Associate Director, Paid Media & Growth Strategy - The Orchard

Associate Director, Paid Media & Growth Strategy - The Orchard

The Orchard is a leading global music distributor and Artist & Label services company operating in 50+ markets worldwide. The Orchard empowers creators and businesses to grow and adapt in the dynamic global music industry. We specialize in being artist focused, blending industry expertise and technology, leveraging data to drive success, and providing streamlined digital and physical distribution solutions. The Orchard's comprehensive artist & label services offerings include marketing, sync licensing, premium video services, transparent data analysis, advertising, rights management, radio promotion, D2C, and more.

The Orchard focuses on providing a comfortable, social, and engaging environment to encourage productivity and creativity.

The Orchard is seeking an Associate Director, Paid Media & Growth Strategy (US) to join our Global Paid Media & Growth Strategy team. This role will lead the Strategy vertical within the US team, playing a critical role in shaping and evolving the strategic vision, execution, and ongoing development of our Premium Services. The Associate Director will work closely with other Paid Media & Growth Strategists and Media Buyers, as well as labels, relationship managers, marketing strategists, among others, to create bespoke paid media plans that amplify our top releases and support artist and label goals, while also driving key business outcomes. This position reports directly to the Senior Director, Global Paid Media & Growth Strategy.

What You'll Do

• Lead the Strategy vertical within the US Paid Media & Growth Strategy team, fostering a culture that stays creative, culturally relevant, and focused on outcomes beyond the click, including audience growth and long-term artist development.
• Lead end-to-end strategy for multiple releases, including high-priority, high-visibility releases, shaping bespoke, multi-channel plans that combine digital advertising with non-traditional formats such as creator and UGC programs, OOH, experiential moments, and data capture initiatives.
• Partner closely with the Senior Director, Global Paid Media & Growth Strategy, to evolve how Premium Services operate, helping balance scalability with high-touch, custom strategies for top-tier artists.
• Oversee the day-to-day flow of work within the Strategy vertical, including prioritization, resource planning, and coordination during peak release periods.
• Work alongside media buying and strategists within the Paid Media & Growth Strategy team to identify opportunities for testing and experimentation, explore new platform capabilities and formats, and turn learnings into practical guidance that keeps the team innovative and competitive.
• Serve as a trusted point of escalation and strategic partner for internal teams, relationship managers, and label partners, helping navigate complex decisions and guide high-stakes campaigns.
• Support the growth of strategists through mentorship and hands-on guidance, encouraging stronger strategic thinking and more proactive approaches to driving artist and business outcomes.
• Collaborate closely with Audience Development, Marketing Strategy, D2C, Commerce, Relationship Management, and other cross-functional teams to ensure Paid Media & Growth Strategy is integrated, aligned, and amplifying broader marketing efforts, and drive more efficient business outcomes.
• Contribute to ad hoc strategic needs across the team, including reporting, pitches, brainstorms, presentations, and the development of case studies, benchmarks, and best practices that help elevate the quality, consistency, and impact of our work.

Who You Are

• You bring 6+ years of experience in paid media, digital advertising, or growth marketing, with experience leading teams, mentoring strategists, or acting as a senior point of guidance. Experience within the music or entertainment industry is strongly preferred.
• You understand how paid media supports artists across the full funnel, from discovery and momentum to sustained fandom and conversion, and how success is measured differently across releases, tours, and long-term artist development.
• You have a deep understanding of the paid media ecosystem across platforms such as Meta, TikTok, Google/YouTube, Snapchat, and emerging channels, and stay current on platform changes, new ad formats, and evolving best practices.
• You are comfortable navigating attribution challenges and measurement limitations, and think beyond surface-level metrics. You understand how paid media contributes to broader outcomes, including organic growth, earned media, and long-term brand and artist equity.
• You thrive in fast-paced, release-driven environments and are comfortable making decisions under pressure, particularly during high-stakes moments like major releases, viral moments, or shifting timelines.
• You can translate complex strategy into clear, actionable guidance for a wide range of stakeholders, including artists, managers, label teams, and cross-functional partners.
• You're curious about what's next in music marketing: from creator and UGC strategies to new formats, emerging platforms, and evolving creative and data capabilities, and you enjoy testing, learning, and sharing insights with others.

What We Give You

• You join an inclusive, collaborative and global community where you have the opportunity to channel your passion every day
• A modern office environment designed to foster productivity, creativity, and teamwork empowering you to bring your best
• Opportunities to connect with our valuable resources, such as our Counsel of Equity & Progressive Action (CEPA), a group created by our employees tasked with developing and implementing innovative solutions to advance a globally-shared goal of ensuring fair and inclusive spaces for all
• An attractive and comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, life & disability coverage, and 401K + employer matching
• Voluntary benefits like company-paid identity theft protection and resources for pets, mental health and meditation resources, industry-leading fertility coverage, fully paid leave for childbirth or bonding, fully paid leave for caregivers, programs for loved ones with developmental disabilities and neurodiversity, subsidized back-up child and elder care, and reimbursement for adoption, surrogacy, tuition, and student loans
• Investment in your professional growth and development enabling you to thrive in our vibrant community.
• The space to accelerate progress, positively disrupt, and create what happens next
• Time off for a winter recess

The Orchard is committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all persons regardless of age, disability, national origin, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, veteran or military status, marital and civil partnership/union status, alienage or citizenship status, creed, genetic information or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

The anticipated annual base salary does not include any other compensation components or other benefits that an individual may be eligible for. The actual base salary offered depends on a variety of factors, which may include as applicable, the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, specific and unique skills, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and the location in which the applicant lives and/or from which they will be performing the job.

New York Pay Range

$110,000 - $115,000 USD