Director, YouTube Strategy

Job description

WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR We're looking for a sharp, data-literate strategist to own and grow our YouTube presence. You understand the platform deeply, think in audience funnels and revenue, and know how great content and great strategy reinforce each other. This is a senior, cross-functional role sitting at the intersection of creative, revenue, content development, and growth. Reporting to the Chief Global Entertainment Officer, you'll work closely with Grammy Studios (Production & Event Development, Artist Relations, Partnerships & Business Development, Digital Media Production) and partner across social, marketing, and strategy teams to make YouTube a strategic priority — not just a distribution channel. You'll set direction, build frameworks, coach the team, and be the internal champion for what makes YouTube different from every other platform we operate on. WHAT YOU'LL DO Own end-to-end YouTube strategy — channel architecture, content cadence, format development, and audience growth targets, across all company-owned channels. Translate deep knowledge of YouTube's algorithm, search, and browse functionality into actionable editorial direction. Partner with production and creative teams to shape video concepts, thumbnails, titles, and packaging so every upload is optimized before it goes live. Build a performance reporting system tracking views, watch time, CTR, subscriber growth, and revenue, and deliver regular insights to leadership. Lead development of a channel growth playbook, including A/B testing frameworks for thumbnails, formats, and upload schedules. Collaborate with content developers, editors, and producers to foster a culture of experimentation and continuous learning. Identify and pursue revenue and growth opportunities — Shorts, sponsorships, YouTube Select, AdSense optimization, in partnership with monetization and partnerships teams. Track platform updates, creator trends, and competitor movements, keeping the content team informed and ready to respond. SKILLS & EXPERIENCE MUST HAVE Bachelor's degree in related fields. 5+ years of experience in YouTube growth strategy, in-house at a media/content company or at a creator-facing agency. Proven track record growing a channel to meaningful scale (500K+ subscribers or significant watch-time growth on a competitive channel). Fluency in YouTube Studio analytics, third-party tools (TubeBuddy, VidIQ, Social Blade), and a practical grasp of the recommendation engine. Strong editorial instincts — you understand what makes a video compelling, not just what the data says. Ability to set strategy, influence stakeholders, and make decisions with incomplete information at a senior level. Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate complex platform dynamics into clear guidance for writers, producers, and on-screen talent. NICE TO HAVE A background in journalism, broadcast, or entertainment. Experience managing a YouTube channel across multiple verticals or audience demographics simultaneously. Hands-on experience with YouTube Shorts and a perspective on how short-form complements or competes with long-form strategy. Familiarity with YouTube Partner Program policies, Content ID, and ad-friendliness best practices. PHYSICAL DEMANDS FOR CERTAN ROLES The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, and sit for long periods of time, and work at a computer for long periods of time. SALARY AND BENEFITS The starting salary for this position is $110,000 to $120,000 per year, benchmarked against industry standards. Salaries for positions required to be in specific geographic locations reflect the corresponding labor market. The actual offer extended will depend on the candidate's experience, qualifications, and the role's requirements. Positions working 20+ hours per week also receive our comprehensive benefits package (with medical, dental, and vision coverage, a 401k match, generous paid time off, and more). Click here for an overview of our company benefits. Explore our career opportunities to join a team that values creativity, innovation, and diversity. ABOUT THE RECORDING ACADEMY AND ITS AFFILIATES RECORDING ACADEMY The Recording Academy represents the voices of performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, and all music professionals. Dedicated to ensuring the recording arts remain a thriving part of our shared cultural heritage, the Academy honors music's history while investing in its future through the Grammy Museum, advocates on behalf of music creators, supports music people in times of need through MusiCares, and celebrates artistic excellence through the Grammy Awards—music's only peer-recognized accolade and highest achievement. As the world's leading society of music professionals, we work year-round to foster a more inspiring world for creators. LATIN RECORDING ACADEMY The Latin Recording Academy is an international, membership-based organization comprised of Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking recording artists, musicians, songwriters, producers and other creative and technical recording professionals. The organization is dedicated to improving the quality of life and cultural condition for Latin music and its makers. In addition to producing the Latin Grammy Awards to honor excellence in the recorded arts and sciences, The Latin Recording Academy provides educational and outreach programs for the Latin music community either directly or through its Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation. LATIN GRAMMY CULTURAL FOUNDATION The Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation is a charitable organization established by the Latin Recording Academy in 2014. The organization is dedicated to creating opportunities for the next generation of Latin music creators through scholarships, educational programs, grants, and access to creators and industry executives. MUSICARES A friend and ally of the music community, MusiCares was established by the Recording Academy to safeguard the health and well-being of all music people. A four-star charity and safety net in times of need, MusiCares offers confidential preventative, recovery, and emergency programs to address financial, medical, and personal health issues. Through the generosity of our donors and volunteer professionals, our dedicated team works across the country to ensure the music community has the resources and support it needs. GRAMMY MUSEUM The Grammy Museum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating and exploring music from yesterday and today to inspire the music of tomorrow through music preservation, education, exhibitions, and public programming and aims to create a world in which shared love of music sparks curiosity, creativity, and community. Programs include Grammy in the Schools education programs that are offered year-round for students, teachers, and schools throughout the United States. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY The Recording Academy, its affiliates, and the music industry have a strong culture of inclusion and respect for everyone. The Recording Academy makes intentional, courageous, and principled decisions for stronger business outcomes and ensures that all creators and professionals live and work in a fair and safe environment. It is the Recording Academy's policy to provide equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees. The Recording Academy does not discriminate on the basis of race (nor traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to hair texture and protective hairstyles), color, religion (including religious dress and grooming), creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions), national origin, ancestry, age, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, family care status, military or veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by law. The Recording Academy will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities unless doing so would result in an undue hardship to the Recording Academy. This policy governs all aspects of employment, including selection, job assignment, compensation, promotion, discipline, termination, access to benefits and training, recruitment, hiring, transfer, and social and recreational programs.