people. Strong performance leads to high expectations, and we must keep raising the bar!

We're looking for a Senior Strategist, Performance Marketing to lead the development of advanced, full-funnel paid media strategies for our largest and most complex client accounts. This role is designed for a seasoned performance strategist with deep platform expertise, strong strategic judgment, and a proven ability to drive impact at scale.

As a Senior Strategist, you will own strategic direction across accounts, guide optimization frameworks, and elevate how we approach performance marketing—particularly across social platforms and emerging commerce solutions such as TikTok Shop. You will act as a trusted strategic advisor to clients, partner closely with media buyers and account leadership, and help shape best practices across the broader performance team.

What You'll Do Here:

• Lead the end-to-end development of sophisticated paid media strategies across upper and lower funnel objectives, with a focus on scalability and long-term growth.
• Own strategic planning for high-priority and high-budget accounts, ensuring alignment with broader business and marketing objectives.
• Drive advanced platform strategy across Meta, TikTok (including TikTok Shop), Google, and other emerging performance channels.
• Serve as a senior strategic voice in client relationships—leading high-level discussions, proactively identifying opportunities, and delivering clear, confident recommendations.
• Translate complex performance data into actionable insights, strategic narratives, and client-ready documentation.
• Conduct and oversee qualitative and quantitative research to inform media strategy, audience development, and platform approach.
• Partner closely with media buyers, account teams, and external partners to ensure strategic intent is carried through execution, including budget allocation, pacing, and optimization frameworks.
• Guide and review campaign structures, testing roadmaps, and measurement approaches, ensuring best practices are consistently applied.
• Oversee budget management across accounts, identifying efficiencies, scaling opportunities, and potential risks.
• Contribute to and lead the development of Paid Media Playbooks, platform POVs, and best-in-class protocols.
• Identify gaps and opportunities in existing and prospective paid media plans, particularly around commerce, creator-led performance, and platform innovation.
• Support and lead new business efforts, including pitch strategy, media planning, and client presentations.
• Act as a mentor and strategic resource to junior strategists, helping elevate the team's overall strategic output.

What You'll Need To Have:

• 4–6+ years of professional experience in paid media strategy and/or execution, with demonstrated ownership of large-scale or complex accounts.
• Deep expertise across paid social platforms including Meta, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and emerging formats.
• Strong understanding of TikTok Shop, social commerce, and performance-driven creator ecosystems.
• Experience with Paid Search and Programmatic advertising, with the ability to integrate these channels into holistic performance strategies.
• Proven ability to develop, lead, and execute high-impact performance marketing strategies tied to broader business outcomes.
• Exceptional presentation and communication skills; confident leading senior-level client conversations and managing stakeholder expectations.
• Strong strategic thinking balanced with hands-on understanding of execution and optimization.
• Highly analytical, with the ability to interpret data across platforms and measurement tools to inform decision-making.
• Experience contributing to or leading agency-wide best practices, frameworks, or thought leadership.
• Comfortable working across multiple time zones and managing competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency with ad management platforms, reporting tools, and performance analytics.
• University degree or college diploma in marketing, business, communications, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Proven experience growing brands through paid media, with an emphasis on performance efficiency and scale.

Compensation Philosophy:

At Viral Nation, compensation is structured, performance-led, and market-aligned. Pay decisions are intentional, based on role requirements, performance, and market alignment by country, and are set to maintain internal pay equity across comparable roles and levels. Compensation progression is tied to demonstrated performance, expanded scope, and sustained contribution over time, not tenure alone. Employee compensation is reviewed regularly through formal performance reviews and check-ins to ensure alignment with role expectations and impact.

AI in Recruitment:

Viral Nation does not use AI-enabled tools to screen, assess, rank, or select candidates – our hiring teams make all hiring decisions. AI note-taking tools may be used during interviews.

DEI Commitment:

Viral Nation is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in our agency. Viral Nation welcomes applications from people with visible and non-visible disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the recruiting and selection process.