Position Summary

The Director of Audience Strategy is Playboy’s chief architect of video, social, and digital distribution — the creative and operational leader responsible for how the brand shows up, grows, and connects with its audience across platforms. Reporting to the Chief Brand Officer & Editor-in-Chief, this role owns Playboy’s social strategy and production, multi-platform content distribution, podcast strategy, and the brand’s approach to organic creator partnerships.

This is a senior role for a battle-tested digital media operator with deep roots in social video and platform strategy at a major brand or media entity known for cultural relevance and virality, and has a proven track record of utilizing social video as the engine of audience growth. The ideal candidate has run a soup-to-nuts video operation, knows how to develop distinct strategies for each platform without losing brand coherence, and understands the Playboy audience, predominantly men 25-45.

The Director of Audience Strategy will lead the in-house social team and manage a contract video production operation, integrating fully into the editorial workflows for both Playboy.com and the print magazine.

What You’ll Do

The essential job duties below are specific to this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

Core Responsibilities

Video Strategy & Production

• Own Playboy’s social video strategy end-to-end: from concept development and pre production through platform-specific delivery and performance analysis.

• Lead the brand’s social video operation across TikTok, Reels, YouTube Shorts, and Facebook — building and managing a contract/freelance video team to support high-volume, high-quality output.

• Develop and execute a YouTube strategy that balances longer-form original programming with short-form social-first content, growing subscribers and watch time against defined benchmarks.

• At a high-level, be responsible for final decisions on video production, including pre production planning, talent coordination, on-set direction, post-production, and final delivery, in collaboration with the Art Director and editorial team.

• Work directly with talent on set, ensuring video content captures the performances, moments, and assets needed for multi-platform distribution.

• Manage and grow the freelance and contract video production network, building a reliable, scalable creative bench.

Social Strategy & Platform Management

• Define and lead Playboy’s platform strategy across its full social ecosystem — Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Reddit, Substack, and future platforms — with distinct, algorithm-informed approaches for each channel.

• Supervise the in-house social media team, setting strategic direction, content priorities, and performance expectations across all owned channels.

• Develop content strategies that maximize engagement and reach on each platform, understanding that the brand experience should be native and platform-appropriate even when the look and feel varies.

• Stay ahead of platform algorithm updates, emerging trends, new formats, and tools relevant to the Playboy audience — and move quickly to incorporate them.

• Identify and evaluate new platforms — including streaming and gaming — and build the case for expansion when audience opportunity warrants it.

Influencer & Creator Partnerships

• Pitch and develop organic brand partnership concepts with notable creators and cultural figures who are resonating in the ecosystem — building collaborations that feel like culture, not commerce.

• In partnership with Playboy’s Casting Lead, cultivate a running pipeline of creator relationships and platform-native talent that Playboy can activate quickly around editorial moments, tentpoles, and cultural opportunities.

Branded Content & Partnerships

• Develop branded content strategies and executions that feel native, organic, and culturally credible — protecting the editorial voice while delivering results for commercial partners.

• Partner with the commercial and marketing teams to develop and pitch branded content ideas, bringing audience insights and content expertise to partnership conversations.

• Ensure all branded content meets Playboy’s editorial standards and has the potential to drive earned media attention beyond the paid placement.

Podcast Strategy & Distribution

• In partnership with the EIC, own Playboy’s podcast production — inputting on concept development, but leading production oversight and optimization for social channels.

• Identify opportunities to repurpose podcast content as short-form video, clips, and social native formats to maximize reach.

Editorial Integration & Concept Development

• Integrate fully into Playboy’s editorial workflows — from print magazine to Playboy.com — ensuring video and social strategy reflects, amplifies, and extends editorial priorities.

• Pitch original video concepts, social franchises, and tentpole programming to the CBO/EIC, bringing a proactive creative voice to the editorial calendar.

• Collaborate with the Deputy Editor on content alignment, timing, and social amplification strategy for digital editorial.

• Partner with the Casting Director and Art Director on video and social execution for key talent, cover, and shoot programming.

Team Leadership & Budget Management

• Lead, develop, and inspire the in-house social media team, building a culture of creative ambition, platform fluency, and data-driven accountability.

• Manage and direct the contract video team — setting briefs, managing timelines, reviewing work, and maintaining creative standards across all freelance output.

• Oversee the video and social budget in partnership with the operations team, ensuring resources are allocated to maximize impact and ROI.

• Build scalable workflows, production systems, and content processes that grow with the brand and its platform footprint.

Key Performance Indicators

• Social Reach: Follower and audience growth across all primary platforms (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook).

• Video Performance: Views, watch time, completion rates, and subscriber growth across YouTube and short-form social video.

• Engagement: Likes, comments, shares, saves, and engagement rates across all owned channels.

• Platform Growth: Measurable expansion of Playboy’s presence on Reddit, Substack, and new platform initiatives.

• Operational Excellence: On-time delivery of video and social content against production schedules and editorial calendar.

What You’ll Bring

Skills / Abilities / Competencies:

• Demonstrated expertise leading social video strategy and production at a major media brand, entertainment platform, or sports media company known for virality and cultural resonance.

• Deep, hands-on knowledge of TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook — including algorithm mechanics, content formats, and platform-specific best practices for organic growth.

• Proven track record of measurable audience growth and engagement across multi-platform social ecosystems.

• Experience running a full-cycle social video operation, from concept and pre-production through editing, delivery, and performance analysis.

• Ability to develop distinct, platform-native strategies for different channels without losing brand coherence or voice.

• Strong instincts for the 25–45 male audience — what they watch, share, follow, and engage with — and an ability to translate those instincts into content that moves.

• Experience in influencer marketing, creator partnerships, and organic brand collaboration — with a nose for what feels authentic vs. transactional.

• Branded content experience: able to make commercial content look, feel, and perform like editorial.

• Comfort and confidence working on set with talent, managing shoots with a social and video lens.

• Strong people manager — able to lead in-house teams and manage freelance/contract creative networks simultaneously.

• Excellent pitching skills; able to develop and sell original ideas, concepts, and tent-pole programming to senior leadership.

• Budget management experience; comfortable working with an operations team on production financials and resource allocation.

• Podcast strategy and distribution experience a plus.

Education & Experience:

• 8+ years of experience in social media strategy, digital video production, or audience development, with at least 3 years in a director-level or equivalent senior leadership role.

• Demonstrated experience at a media company, major consumer brand, or creator-driven platform with a proven track record of social virality and audience growth.

• Strong portfolio or reel of social video work spanning multiple platforms and production contexts.

• Experience managing both in-house teams and contract/freelance video production operations.

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Journalism, Film, Marketing, or a related field — or equivalent professional experience.

What We Offer

• Competitive Medical/Dental/Vision insurance plans with FSA/HSA and Dependent Care FSA options

• Generous Family and Parental Leave Policy

• Pet Insurance for those who need it too!

• Dedicated Health and Wellness resources including Employee Assistance Program

• Pretax Transportation/Commuter Benefits options

• Employee Resource Groups

• 401K program with Company match

• Flexible Time Away Plan

• Dynamic, inclusive workplace culture focused on innovation, impact, and employee well being

What You’ll be Part of

Playboy is one of the most recognizable, iconic brands in the world that started as a culture-driving, boundary-pushing magazine over 70 years ago. Today, Playboy is a consumer lifestyle business with digital and physical products available in 180 countries across entertainment, events, fashion, lifestyle, sexual wellness, consumer products and more. Our mission—to create a culture where all people can pursue pleasure—is built upon decades of creating groundbreaking media and hospitality experiences and fighting for cultural progress rooted in the core values of equality, freedom of expression, and the idea that pleasure is a fundamental human right. Playboy’s sister company, Honey Birdette, is a rapidly growing luxury lingerie and sexual wellness brand with retail outlets across the US, Australia, and the UK.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Please note this job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of the job and the general nature, level, and expectation of the work to be performed. It is not designed to cover a complete list of qualifications, skills, efforts, duties and responsibilities or activities associated with this position, as they may change at any time, with or without notice. Playboy is an equal-opportunity employer and is committed to providing a workplace free from harassment and discrimination. We are committed to recruiting, hiring, training and promoting qualified people of all backgrounds, and make all employment decisions without regard to any protected status. The right talent for us innately embodies our values. Come as you are.

Job Conditions

Individuals applying for this position should understand that Playboy’s brands are focused on creative freedom, artistic expression, and sex positivity. As a result, the business concept is based partly on sex appeal, nudity, and/or sexual wellness products, which means that employees may be exposed to: individuals in sexy and/or sexually provocative clothing, either in person or in photographs or videos; lewd and/or obscene language; depictions of lewd, risqué, intimate or explicit acts or behaviors; conversations and discussions about sex, sexuality and the human anatomy; conversations and discussions where vulgar language may be used, and where sexual jokes and innuendo may be expressed in their presence (collectively the “Conduct”). While individuals should not apply for this position if they find a work environment as described above to be offensive, intimidating, hostile or unwelcome, nothing herein shall prevent them from notifying the Company immediately if they are exposed to conduct of any type–and at any time–with which they feel uncomfortable.