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Creative Strategist Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Aquent

Creative Strategist

San Diego, CA · On-site

$75K - $105K/yr

Oct 5, 2026 Creative Strategist - Performance Marketing Remote - U.S. Compensation: $75K-$105K DOE The Opportunity Our agency client is hiring multiple Creative Strategists & Sr. Creative Strategists ...

eJam

Creative Strategist

Santa Ana, CA · On-site

About the Role Ejam is seeking a Senior Creative Strategist to lead performance-driven creative for one of our fastest-scaling brands. This role is ideal for a strategist who lives at the ...

eJam

Creative Strategist

Santa Ana, CA

About the Role Ejam is seeking a Senior Creative Strategist to lead performance-driven creative for one of our fastest-scaling brands. This role is ideal for a strategist who lives at the ...

O Positiv

Creative Strategist

Santa Monica, CA · On-site

$100K - $125K/yr

As a Creative Strategist, you'll shape O Positiv's performance marketing creative strategies across digital marketing channels. We seek an expert in paid digital advertising, energized to ideate and ...

eJam

Creative Strategist

Santa Ana, CA · On-site

About the Role Ejam is seeking a Senior Creative Strategist to lead performance-driven creative for one of our fastest-scaling brands. This role is ideal for a strategist who lives at the ...

HIGHSCALE

Creative Strategist

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$50K - $60K/yr

As Creative Strategist, you'll be the architect of ideas that stop thumbs, drive engagement, and convert viewers into loyal customers. You'll fuse data insights with cultural trends, shaping content ...

O Positiv

Creative Strategist

Santa Monica, CA · On-site

$100K - $125K/yr

As a Creative Strategist, you'll shape O Positiv's performance marketing creative strategies across digital marketing channels. We seek an expert in paid digital advertising, energized to ideate and ...

Maven Clinic

Creative Strategist

San Francisco, CA · On-site +1

The Creative Strategist serves as the connective tissue between data and production: the person who identifies what's converting, understands why, and translates those insights into briefs that move ...

Maven Clinic

Creative Strategist

San Francisco, CA · On-site +1

$145K - $170K/yr

The Creative Strategist serves as the connective tissue between data and production: the person who identifies what's converting, understands why, and translates those insights into briefs that move ...

Maven Clinic

Creative Strategist

San Francisco, CA · Remote

The Creative Strategist serves as the connective tissue between data and production: the person who identifies what's converting, understands why, and translates those insights into briefs that move ...

Inkitt

Creative Strategist

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$80K - $120K/yr

A/B testing: learn to think like a scientist, running creative experiments to inform and constantly optimize your creative strategy. * Experiment with AI video tools and image editing to ...

Inkitt

Creative Strategist

San Francisco, CA

$80K - $120K/yr

A/B testing: learn to think like a scientist, running creative experiments to inform and constantly optimize your creative strategy. * Experiment with AI video tools and image editing to ...

TubeScience

Associate Creative Strategist

Los Angeles, CA · On-site +1

$60K - $85K/yr

Associate Creative Strategist ???? Los Angeles, California, United States ???? DATA-DRIVEN CREATIVE, REPORTING FOR DUTY ???? Seeking a Sharp Creative-Analytical Hybrid to Craft Performance Ads that ...

TubeScience

Associate Creative Strategist

Los Angeles, CA · On-site +1

$60K - $85K/yr

Associate Creative Strategist Los Angeles, California, United States DATA-DRIVEN CREATIVE, REPORTING FOR DUTY Seeking a Sharp Creative-Analytical Hybrid to Craft Performance Ads that Drive Client ...

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All JobsCreative Strategist JobsCreative Strategist Jobs in California

Creative Strategist information

See California salary details

$58.7K

$91.7K

$154.5K

How much do creative strategist jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 29, 2026, the average yearly pay for creative strategist in California is $91,663.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $67,600.00 and $101,700.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a creative strategist?

A Creative Strategist is a professional who develops innovative ideas and strategies to help brands effectively communicate with their target audiences. They blend creativity with data-driven insights to craft compelling marketing campaigns and content across various media platforms. Creative Strategists often work closely with designers, copywriters, and marketing teams to ensure that creative solutions align with business goals and brand identity. Their role involves understanding market trends, consumer behavior, and the latest digital tools to deliver impactful and engaging campaigns.

What is a creative strategist?

Creative strategists develop media strategies, often in marketing departments or for advertising agencies. Job duties include updating ad campaigns based on trends in the industry. They also perform market research and lead focus groups to help narrow the focus of a campaign. They work closely with members of other departments and direct people below them in the marketing or copywriting departments.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a creative strategist?

To thrive as a Creative Strategist, you need a solid background in marketing, brand development, and creative concepting, often supported by a degree in advertising, communications, or a related field. Familiarity with digital marketing platforms, data analytics tools, and creative software such as Adobe Creative Suite is typically required. Exceptional communication, critical thinking, and collaboration skills help you effectively convey ideas and work cross-functionally. These abilities are crucial for developing impactful campaigns that align with client goals and drive business results.

How does a creative strategist typically collaborate with other departments during campaign development?

Creative Strategists regularly work alongside marketing, design, and analytics teams to ensure campaign concepts are both innovative and aligned with broader business goals. This collaboration often involves brainstorming sessions, feedback loops, and aligning messaging across platforms. By integrating insights from different departments, Creative Strategists help create cohesive campaigns that resonate with target audiences and drive measurable results. Open communication and adaptability are key to managing cross-functional expectations and timelines.

How much do entry level creative strategists make?

Entry-level creative strategists typically earn between $45,000 and $65,000 annually, depending on location, industry, and company size. Starting salaries may also include benefits such as health insurance and opportunities for skill development in areas like market research and campaign planning.
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What are the most commonly searched types of Creative Strategist jobs in California?

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For Creative Strategist jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

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Creative Strategist jobs near you
Infographic showing various Creative Strategist job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 91% Full Time, and 9% Part Time. Highlights an 82% In-person, and 18% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $91,663 per year, or $44.1 per hour.

Creative Strategist

Aquent

San Diego, CA • On-site

$75K - $105K/yr

Temporary

Posted 4 days ago

Job description

Placement Type:
Permanent
Salary:
$75,000-105,000 Salary
Start Date:
Oct 5, 2026
Creative Strategist - Performance Marketing
Remote - U.S.
Compensation: $75K-$105K DOE
The Opportunity
Our agency client is hiring multiple Creative Strategists & Sr. Creative Strategists with each role aligned to a specific client vertical. Current needs span areas including Fashion, Lifestyle, Consumer Services, CPG, and other consumer-focused categories. Each strategist will serve as a subject-matter expert for their assigned vertical, bringing a strong understanding of the audience, category dynamics, competitive landscape, and the types of creative that perform in that space. While there is some crossover across consumer and e-commerce categories, we are ultimately looking for one strong strategist per vertical who can combine category expertise with performance-driven creative thinking.
  • This role sits at the intersection of creative strategy, paid media, audience research and performance marketing. You'll look beyond whether an ad is visually compelling to understand why it is-or isn't-working, what the consumer is responding to, and what the creative team should develop next.
  • You'll use performance data, audience and persona research, competitive intelligence, market trends and client business objectives to develop new creative concepts and structured testing strategies designed to drive measurable growth.
  • This is not a media buying role, and it is not a traditional brand-only creative role.
  • The right person is a creative strategist first who is comfortable enough with data and paid-media platforms to make informed creative decisions.

What You'll Do
  • Lead creative strategy across a portfolio of client accounts within a dedicated industry vertical
  • Understand client business objectives and translate them into clear creative strategies
  • Analyze creative performance data to identify what is working, what is not and why
  • Navigate platforms such as Meta Ads Manager and other paid-media environments to evaluate creative-level performance
  • Translate performance insights into new campaign concepts, testing hypotheses and creative briefs
  • Conduct audience, persona and ideal-customer-profile research
  • Research competitors and analyze the creative they are running across platforms such as Meta, TikTok and Google
  • Identify messaging themes, visual hooks, emotional hooks, formats and emerging creative trends
  • Develop high-level campaign concepts that can extend across audiences, channels and platforms
  • Create structured creative testing roadmaps designed to isolate what is driving performance
  • Develop and evaluate A/B and multivariate creative tests
  • Use testing results to continually refine messaging, concepts, formats and visual direction
  • Write and develop hooks, scripts, messaging frameworks and direct-response concepts
  • Translate strategy into clear briefs that designers, editors and other creative partners can execute
  • Review creative work and provide specific, actionable feedback
  • Partner closely with paid media, analytics, account management, production and creative teams
  • Present creative strategies, performance insights and recommendations to clients
  • Manage multiple accounts and projects simultaneously in a fast-moving agency environment
  • Challenge assumptions and provide strategic recommendations when a client's initial request may not address the underlying business need
  • Use AI and internal technology to improve research, analysis, ideation and workflow efficiency

What We're Looking For
  • Professional experience in creative strategy within an agency environment
  • Strong understanding of performance creative and direct-response marketing
  • Demonstrated ability to connect performance data to creative decisions
  • Experience developing creative concepts based on audience, competitive and performance insights
  • Working proficiency with Meta Ads Manager and/or similar paid-media platforms
  • Ability to understand and interpret performance metrics such as CTR, CPA, ROAS, conversion performance and related creative KPIs
  • Experience developing structured creative testing strategies and roadmaps
  • Understanding of A/B and multivariate creative testing
  • Experience conducting audience, persona, ICP and competitive research
  • Strong creative concepting skills and the ability to develop original campaign ideas
  • Ability to translate strategic thinking into clear creative direction
  • Strong understanding of messaging, hooks, visual storytelling and consumer behavior
  • Experience working directly with designers, editors, production teams and other creative partners
  • Client-facing experience and confidence communicating strategic recommendations
  • Ability to manage multiple accounts, projects and priorities in a high-volume agency environment
  • Strong problem-solving skills and business acumen

Industry Experience
Creative Strategists are aligned to specific client verticals, including areas such as:
  • Fashion & Apparel
  • Lifestyle
  • Consumer Services
  • Consumer Packaged Goods
  • Other consumer-focused categories

Relevant category experience is highly valued. Strong strategists with transferable e-commerce and consumer-brand experience may be considered across related consumer verticals.
Specialized areas such as B2B and lead-generation marketing require more directly relevant experience because the audience, conversion journey and creative strategy differ significantly from consumer e-commerce.
What Strong Performance Looks Like
A strong Creative Strategist can look at a business problem and move through the entire thought process:
Business Objective → Consumer Insight → Data → Hypothesis → Creative Concept → Test → Result → Learning → Next Creative Direction
You should be able to answer not only:
"What performed?"
but also:
"Why did it perform, and what should we create next because of what we learned?"
Portfolio / Work Examples
A traditional creative portfolio is not required in every case, but candidates should be prepared to discuss specific examples of their work and strategic thinking.
Strong examples may demonstrate:
  • The business or marketing challenge
  • Audience or consumer insight
  • Research and competitive findings
  • The strategic hypothesis
  • Creative concept and execution
  • Testing approach
  • Performance results
  • What was learned
  • How those learnings influenced the next round of creative

We are particularly interested in understanding how you think, how you arrive at creative ideas and how you translate strategy into clear direction for the creative teams executing the work.
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