Associate Director of Paid Media & Growth Strategy, The Orchard
$110-115k
4+ days a week in office
Music distribution and licensing
Be an early applicant
Music distribution and licensing
501-1000 employees
Be an early applicant
$110-115k
4+ days a week in office
501-1000 employees
Company mission
To be a technology-driven leader in music distribution and artist & label services.
Role
Who you are
- You bring 6+ years of experience in paid media, digital advertising, or growth marketing, with experience leading teams, mentoring strategists, or acting as a senior point of guidance. Experience within the music or entertainment industry is strongly preferred
- You understand how paid media supports artists across the full funnel, from discovery and momentum to sustained fandom and conversion, and how success is measured differently across releases, tours, and long-term artist development
- You have a deep understanding of the paid media ecosystem across platforms such as Meta, TikTok, Google/YouTube, Snapchat, and emerging channels, and stay current on platform changes, new ad formats, and evolving best practices
- You are comfortable navigating attribution challenges and measurement limitations, and think beyond surface-level metrics. You understand how paid media contributes to broader outcomes, including organic growth, earned media, and long-term brand and artist equity
- You thrive in fast-paced, release-driven environments and are comfortable making decisions under pressure, particularly during high-stakes moments like major releases, viral moments, or shifting timelines
- You can translate complex strategy into clear, actionable guidance for a wide range of stakeholders, including artists, managers, label teams, and cross-functional partners
- You’re curious about what’s next in music marketing: from creator and UGC strategies to new formats, emerging platforms, and evolving creative and data capabilities, and you enjoy testing, learning, and sharing insights with others
What the job involves
- The Orchard is seeking an Associate Director, Paid Media & Growth Strategy (US) to join our Global Paid Media & Growth Strategy team
- This role will lead the Strategy vertical within the US team, playing a critical role in shaping and evolving the strategic vision, execution, and ongoing development of our Premium Services
- The Associate Director will work closely with other Paid Media & Growth Strategists and Media Buyers, as well as labels, relationship managers, marketing strategists, among others, to create bespoke paid media plans that amplify our top releases and support artist and label goals, while also driving key business outcomes
- This position reports directly to the Senior Director, Global Paid Media & Growth Strategy
- Lead the Strategy vertical within the US Paid Media & Growth Strategy team, fostering a culture that stays creative, culturally relevant, and focused on outcomes beyond the click, including audience growth and long-term artist development
- Lead end-to-end strategy for multiple releases, including high-priority, high-visibility releases, shaping bespoke, multi-channel plans that combine digital advertising with non-traditional formats such as creator and UGC programs, OOH, experiential moments, and data capture initiatives
- Partner closely with the Senior Director, Global Paid Media & Growth Strategy, to evolve how Premium Services operate, helping balance scalability with high-touch, custom strategies for top-tier artists
- Oversee the day-to-day flow of work within the Strategy vertical, including prioritization, resource planning, and coordination during peak release periods
- Work alongside media buying and strategists within the Paid Media & Growth Strategy team to identify opportunities for testing and experimentation, explore new platform capabilities and formats, and turn learnings into practical guidance that keeps the team innovative and competitive
- Serve as a trusted point of escalation and strategic partner for internal teams, relationship managers, and label partners, helping navigate complex decisions and guide high-stakes campaigns
- Support the growth of strategists through mentorship and hands-on guidance, encouraging stronger strategic thinking and more proactive approaches to driving artist and business outcomes
- Collaborate closely with Audience Development, Marketing Strategy, D2C, Commerce, Relationship Management, and other cross-functional teams to ensure Paid Media & Growth Strategy is integrated, aligned, and amplifying broader marketing efforts, and drive more efficient business outcomes
- Contribute to ad hoc strategic needs across the team, including reporting, pitches, brainstorms, presentations, and the development of case studies, benchmarks, and best practices that help elevate the quality, consistency, and impact of our work
Our take
The Orchard has spent 25 years offering independent artists a comprehensive set of music services, including marketing, sales, YouTube monetisation, and distribution and licensing across over 40 worldwide markets. The company has spent nearly a decade of that time operating as a subsidiary of Sony Music.
The addition of YouTube monetisation services a decade ago was a smart move for The Orchard - even if it’s landed the company in some hot copyfraud water for what some criticise as an overzealous approach to copyright infringement claims. It’s meant that artists with The Orchard have more tools in their arsenal to combat the rise of streaming services, which have put independent artists in a difficult position regarding monetisation.
If the company wants to continue providing the best service for independent artists, however, it may need to be more proactive in accommodating new and highly influential trends in music marketing. TikTok, for example, has become a major tool for generating exposure, and many artists are experimenting independently with NFTs. The industry is moving at light speed, and The Orchard may need to pick up its pace to continue attracting independent talent.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
7% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Company benefits
- You join an inclusive, collaborative and global community where you have the opportunity to fuel the creative journey
- A modern office environment designed to foster productivity, creativity, and teamwork
- An excellent range of benefits, like private medical cover, a generous pension scheme, life assurance and income protection, plus loads of music biz perks
- We invest in your professional growth & development
Company HQ
NoHo, New York, NY
Leadership
Richard Gottehrer
(Chief Creative Officer & Founder)An original founder of the company back in 1997.
Salary benchmarks
We don't have enough data yet to provide salary benchmarks for this role.
Submit your salary to help other candidates with crowdsourced salary estimates.
Share this job
View 6 more jobs at The Orchard