Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for YouTube Content Partnerships Representative

🎯 Role Definition

The YouTube Content Partnerships Representative is the front-line business partner responsible for building and scaling monetization and engagement with individual creators, creator teams, multi-channel networks (MCNs), and publishing partners. This role combines relationship management, commercial negotiation, product advocacy, content strategy, and data-driven performance optimization to help partners grow their channels, increase revenue, and adopt YouTube product features. The ideal candidate is a proactive communicator with deep familiarity with the YouTube ecosystem, content monetization levers, and cross-functional execution.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Junior Account Manager (Digital Media)
Creator Success / Creator Support Associate
Business Development Associate (Ad Sales / Partnerships)

Advancement To:

Senior Content Partnerships Manager
Strategic Partnerships Lead (Creators)
Head of Creator Partnerships / Director, Creator Revenue

Lateral Moves:

Content Strategy or Editorial Lead
Product Partnerships or Product Manager (Creator Monetization)
Creator Insights / Analytics Lead

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Own a portfolio of creator and publisher partners, acting as their primary business contact to drive sustainable channel growth, audience engagement, and revenue performance through YouTube products and best practices.
Develop and execute bespoke growth plans for creators that include content strategy, release cadence, audience development tactics, and multi-platform distribution recommendations to increase watch time and subscriber growth.
Drive commercial outcomes by identifying revenue opportunities (ad revenue, channel memberships, Super Chat, Super Stickers, merchandising, brand partnerships) and negotiating agreements, commission structures, and pilot programs to meet or exceed revenue targets.
Partner closely with creators and their management teams to onboard and accelerate adoption of monetization and creator tools (YouTube Studio, Content ID, BrandConnect, Shorts monetization, Live features), providing education and technical guidance throughout.
Monitor partner performance using YouTube Analytics, internal dashboards, and third-party tools; translate data into actionable insights and prioritized recommendations to improve retention, RPM, and CPM.
Proactively identify content optimization opportunities — thumbnail and title tests, metadata best practices, audience retention hooks, playlist strategies — and provide hands-on guidance to creators for implementation and A/B testing.
Serve as the voice of the creator to cross-functional teams (product, engineering, policy, ad ops, legal) by escalating feature requests, reporting bugs, and providing prioritized product feedback to influence roadmap and enhance creator experience.
Lead contract negotiation and onboarding processes for creators and MCNs, ensuring compliance with platform policies, IP rights, and revenue-sharing terms while minimizing legal risk and streamlining time-to-launch.
Manage forecasting, quota attainment, and pipeline for creator revenue and program adoption; prepare and present monthly and quarterly performance reviews to internal stakeholders and partner teams.
Coordinate and execute partner-facing programs and promotional campaigns — product launches, content series, Shorts challenges, creator education workshops, and brand integrations — to generate scale and measurable lift.
Troubleshoot complex monetization, policy, or rights issues for partners, coordinating with policy and content ID specialists to resolve claims, strikes, demonetization, and appeals efficiently and transparently.
Design and run pilot tests and experiments with creators to validate new monetization features, ad formats, and creator tools, capturing learnings and scaling successful programs across the partner base.
Build and maintain detailed partner playbooks and SOPs (onboarding guides, creative briefs, reporting templates) that enable consistent, scalable support and lower operational friction across the team.
Advocate for creators by providing regular education sessions (webinars, 1:1 trainings, workshop series) focused on platform changes, monetization strategies, analytics deep-dives, and community guidelines to improve partner autonomy.
Work with ad operations and sales teams to match creators with suitable brand campaigns and sponsorship opportunities, shepherding commercial deliverables, timelines, and measurement plans through execution.
Maintain a deep understanding of YouTube policy updates, copyright/Content ID rules, advertising guidelines, and local regulations; proactively advise partners to prevent policy violations and protect monetization.
Localize partnership strategies and creator outreach for regional markets, aligning content formats, language considerations, and culturally relevant programming to maximize local relevance and growth.
Represent YouTube at industry events, conferences, and creator meetups; build public-facing relationships and recruit high-potential creators into strategic programs and initiatives.
Prepare and present compelling business reviews and strategic plans for top creators and internal leadership that link creative strategy to revenue impact, KPIs, and next-step actions.
Maintain CRM records (e.g., Salesforce) and pipeline hygiene, documenting interactions, campaign briefs, contract terms, and performance outcomes to ensure accurate forecasting and handoffs across teams.
Coach and mentor junior partnership specialists or account coordinators on best practices for creator outreach, negotiation, reporting, and troubleshooting to raise the overall capability of the partnership organization.
Monitor competitive platforms, creator monetization trends, and industry benchmarks to proactively recommend product, feature, and commercial enhancements that keep YouTube competitive for creators and advertisers.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
Assist marketing and PR teams with case studies, success stories, and public-facing partner content when relevant.
Contribute to policy education initiatives by identifying recurring partner pain points and co-developing training materials.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Deep knowledge of the YouTube platform, creator tools (YouTube Studio, Content ID), and creator monetization levers (ads, memberships, Super Chat, Shorts monetization).
Strong analytics capability using YouTube Analytics, Google Analytics, and experience interpreting metrics like watch time, retention, RPM, CPM, and impressions to form action plans.
Experience with CRM systems (Salesforce preferred) to manage pipelines, forecasts, and partner records.
Proficiency in Excel/Google Sheets for modeling revenue scenarios, cohort analysis, and preparing executive reports.
Familiarity with digital advertising fundamentals, programmatic basics, Google Ads/AdSense workflows, and brand safety considerations.
Contract negotiation and commercial structuring experience, including familiarity with revenue share, licensing, and creator agreements.
Practical experience with Content ID and digital rights management, including takedown, claims, and dispute processes.
Comfort with A/B test design, pilot program rollout, and evaluating experimental results.
Ability to create concise executive slide decks and partner-facing playbooks using Google Slides/PowerPoint.
Basic SQL or exposure to BigQuery is a plus for ad-hoc data pulls and advanced analysis.
Regional or multi-market localization knowledge, including language capabilities and local market content trends.

Soft Skills

Exceptional relationship management and account management skills; trusted advisor mentality when working with creators and management teams.
Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to simplify complex product features and policy guidance.
Strategic thinker with a hands-on execution mindset — comfortable building repeatable programs while also diving into one-off escalations.
Excellent stakeholder management and cross-functional influencing skills to coordinate product, policy, ad ops, and legal teams.
High degree of empathy and coaching ability to support creators through growth and sensitive policy or revenue issues.
Problem-solving orientation with resilience and adaptability in a fast-changing creator economy.
Negotiation and persuasion skills to close commercial agreements and align internal stakeholders.
Project management and organization skills; able to prioritize across multiple partners and high-touch engagements.
Data-driven decision-making and the ability to translate numbers into clear actions for creators.
Cultural sensitivity and inclusivity when collaborating with creators across diverse markets.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, Media Studies, Film, or a related field (or equivalent professional experience).

Preferred Education:

Master's degree in Business Administration, Media Management, or a related discipline (optional but beneficial).

Relevant Fields of Study:

Business Administration
Marketing / Digital Marketing
Media & Communications
Film / Television Production
Data Analytics / Statistics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–5 years in partnerships, creator management, digital media account management, or business development roles with demonstrable exposure to video platforms or content monetization.

Preferred: 4–8+ years supporting creators, publishers, or talent with direct revenue responsibility; experience at a digital platform, MCN, talent agency, or ad tech company is highly valued.