Programming Strategist Planner (National Geographic NYC)

Job Summary:

The National Geographic Programming Strategy team owns the planning and scheduling of our National Geographic content across platforms, including linear, nonlinear, DTC and YouTube platforms, and sits within the Disney Entertainment Television group. The team programs hundreds of hours of premiere content per year, as well as library content in both long and short form formats. From linear and nonlinear television to Disney+, YouTube and beyond, our team crafts the release strategies that connect our content with the largest possible audience across all platforms. The team is the ultimate curators, platform strategists and slate planners for National Geographic content from the Walt Disney Company.

Job Summary

The Programming Strategist supports day-to-day YouTube operations across National Geographic’s portfolio (NG Brand, NG Animals, NG en Español, NG Kids), translating platform strategy into organized content plans and calendars. This role partners cross-functionally to optimize content for performance, search, and discovery, leveraging YouTube analytics, scheduling tools, and workflow systems (e.g., Airtable) to drive growth and execution.

Responsibilities and Duties of the Role

• Operational Execution

  • Act as a central hub for asset deployment, managing the end-to-end flow of content across all four YouTube channels to ensure strategic alignment.

  • Supply Operations with all information required for metadata flow required for upload: titles, descriptions, metadata, tags, chapters, thumbnails, and end screens.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration

  • Partner closely with internal stakeholders to align content release schedules with broader company initiatives, serving as the point of contact for compiling all Social, Title Marketing, and Synergy content going to YouTube from our channels, including shortform, vertical shorts, and trailers.

• Strategic Growth

  • Monitor channel and content performance in partnership with Programming and Research teams through internal analytics and the YouTube Studio Dashboard.

• Platform Management

  • Oversee channel homepages, playlists, and SEO metadata to ensure a cohesive and high-performing visual identity.

• Channel Maintenance

  • Daily maintenance and operations of YouTube channels, including updating links and inputting related meta-tags into the database.

• Programming Strategy

  • Execute content plans in a variety of functions to support the Networks and larger Programming Strategy team.

Basic Qualifications

• Experience: 3+ years in Programming Strategy/Scheduling; experience managing a major legacy brand's YouTube channel (certification a plus). Experience working across a multi-platform brand ecosystem (YouTube alongside streaming, social, print, or linear TV) and maintaining consistent strategy across them.

• Platform Expertise: Expert in digital content optimization, YouTube Studio/Analytics, and file specifications.

• Strategic & Creative: Ability to translate complex trends into actionable content strategies; skilled at collaborating with creative teams. Experience working with or within established brand guidelines for a globally recognized media company, including maintaining tone, visual style, and messaging consistency across content.

• Operational Excellence : Highly organized, meticulous attention to detail, and proficient in Airtable, MS Office, Teams, and Google Workspace.

• Soft Skills: Self-starter capable of prioritizing workflows in a fast-paced environment with excellent written and verbal communication.

• Brand Affinity : Strong interest in online trends and National Geographic’s programming.

• Technical Agility: Fast learner with the ability to master new systems independently; proficient in both Mac and PC environments.

• Candidates must reside within a reasonable distance of the 7 Hudson Square office in NYC. This role requires someone onsite 4 days a week.

Required Education

• Bachelor’s degree in media-related field or equivalent work experience.

The hiring range for this position in 7 Hudson NYC is $83,200 to $111,500 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.