Senior Manager, Channel Lead - YouTube

Adobe; San Francisco; On-site; VES 97,392,000 - 196,583,000; Full time

Job summary

Adobe is seeking a dedicated YouTube strategist to own channel strategy, content programming, and audience growth across long-form, Shorts, and live formats. You will translate platform mechanics into creative briefs and guide the team from concept to launch, building discoverable, AI-friendly content and optimized playlists.

You’ll partner with the creative team to shape briefs, rollout plans, and engagement strategies, analyzing performance to drive subscribers and watch time, while staying

Qualifications

• 5+ years in YouTube, video, or content strategy.
• Strong understanding of algorithm and discovery mechanics.
• Proficient in analytics and retention curves.
• Experience briefing creative teams.
• Ability to translate insights into creative direction.

Responsibilities

• Own YouTube channel strategy and programming model.
• Develop rollout plans for new series and originals.
• Brief creatives on YouTube-specific format and thumbnails.
• Analyze performance and provide actionable recommendations.
• Collaborate with social planner and creative team on execution.
• Stay ahead of format, algorithm, and monetization shifts.

Skills

YouTube strategy

Analytics

YouTube Studio

Creative briefing

Audience growth

Job description

Role overview

As our footprint on YouTube grows from supporting cutdowns into YouTube-first content, episodic shows, originals, and discovery-optimized content, we need a strategist fully dedicated to the platform. This person owns how we show up on YouTube end to end: channel strategy, content programming, creative direction, rollout, and audience growth. They are the in-house authority on what works on YouTube and they translate that into briefs, plans, and decisions the rest of the social team can complete.

What you’ll own

YouTube channel strategy. Define the channel’s positioning, content pillars, and programming model across long-form, Shorts, and live. Build the strategy for YouTube-first content, recurring installments, presentations, and original works. Creative strategy input. Partner alongside creative strategists to compose briefs so that concepts are built for YouTube from the beginning, not adapted after the fact. Translate platform mechanics (packaging, hooks, retention, pacing) into creative direction. Creative briefing. Brief creatives on YouTube-specific creative: thumbnails, titles, intros, episode structure, series formatting, and the differences between extended videos, short clips, and live broadcasts. Rollout and launch planning. Develop rollout strategies for new series, shows, and originals: programming cadence, sequencing, cross-platform support, and launch moments. Audience growth and engagement. Develop engagement and community strategies that grow subscribers, returning viewers, and watch time. Define how we use comments, community posts, premieres, and live. Discovery and optimization. Own YouTube search and suggested strategy. Manage packaging optimization, playlist organization, and channel layout. Structure content to be discoverable and citable through AI and answer engines (LLM-optimized content).

What you’ll do day to day

• Develop and maintain the YouTube content and programming calendar.
• Write YouTube strategy docs and feed requirements into creative strategist briefs.
• Brief and review creative for platform fit before it ships.
• Develop rollout plans for launches and recurring programming.
• Analyze channel and video performance and turn findings into recommendations.
• Partner with the social planner on scheduling and the creative team on execution.
• Stay ahead of YouTube format, algorithm, and monetization shifts and advise the team accordingly.

What you bring

5+ years in YouTube, video, or content strategy, with a track record of growing channels or launching series and outstanding creative work. Deep YouTube proficiency: algorithm and discovery mechanics, packaging (titles and thumbnails), retention and average view duration, Shorts vs long-form vs live, playlists, and channel architecture. Strong analytics skills. Comfortable in YouTube Studio and reading retention curves and traffic source data to drive decisions. Experience briefing creative teams and partnering with creative strategists. You can translate platform insight into clear creative direction. Understanding of episodic and original content programming, including cadence, season structure, and host or talent collaboration. Working knowledge of search and discovery optimization, including structuring content for AI and answer-engine visibility.

About Adobe

Adobe empowers everyone to create through innovative platforms and tools that unleash creativity, productivity and personalized customer experiences. Adobe’s industry-leading offerings including Adobe Acrobat Studio, Adobe Express, Adobe Firefly, Creative Cloud, Adobe Experience Platform, Adobe Experience Manager, and GenStudio enable people and businesses to turn ideas into impact, powered by AI and driven by human ingenuity.

Our 30,000+ employees worldwide are creating the future and raising the bar as we drive the next decade of growth. We’re on a mission to hire the very best and believe in creating a company culture where all employees are empowered to make an impact. At Adobe, we believe that great ideas can come from anywhere in the organization. The next big idea could be yours.

Let’s Adobe together

At Adobe, we believe in creating a company culture where all employees are empowered to make an impact. Learn more about Adobe life, including our values and culture, focus on people, purpose and community, Adobe for All, comprehensive benefits programs, the stories we tell, the customers we serve, and how you can help us advance our mission of empowering everyone to create.

Adobe is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on gender, race or color, ethnicity or national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. Learn more.

Adobe aims to make our Careers website and recruiting process accessible to any and all users. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation to navigate our website or complete the application process, email [e-mail].

AI Use Guidelines for Interviews

Our interviews are designed to reflect your own skills and thinking. The use of AI or recording tools during live interviews is not permitted unless explicitly invited by the interviewer or approved in advance as part of a reasonable accommodation. If these tools are used inappropriately or in a way that misrepresents your work, your application may not move forward in the process.

At Adobe, we empower employees to innovate with AI — and we look for candidates eager to do the same. As part of the hiring experience, we provide clear guidance on where AI is encouraged during the process and where it’s restricted during live interviews. See how we think about AI in the hiring experience.

Expected Pay Range

Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several U.S. geographic markets, and we pay differently based on those defined markets. The U.S. pay range for this positionis $108,300 - $218,600 annually. Paywithin this range varies by work locationand may also depend on job-related knowledge, skills,and experience. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for the job location during the hiring process. In California, the pay range for this position is $150,900 - $218,600

At Adobe, for sales roles starting salaries are expressed as total target compensation (TTC = base + commission), and short-term incentives are in the form of sales commission plans. Non-sales roles starting salaries are expressed as base salary and short-term incentives are in the form of the Annual Incentive Plan (AIP).

In addition, certain roles may be eligible for long-term incentives in the form of a new hire equity award.

State-Specific Notices

California

Fair Chance Ordinances

Adobe will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records for employment in accordance with state and local laws and “fair chance” ordinances.

Colorado

Application Window Notice

If this role is open to hiring in Colorado (as listed on the job posting), the application window will remain open until at least the date and time stated above in Pacific Time, in compliance with Colorado pay transparency regulations. If this role does not have Colorado listed as a hiring location, no specific application window applies, and the posting may close at any time based on hiring needs.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts Legal Notice

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.