Senior Creative Strategist (Paid Social)

Swan Studio; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Performance bonus

Professional development budget

AI-driven production methods

Career growth to Creative Lead

Job summary

Swan Studio, Australia\u2019s leading direct Paid Social creative agency, is expanding in Melbourne. As Senior Creative Strategist, you\'ll own strategy and output across a portfolio of key accounts, combining autonomy with data-driven direction and performance oversight.

You\'ll work with media buyers, producers, editors, and clients to synthesize data into actionable creative direction, while mentoring junior teammates and pushing AI-driven production methods to stay ahead in a fast-moving

Qualifications

• Minimum 3–5 years of experience in direct response creative.
• Strong understanding of performance-driven content and platform best practices.
• Proven ability to conceive and launch direct response ads that drive purchases, sign-ups, or subscriptions.
• Strong command of short-form video, static design, and iterative testing.
• Experience briefing editors and motion designers for post-production outcomes.
• Experience managing client relationships, timelines, and budgets.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategy and creative direction end-to-end for key client accounts, driving growth through paid social creative.
• Collaborate with media buyers and clients to review performance data and translate insights into creative direction.
• Drive rapid ideation and testing across formats with a bias for speed.
• Own client relationships and deliver exceptional service, managing timelines and deliverables.
• Brief editors, motion designers, and producers for optimal post-production outcomes.
• Mentor and develop junior team members in creative taste and execution standards.

Skills

Paid Social

Creative strategy

Direct response

Client relationships

Mentoring

Data-driven

Communication

Job description

Senior Creative Strategist (Paid Social)

Location: Sydney or Melbourne, Australia - candidates based in either city are welcome to apply

It's nice to meet you and welcome to our role! We ask that if you like what you see below and want to apply, you send an email to the hiring managers listed at the bottom of the JD. Please include a cover letter and a portfolio link if you have one. Thank you.

Company Overview

We’re Swan Studio — B&T’s Emerging Agency of the Year and Australia’s leading direct Paid Social creative agency.

We partner with brands like Hungry Jack’s, Juniper and Canva to produce conversion-focused creative that consistently outperforms industry benchmarks. Our work is data-driven, boldly executed, and built by people who are obsessed with performance creative as a craft.

We operate at the intersection of creative excellence and performance rigour, with a clear ambition to build the world’s best performance creative agency. If you’re keen to play a key role in shaping our newly established Melbourne office, let’s chat.

Role Summary

As a Senior Creative Strategist, you'll own strategy and creative output across a portfolio of key accounts — operating with autonomy, earning trust through results, and elevating the people around you.

This isn't just an execution role. You'll be a creative leader who thinks in systems, moves fast, and mentors others to do the same. You'll work closely with media buyers, producers, editors, and clients — synthesising data into direction, and direction into work that performs.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead strategy and creative direction end-to-end for key client accounts, driving measurable growth through best-in-class paid social creative
• Collaborate with media buyers and clients to review performance data and translate insights into actionable creative direction
• Drive rapid ideation and volume — concepting, scripting, and iterating across formats with a bias for speed and testing
• Own client relationships and deliver an exceptional service that exceeds expectations, managing timelines and quality of deliverables
• Brief editors, motion designers, and producers for optimal post-production outcomes
• Push innovation and pioneer AI-driven production methods within an ambitious, future-focused studio
• Mentor and develop junior team members — guiding them on creative taste, strategic frameworks, and execution standards

What Senior Looks like at Swan Studio

Beyond years of experience, we're looking for a specific kind of operator:

• Deep platform fluency across Paid Social — understanding how the algorithm rewards creative and how audiences behave on each platform
• Applies a strategic lens across the entire creative process — from ideation and scripting through to execution, iteration, and post-production briefing
• Delivers volume with quality — rapid ideation and testing at scale without sacrificing creative standard
• Elevates the strategic thinking of the team — teaches frameworks, gives sharp feedback, and sets a standard others can grow into
• Operates autonomously with high trust — identifies what needs to happen, makes it happen, and escalates when necessary
• Balances big-picture creativity with data — never uses performance as an excuse for mediocre creative, or creative ambition as an excuse to ignore the numbers
• Obsessed with both results and creative quality simultaneously

Requirements

• Minimum 3–5 years of experience in direct response creative, with a strong understanding of performance-driven content, audience psychology, and platform best practices
• Proven track record of conceiving and launching direct response ads that drive purchases, sign-ups, or subscriptions
• Strong command of short-form video, static design, and iterative creative testing
• Experience collaborating with producers to ensure seamless project execution and delivery
• Ability to brief editors and motion designers for optimal post-production outcomes
• Experience managing client relationships, timelines, and budget expectations
• Deep understanding of consumer psychology in digital environments
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with obsessive attention to detail

Benefits and Compensation

• Competitive salary aligned with experience and impact
• Performance bonus linked to the growth of client accounts under your stewardship
• Continuous professional development with dedicated budget for courses, conferences, and tooling
• Opportunity to pioneer AI-driven production methods within an ambitious, future-focused studio
• Structured path to Creative Lead for the right person — we build leaders from within

We celebrate diversity and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.