Director, Planner

3M HEALTHCARE; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 94,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Golin is seeking a Director, Strategic Planning to lead strategic initiatives at the intersection of technology and human expression. You will own account strategy for a brand and craft briefs that translate creator culture insights into authentic brand work.

The role requires 7–10 years in strategic planning, fluency in creator culture, and the ability to lead client discussions while shaping ambitious narratives. Expect collaboration across creative, social, media, analytics, and account teams.

Qualifications

• 7–10 years of strategic planning experience, ideally with exposure to creative tools, tech, or creator-focused brands.
• A genuine fluency in creator culture: you know the platforms, the communities, the mindsets, and the moment we're in.
• The ability to speak to creators, not at them: you understand their motivations, their frustrations, and what makes them feel seen.
• Research chops across social listening, creator community analysis, competitive audits, and cultural trends mining.
• The rare skill of turning complexity into clarity: sharp briefs, compelling narratives, presentations that don't need explaining.
• An inclusive lens: creativity looks different across disciplines, backgrounds, and platforms, and your strategy reflects that.
• Confidence in the room: you can lead a client session, hold the strategic thread, and make people feel like the work is going somewhere.

Responsibilities

• Own account strategy for a brand that sits at the intersection of technology and human expression.
• Write creative briefs that spark something - not just briefs that check boxes.
• Translate creator culture insights into brand strategy that feels authentic, not appropriated.
• Build thought leadership and IP that establishes Golin's voice in the creator economy conversation.
• Get real visibility with senior leadership on both the agency and client side.
• Develop a point of view on what it means for brands to champion creativity in an AI-driven world.

Skills

Strategic planning

Creator culture fluency

Brief writing

Client leadership

Job description

Golin is a global, award-winning public relations agency that helps companies create change that matters. Together, we discover powerful human truths that bind us, create with bravery, and collaborate inclusively and obsessively. Golin's 1700 global employees operate across 50+ offices worldwide, allowing us to provide our clients with comprehensive solutions for multi-market, regional and global communications programs.

Every agency is talking about AI. At Golin, we are using AI to rewrite the rules of PR. We’re even promising to become the first fully AI-integrated agency. We are committed to upskilling our workforce, democratizing access to tools, and integrating AI into our daily work to maximize the value we deliver to our clients.

Our expertise ranges from brand-building and cutting-edge digital content to corporate reputation, healthcare advocacy and measurement. Golin aligns earned-first, data-driven creative with the customer journey through our collaborative G4 Model to deliver maximum impact for clients. Our roster includes many of the largest CPG, retail, food, healthcare technology and consumer service companies in the world.

Director, Strategic Planning

Golin is looking for a strategist who gets creators and gets culture.

You understand that creators don't just make content. They build worlds, establish identities, and push the boundaries of what tools can do. You know the difference between someone who uses creative software and someone who lives inside it. And you know how to turn that understanding into strategy that actually resonates.

This role sits at the center of one of the most dynamic spaces in culture right now: the creator economy. You'll help shape how a brand that powers human creativity shows up in a world where everyone has something to make and AI trying to help make it with them.

You'll report to a Head of Planning and work across creative, social, media, analytics, and account teams. You're not just writing briefs. You're building the strategic foundation for work that celebrates what it means to create.

What You Bring

• 7–10 years of strategic planning experience, ideally with exposure to creative tools, tech, or creator-focused brands
• A genuine fluency in creator culture: you know the platforms, the communities, the mindsets, and the moment we're in
• The ability to speak to creators, not at them: you understand their motivations, their frustrations, and what makes them feel seen
• Research chops across social listening, creator community analysis, competitive audits, and cultural trends mining
• The rare skill of turning complexity into clarity: sharp briefs, compelling narratives, presentations that don't need explaining
• An inclusive lens: creativity looks different across disciplines, backgrounds, and platforms, and your strategy reflects that
• Confidence in the room: you can lead a client session, hold the strategic thread, and make people feel like the work is going somewhere
• Comfort with ambiguity and speed: multiple workstreams, evolving briefs, high creative stakes

What You'll Do

• Own account strategy for a brand that sits at the intersection of technology and human expression
• Write creative briefs that spark something - not just briefs that check boxes
• Translate creator culture insights into brand strategy that feels authentic, not appropriated
• Build thought leadership and IP that establishes Golin's voice in the creator economy conversation
• Get real visibility with senior leadership on both the agency and client side
• Develop a point of view on what it means for brands to champion creativity in an AI-driven world

If you believe creativity is one of the most powerful forces in culture — and you know how to build strategy around that belief — we want to meet you.

Salary Range: $94,000 USD - $165,000 USD

Golin has included the base salary range or hourly rate for this role. Actual compensation offered within the range will depend upon, among other factors: a candidate’s skills, qualifications, and experience; actual ranges for current or former employees in the role; and market considerations.

Golin is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. Golin recruits qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, ethnic or national origin, protected veteran status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status or citizenship status