EVP, Head of YouTube and Social Platforms Strategy & Operations

This is a Full Time Job

SPE is seeking a dynamic, strategic, and growth-oriented executive to lead its YouTube and Social Platform business strategy, initiatives, and operations. This leader will be responsible for developing and scaling a best-in-class channel ecosystem that maximizes the value of SPE's extensive portfolio of iconic franchises, brands, and intellectual property.

Reporting to the Co-Presidents of Global Distribution and Networks, the EVP, Head of YouTube and Social Platforms, Strategy & Operations will define and execute a comprehensive channel growth and monetization strategy that balances long-term brand stewardship with revenue generation. The role will drive operational excellence, establish clear prioritization frameworks, and foster strong cross-functional partnerships across creative, distribution, marketing, and corporate teams to unlock the full potential of SPE's digital platform presence.

Role & Responsibilities

Optimize first-party YouTube and other social channels to ensure healthy engagement, always-on 24/7/365 programming and franchise support, revenue maximization, and efficient and effective execution of marketing goals.

Manage complex operating models with key executives and teams to maximize channels for internal use, serving as a center of excellence for cross-functional stakeholder management.

Audience Growth, Channel Management & Monetization
• Oversee YouTube and similar businesses to primarily drive high ROI monetization. Target direct (i.e. channel) and support indirect (e.g. off-platform performance-based licensing) revenue growth
• Accountable for portfolio strategy across all channels: IP, genre/catalog, label and general SPE; prioritize investment and resource allocation, set channel management guidelines
• Identify, track, and manage KPIs for global portfolio and/or each channel to optimize for profitable revenue growth and channel health. Leverage insights to make data-informed programming decisions and support the ongoing development and distribution of insights incorporating critical platform data
• Collaborate with Marketing and Franchise Management to ensure valuable IP reaches fans; enable audience development, nurturing existing communities while identifying latent demand for library. Work closely with content strategy, sales planning, US/Global distribution, and regional licensing teams to maximize value of any individual title in the library, and the catalog overall
• Ensure alignment with legal, finance, privacy and others to implement best business practices in channel management functions

Drive Cross-SPE Coordination and Collaboration
• Promote and maintain cross-functional collaboration models linking content strategy, marketing, franchise management, analytics, licensing, consumer products, and other teams; manage executive stakeholders, including Film & TV Chairmen, Studio/Production Presidents, and Marketing Leads
• Facilitate smooth communication, clear decision-making framework, and open transparency between teams for critical marketing windows, franchise/IP building activities, and go-to-market activities; deploy channels in support of both B2C and B2B marketing efforts
• Seamlessly integrate YouTube and other channels into our overall catalog programming strategy across channel line-up, branding, publishing cadence, etc.
• Deliver against the needs and priorities of IP stewards and Franchise Management to ensure that brand narratives are consistent across all audience touchpoints
• Partner with IP Protection and IP/Legal teams to ensure that IP enforcement is clear and consistent across the digital ecosystem, setting guidelines for content usage tolerance and leveraging platforms & vendors for enforcement and monetization
• Serve as a center of excellence for partnership and responsiveness across SPE

Developing Digital Capabilities to Deploy Across SPE
• Develop best-in-class capabilities for planning, launching, programming, monetizing, and maintaining the health of channels
• Support Insights, Strategy & Analytics' ongoing development and deployment of data and analytics tools and capabilities across YouTube activities and the rest of SPE that can leverage YouTube/social data
• Co-develop and deploy IP enforcement and engagement policy, ensuring content claiming efforts strike balance with creators while protecting our assets
• Model data-informed decision-making behavior in management of channels to help further develop the practice in other parts of the business
• Identify additional high-value capabilities needed within SPE (i.e. direct ad sales, brand partnerships, etc.); support development and scaling of new, or scaling of existing, capabilities with relevant teams (e.g. 1st party FAST channels/service)
• Establish and enforce publishing guidelines, approvals, and governance across all SPE YouTube and social channel activity. Employ multimodal approach to account for platform, genre, audience, format, geographic, and commercial considerations.
• Identify opportunities to leverage Sony synergies while evaluating 3rd party vendors, defining optimal build vs. buy vs. partner approaches
• Nurture relationships with platforms (i.e. YouTube) to ensure we deploy best practices, align on policies, and are up-to-date on platform priorities and trends

Create Value for SPE Brand and Businesses within SPE & SGC
• Pursue tighter integration with SPE's 360º businesses (e.g. Crunchyroll), offering channel management services to be used at their option
• Make our YouTube/digital channels and channel management capabilities a valuable in-house resource to drive increased earned media/higher RoAS to aid the efficiency and impact of marketing campaigns. Bolster Performance Media Group's reach and effectiveness
• Partner with key stakeholders, including Corp Comms, to enhance SPE brand equity
• Identify opportunities to cooperate with other Sony Group companies (e.g. Sony Music, PlayStation) on channel, platform, service, or technology deployments. Prioritize efforts that can deliver measurable benefits at scale (e.g. proprietary tools)
• Track developing and emerging digital platforms and ensure that SPE is positioned to leverage when there is significant opportunity for monetization

Experience & Background
• Seasoned media exec with 15+ years of experience at both technology companies and studios, including meaningful hands-on expertise in the YouTube ecosystem
• Demonstrated credentials in monetizing and scaling a business with P&L responsibilities
• Expertise with scaling existing IP on YouTube and other digital owned and operated