Creative Strategist

About the Team and Role We are looking for a Senior Creative Strategist to join the Brand & Creative Solutions (BCS) team in Japan. You will help our advertising partners create outstanding, insight-driven ideas on Pinterest. You will have access to a wide range of verticals, business challenges, and innovative models within Pinterest's corporate business in Japan. Your task is to help partners develop marketing strategies and create excellent advertising experiences for Pinterest users (Pinners), combining creative craftsmanship with a thoughtful, AI-driven approach.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead creative strategy for priority Japanese advertisers: transform their business goals into full-funnel creative narratives, concepts, and best practice recommendations for Pinterest.
• Prepare and deliver high-level RFP pitches: creative narratives, conceptual territories, mockups, and recommendations that help win major deals and joint business plans.
• Design and facilitate creative sessions (standard and executive) with advertisers and agencies in Japan, helping them understand what great work on Pinterest looks like and how to achieve it.
• Leverage AI for starting and accelerating: analyze briefs, find relevant insights, generate draft structures and initial versions of narratives for pitches and workshops, and then refine them with your own expertise.
• Leverage AI for expanding the search: generate multiple creative territories, copy variations, and visual approaches, then select and adapt the strongest options for Japanese advertisers and Pinners.
• Synthesize and automate: summarize campaign results and creative insights, identify patterns for clear recommendations, and optimize regular documentation and reporting.
• Partner with Sales, Marketing, Measurement, and Product teams: align on opportunities, co-develop client strategies, and scale relevant narratives and materials for Japan.
• Run "Creative Office Hours" in Japan and manage a healthy portfolio of proactive and reactive briefs, ensuring fast and high-quality creative consultation for priority opportunities.
• Localize global BCS programs (e.g., Brand Blueprint, Creative Connect, Video Health Check, Premiere Spotlight) for the Japanese market, including content for thought leaders and case studies.
• Champion Pinterest values in day-to-day work: put Pinners first, act as a unified whole with cross-functional partners, and learn through experimentation.

Candidate Requirements

• 7+ years of experience in digital marketing or creative strategy within an agency, platform, or brand (or equivalent experience in a related field), preferably with a focus on Japan.
• Deep understanding of Japanese culture, consumer behavior, and the advertising landscape, as well as how brands authentically express themselves in this context.
• Ability to engage senior brand and agency stakeholders, inspiring action through compelling storytelling and clear recommendations.
• Experience creating creative strategies and presentations for major advertisers or global brands, from brief to pitch and execution.
• Demonstrated experience using AI to enhance the creative process from end-to-end (research and inspiration gathering, idea generation, narrative development, results synthesis), including examples of implementing new AI-supported ways of working.
• A rigorous approach to critically evaluating and validating AI-generated outputs: you question assumptions, verify sources and data, adapt brand tone and voice, and use testing or expert review as needed.
• High sense of responsibility and accountability: you protect confidential client and company data, avoid over-reliance on AI, and take ownership of the final quality of strategies, narratives, and creative recommendations.
• Experience building partnerships with internal stakeholders, especially Sales and cross-functional teams (Measurement, Marketing, Product).
• A passion for visual, business-driving creative (including video) and experience influencing it.
• An entrepreneurial mindset: equally strong in generating ideas and executing them, comfortable working in a small, high-performing international team.
• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Design, Advertising, Media, or equivalent experience.

Work Conditions

• Hybrid work format. Must be present in the office or with clients for in-person interaction 2 days per week. Commute to the Tokyo office is required.
• Relocation to Tokyo is mandatory.
• Pinterest is an equal opportunity employer.