Creative Lead (Performance & Strategy)

Job description

[https://app.ashbyhq.com/api/images/user-content/5fce1e15-71f1-4704-a4f3-daac73a8c5e4/b1009f56-964f-424d-991f-3f4ecb43e940/Copy%20of%20Careers%20Page%20Visuals%20(4).png] WHO WE ARE Creative Milkshake is a remote-first performance creative agency. We make scroll-stopping short-form ads for some of the world’s most exciting DTC brands on Meta and TikTok - high-volume, fast-moving, and built to convert. We’re a close-knit team of ~34 people spread across the Netherlands, the Philippines, South Africa, Spain, and beyond. We’ve recently joined the FieldTrip group alongside inBeat, which means we’re growing - in ambition, in capability, and in the complexity of clients we work with. Our Amsterdam studio is the creative heart of our production operation. Over the next 1–2 years, we’re expanding from UGC-first content toward elevated branded formats, this role will form part of that journey. THE ROLE We are searching for a performance-focused maven with deep social roots who understands the intricacies of production and ad creation. This individual will master creative strategy, social analytics, and creative direction of both actual production (shoots) and post (editing) to lead the agency's approval process. While our Strategy Team Lead manages daily strategist operations, we require a specialized role with direction that goes beyond standard management. The ideal candidate serves as the ultimate bridge within the studio. You possess the social expertise to craft compelling briefs, the technical production knowledge to ensure they are executable, and the refined aesthetic judgment to distinguish exceptional ads from merely good ones. More importantly, you can provide the actionable feedback necessary to elevate the team's work. Operating at the nexus of platform intelligence, production, and strategy, you will act as our creative conscience. Your mission is to establish high standards, develop the systems that maintain them, and guarantee that every piece of content produced by Creative Milkshake is a source of collective pride. WHAT YOU’LL DO OWN CREATIVE QUALITY, END TO END - Set and hold the creative standard for all output - from storyboard to final ad - Review and give specific, actionable feedback on Creative Strategy Presentations (CSPs), storyboards, RAW footage, and final ads before they reach clients - Build and maintain the checklists, brand guides, and review frameworks that keep quality consistent as the team grows - Develop an ad example library and “what makes a great UGC ad” resource - codifying instinct into something the whole team can learn from BE THE BRIDGE BETWEEN STRATEGY AND PRODUCTION - Translate creative briefs into production-executable direction, and translate what’s possible on set back into strategy - Run pre-production alignment sessions between Creative Strategists and Producers so we go into every shoot prepared, not reactive - Identify where handoffs break down and build the processes to fix them - Be the person each department comes to when they’re not sure what the other team needs DRIVE PLATFORM & TREND INTELLIGENCE - Maintain a genuine, current pulse on social platforms (e.g. TikTok and Meta) - what formats are performing, what hooks are landing, what’s oversaturated - Feed trend intelligence to the Creative Strategy team in a way that’s actionable, not just inspirational - Bring a production lens to trends: not just “what’s working” but “how do we make that in our studio? - Use AI tools as a natural part of ideation, scripting, and research workflows SUPPORT KEY CLIENT CREATIVE RELATIONSHIPS - Take the lead on creative input for a subset of VIP or complex client accounts - Join brainstorming and kick-off sessions where the creative direction needs a senior voice - Help the accounts team set accurate creative expectations with clients upfront - reducing revision cycles before they’ve started REPRESENT CREATIVE MILKSHAKE EXTERNALLY - Own approval of CM’s own social content and website portfolio - holding ourselves to the same standard we set for our clients - Shape what we show the world: the work we feature, the voice we use, the story we tell about what we make WHO YOU ARE We’re not filtering on job titles - the right person might be a Senior Creative Strategist, a Head of Creative Strategy, a Content Director, a Creative Lead or something else entirely. What matters is your experience and how you think. - You have 4–8 years in performance creative, creative strategy, or content production - at a social-first agency, DTC brand, or UGC studio - You’ve worked across both creative strategy and production - not just adjacent to them. You know what a storyboard needs to say for a shoot to go well, and what a shoot can actually deliver without blowing the brief - You have a deep, current relationship with TikTok and Meta. You use the platforms yourself. You have opinions about what’s working and why, and you can speak in specifics - formats, hooks, edit pacing, performance signals - You can tell a good ad from a great one on instinct, and explain the difference in a way that helps someone make better work - You’re as comfortable building a process as you are reviewing a script. Checklists, SOPs, guides - you see these as creative tools, not admin - You have high EQ and collaborative instincts. You earn trust through expertise and presence, not org-chart position - You’re comfortable with ambiguity and fast pace. We’re building systems while operating at volume - you don’t need everything to be perfect before you contribute - You’re fluent in English and confident presenting creative rationale to clients YOU’LL THRIVE HERE IF… - You love the craft of short-form social content and get genuinely excited about what makes a piece of content stop a scroll - You want to shape a studio’s creative culture from the inside, not just deliver a brief and move on - You want a role where your instinct and expertise directly raise the quality of work going out the door every week - You’re energised by a team that’s close-knit, fast-moving, and genuinely cares about the work - The idea of helping a studio grow from UGC-first into elevated branded content over the next couple of years sounds like the right moment to join THIS ROLE ISN’T FOR YOU IF… - Your version of “creative leadership” is primarily about building and managing a large team - our Strategy Team Lead already owns that function - Your creative background is rooted in brand identity and visual design rather than performance and social-first content - You’ve only ever sat on one side of the strategy/production divide and have never had to work across both - You need a fully built machine to operate in - we’re still building parts of ours, and that’s part of what makes this role interesting WHAT WE OFFER - Creative Milkshake Stipends (mental health, healthcare & internet) - Time Off: 21 days PTO + 7 Paid Sick Days; company closure: 2 weeks at year-end (estimated: December 22 – January 5) - Maternity/Paternity Leave - Yearly Salary Review - Long Service Incentives (starting from 2 years) [https://app.ashbyhq.com/api/images/user-content/5fce1e15-71f1-4704-a4f3-daac73a8c5e4/addc1cc0-34d2-4e1a-9a7a-0fe242f03c04/Copy%20of%20Careers%20Page%20Visuals%20(5).png]