Senior Performance Creative Strategist

CompanyAdFirst is a growth advisory and execution business specialised in performance marketing and commercial strategy for DTC e-commerce brands. We operate across two divisions — Consulting and Execution — and we hold ourselves to a standard that most of the industry doesn't.PositionAs Senior Performance Creative Strategist, you will own the creative intelligence layer of our performance operation. You will sit at the intersection of data and storytelling — identifying what the numbers are telling us about creative performance, translating that into sharp, well-reasoned briefs, and building the frameworks that make our creative output consistently better over time.This is not a design role, and it is not a pure copywriting role. It is a strategic role for someone who understands why certain ads work, can articulate that clearly, and knows how to turn that understanding into a repeatable process. You will work closely with our media buyers and CRO specialist to ensure creative strategy is aligned with performance data across the full funnel.You will also play a key role in developing our junior creative strategists — setting the standard, reviewing their work, and raising the quality of thinking across the team.Key responsibilities:Develop data-driven creative strategies for client accounts informed by performance metrics including hook rate, hold rate, CTR, and CVRWrite detailed, well-reasoned creative briefs for video editors, motion designers, and static ad designersBuild and own creative testing roadmaps — structuring tests by angle, format, and hook to generate actionable learningsAnalyse creative performance data and distil findings into clear frameworks the wider team can applyIdentify winning and losing creative patterns across accounts and use these to inform future production cyclesStay ahead of platform creative trends across Meta, TikTok, and YouTube — understanding what is working in the market and whyCollaborate with media buyers to ensure creative strategy is aligned with targeting and funnel structureContribute to internal SOPs and creative strategy frameworks that raise the standard of output across the teamMentor junior creative strategists, reviewing briefs and pushing the quality of their thinkingWorking hours: Sunday–Thursday, 10AM–6PM (core with flexibility) Benefits: Competitive salary, performance bonus, remote with occasional in-office collaboration, direct influence over creative strategy across a growing DTC client portfolio, and significant room for progression as the business scalesSkills2–3 years in performance creative strategy, direct response copywriting, or a closely related fieldStrong understanding of creative performance metrics — hook rate, hold rate, thumb-stop ratio, CTR, CVR — and what they indicate about creative qualityProven ability to write clear, structured creative briefs that give production teams everything they need and nothing they don'tAnalytical thinking — able to look at creative performance data, identify patterns, and draw conclusions that go beyond the obviousDeep familiarity with direct response ad formats — UGC, VSLs, testimonials, native-style content — and an understanding of why each format works in different contextsStrong ownership mindset — takes full accountability for the creative performance of assigned accountsClear and confident communicator — able to present creative rationale and performance findings to internal teams and clientsUp to date with social platform trends and the evolving creative landscape across Meta and TikTokExperience building or contributing to creative testing frameworks and internal playbooksAbility to mentor junior team members and hold a high standard for the work produced around themFamiliarity with Meta Ads creative tools and analytics is essential; TikTok Ads Manager is a strong plusBasic video editing skills (CapCut, Premiere, or equivalent) are advantageous but not required