KOL Campaign Manager

ABOUT MEDIATROPY

Mediatropy is an award-winning independent digital agency built for brands that want to move faster, think differently and create meaningful impact. We work across client servicing, creative, media, social, technology and digital experiences, partnering with ambitious brands across Southeast Asia and beyond.

We believe great work happens when smart people challenge the obvious, bring different perspectives to the table and take real ownership of what they do.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are looking for a strategically minded KOL Campaign Manager to join our Malaysia team!

This is not a role where you simply take a brief, find creators and make sure content goes live. You will be expected to think, challenge and improve the brief - turning client business and marketing objectives into creator campaigns that are relevant, commercially sound and measurable.

You will own assigned campaigns end-to-end across strategy, client management, creator selection, content direction, delivery, reporting and commercial closeout.

You will also play an important role in strengthening client relationships, identifying sensible opportunities for account growth and improving how we approach creator strategy and campaign delivery.

We value sound judgment, clear communication, commercial awareness and reliable follow-through.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

01. Creator Strategy & Campaign Planning

• Interrogate client briefs to understand the underlying business, brand, audience and communication challenge.
• Define the role of creators within the wider social and marketing strategy.
• Develop recommendations across audience, platform, creator mix, content approach, KPIs, scope, budget and timelines.
• Select creators based on audience relevance, credibility, content behaviour, cultural fit and performance evidence - not follower count alone.
• Translate business and marketing objectives into clear, actionable creator strategies.

02. Client Leadership & Account Growth

• Act as the main day-to-day strategic partner for assigned clients and campaigns.
• Lead conversations around campaign direction, performance and recommendations.
• Present a clear point of view and challenge client thinking constructively where appropriate.
• Manage expectations around scope, timelines, approvals and deliverables.
• Identify relevant opportunities for repeat, expanded or new work.
• Contribute to pitches and new business opportunities.
• Maintain clear records of decisions, commitments and potential opportunities.

03. Creator Partnerships & Cultural Intelligence

• Build and maintain strong relationships across Malaysia's creator ecosystem.
• Stay close to emerging creators, formats, communities, trends and cultural conversations.
• Develop recommendations that clearly answer: Why this creator Why this audience Why this platform Why now
• Assess creators beyond surface-level metrics, considering relevance, credibility, content quality and audience behaviour.
• Manage creator availability, deliverables, usage rights and exclusivity requirements.
• Negotiate creator fees and commercial terms within approved budgets.

04. Creative & Content Direction

• Translate campaign strategy into clear creator briefs, content territories and creative direction.
• Develop and assess concepts, scripts and content approaches.
• Give specific, constructive feedback that improves effectiveness while protecting the creator's authentic voice.
• Ensure content is culturally relevant and appropriate for the platform and audience.
• Check alignment with brand guidelines, product claims and relevant disclosure requirements before content goes live.

05. Campaign, Commercial & Operational Ownership

• Own assigned campaigns from briefing and creator selection through production, approvals, publishing, reporting and commercial closeout.
• Establish clear responsibilities, timelines and milestones across clients, internal teams, creators and production partners.
• Identify delivery and commercial risks early and recommend practical solutions.
• Take ownership when delivery or performance falls short and drive issues through to resolution.
• Track planned, committed and actual campaign costs.
• Keep margin risks visible and manage scope carefully.
• Document scope changes and secure the necessary approvals before making additional commitments.
• Coordinate invoicing, creator payments and reconciliation with Finance and Operations.

06. Performance, Learning & Better Ways of Working

• Monitor agreed campaign KPIs and identify performance trends.
• Recommend live optimisation where practical.
• Produce accurate, commercially useful reports that explain what worked, what did not and why.
• Translate campaign learnings into stronger creator selection, content strategy and future campaign planning.
• Review team work and provide guidance where required.
• Support and coach junior team members where appropriate.
• Coordinate regional creator campaigns when required.
• Improve briefs, trackers, approval processes, reporting and campaign handovers to make the team more effective.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Experience & Market Knowledge

• At least 5 years of relevant agency experience, including client-facing account or project management and hands-on delivery of KOL or creator campaigns in Malaysia.
• Based in Kuala Lumpur and legally eligible to work in Malaysia.
• Strong understanding of the Malaysian creator ecosystem, audience behaviour, cultural nuances and content conventions.
• Hands-on experience across platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and other relevant social platforms.
• Fluent in English and at least one additional language, with the confidence to communicate professionally with clients, creators and colleagues.

Strategic & Creative Thinking

• Strong strategic and creative judgment.
• Able to connect marketing objectives to creator and social strategies.
• Comfortable explaining the why behind a recommendation.
• Able to challenge a brief constructively rather than simply executing it.
• Able to give clear, specific feedback that makes creative work better.
• Strong understanding of how creators, content, audiences and platforms work together.

Commercial & Operational Mindset

• Strong commercial awareness and understanding of how creator fees, usage rights, exclusivity, revisions, production requirements, scope changes and payment terms affect campaign profitability.
• Comfortable managing budgets, costings, margins, scopes and campaign trackers.
• Strong attention to detail and confidence working with numbers and formulas.
• Able to manage multiple campaigns and competing deadlines independently.
• Proactive in identifying risks and resolving issues before they become bigger problems.
• Strong follow-through and accountability under pressure.

Client & Communication Skills

• Confident client communicator who can present a clear point of view.
• Able to defend recommendations while remaining open to constructive discussion.
• Comfortable challenging clients and stakeholders when necessary.
• Strong stakeholder management and expectation-setting skills.
• Able to build trusted, long-term relationships with both clients and creators.

Tools & Ways of Working

• Proficient in Google Docs, Sheets and Slides.
• Familiar with project management and/or CRM tools.
• Comfortable using generative AI responsibly for research, planning, analysis and workflow improvement.
• Understands the importance of fact-checking, human review and appropriate handling of confidential information.

USEFUL ADVANTAGES

The following would be a plus:

• Experience mentoring or managing junior team members.
• Experience coordinating regional or multi-market creator campaigns.
• Experience in creator commerce or affiliate campaigns.
• Experience building longer-term creator partnerships rather than purely one-off activations.

HOW SUCCESS WILL BE ASSESSED

Your success in this role will be measured by:

01. Strategic Quality

Quality and relevance of strategic recommendations against client business and marketing objectives.

02. Campaign Delivery

Quality, timeliness and effectiveness of campaign delivery against approved strategy, scope and milestones.

03. Client Relationships & Growth

Strength of client relationships and contribution to account retention, repeat business and growth.

04. Creator & Content Strategy

Quality of creator and content recommendations, including the thinking and rationale behind key decisions.

05. Commercial Control

Effective control of campaign costs, scope changes, margins and commercial risks.

06. Performance & Insights

Accuracy of reporting and quality of insights and recommendations drawn from campaign results.

07. Team & Process Contribution

Effective collaboration and practical improvements to the team's creator strategy, workflow and delivery process.