Associate Creative Director, Earned Marketing (Temporary)

The New York Times; New York (NY); On-site; USD 117,096 - 133,627; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision benefits

401(k) plan

Paid vacation and sick days

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

The New York Times is seeking an Associate Creative Director for Earned Marketing to lead the creative vision for marketing initiatives. This temporary role involves developing brand activations and partnerships focused on generating earned media. The ideal candidate should possess over 8 years of creative leadership experience, have a strong portfolio, and the ability to translate marketing strategies into compelling creative directives. Competitive hourly pay and comprehensive benefits are offered.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in creative leadership focused on earned media.
• A portfolio showcasing impactful campaigns.
• Experience in leveraging social and influencer ecosystems.

Responsibilities

• Lead creative vision for earned marketing initiatives.
• Direct the work of a Senior Designer.
• Develop brand-building activations and partnerships.

Skills

Creative leadership

Earned media expertise

Understanding of influencer ecosystems

Campaign development

Strategic communication

Job description

Associate Creative Director, Earned Marketing (Temporary)

New York, NY

The mission of The New York Times is to seek the truth and help people understand the world. That means independent journalism is at the heart of all we do as a company. It’s why we have a world‑renowned newsroom that sends journalists to report on the ground from nearly 160 countries. It’s why we focus deeply on how our readers will experience our journalism, from print to audio to a world‑class digital and app destination. And it’s why our business strategy centers on making journalism so good that it’s worth paying for.

We are seeking an Associate Creative Director, Earned Activations to lead the creative vision for our specific “earned” marketing initiatives. This is a critical leadership role for a creative strategist who can move beyond traditional advertising to produce culturally resonant work that drives organic press and social conversation.

Reporting to the Creative Director, Design, with a dotted line to the Executive Director, Brand Marketing, you will serve as a creative partner to our marketing, editorial, comms, commerce, photo, external agency partners, Games and The Athletic creative teams. You will be responsible for dreaming up and executing ideas that turn the value of our world‑class journalism and lifestyle products into shareable experiences. You will focus exclusively on creating a cohesive but distinct earned lens for our core products: News, The Athletic, Games, and Cooking.

Responsibilities

• Concept and lead the development of brand‑building activations, partnerships, and communications content designed specifically to generate earned media and social sharing.
• Direct the day‑to‑day work of a Senior Designer, Earned, providing clear conceptual vision to guide projects from strategy to launch.
• Oversee the translation of earned media concepts into high‑quality design solutions, ensuring that every deliverable—from seeding kits to social assets—upholds The New York Times’ rigorous brand standards.
• Translate marketing strategies into clear, provocative creative directives that excite internal teams and external partners.
• Develop creative ideas tailored to the unique audiences of our core products, ensuring a cohesive visual and conceptual narrative for News, The Athletic, Games, and Cooking.
• Create work that natively integrates celebrities, influencers, and culturally noteworthy subscribers to amplify our mission in ways that feel authentic and newsworthy.
• Guide the creation of "social‑first" activations designed to thrive on digital platforms and spark community engagement without relying solely on paid media or editorially motivated social media handles.
• In partnership with the Director, Creative Strategy and Earned Production and Director, Brand Earned Activations, guide external agency relationships to ensure top‑notch quality and brand/product standards are enforced.
• Work closely with the Executive Director of Brand Activations and Talent to ensure earned ideas align with broader business goals.
• Act as an ambassador for earned thinking across the organization, engaging the right stakeholders in productive conversations to build alignment.
• Execute high‑concept ideas, balancing quality with the demands of the news cycle.
• Demonstrate support and understanding of our value of journalistic independence and a strong commitment to our mission to seek the truth and help people understand the world.

Basic Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in creative leadership, with a heavy focus on earned media, PR‑led activations, or non‑traditional advertising.
• A portfolio that demonstrates "work the world talked about"—campaigns that broke through via PR, social trends, or cultural moments.
• Deep understanding of how to leverage Social, Celebrity, and Influencer ecosystems to drive brand discovery.
• Experience translating marketing strategies, product roadmaps, and the news cycle into clear creative directives.
• Service diverse categories across the NYT portfolio, from the rigor of News to the fandom of The Athletic and the community‑driven spaces of Games and Cooking.
• Build trusted relationships across the organization and navigate complex stakeholder dynamics.
• Operational agility to navigate the time‑sensitive requirements of earned media while maintaining high standards of craft.

Compensation & Benefits

The hourly rate of base pay for this role is: $85 - $97 USD. For roles in the U.S., you may be eligible for variable pay, such as an annual bonus and restricted stock. Benefits may include medical, dental and vision benefits, Flexible Spending Accounts (F.S.A.s), a company‑matching 401(k) plan, paid vacation, paid sick days, paid parental leave, tuition reimbursement and professional development programs. For roles outside of the U.S., information on benefits will be provided during the interview process.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The New York Times Company is committed to being the world’s best source of independent, reliable and quality journalism. To do so, we embrace a diverse workforce that has a broad range of backgrounds and experiences across our ranks, at all levels of the organization. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate on the basis of an individual's sex, age, race, color, creed, national origin, alienage, religion, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation or affectional preference, gender identity and expression, disability, genetic trait or predisposition, carrier status, citizenship, veteran or military status and other personal characteristics protected by law. All applications will receive consideration for employment without regard to legally protected characteristics. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)’s Know Your Rights Poster is available here.

The New York Times Company will provide reasonable accommodations as required by applicable federal, state, and/or local laws. Individuals seeking an accommodation for the application or interview process should email [e-mail].

The Company encourages those with criminal histories to apply, and will consider their applications in a manner consistent with applicable "Fair Chance" laws, including but not limited to the NYC Fair Chance Act, the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act.