Director of Strategy, Social Platforms

Purpose 

The Group Strategy Director (or Director of Strategy), Social Platforms is responsible for effectively leading all aspects of key clients' social and influencer approach, in addition to helping to grow the current client roster through new business. This involves cross-functional collaboration, particularly with Creative and Account leadership, to align all output to core business objectives. Additionally, the Group Strategy Director, Social Platforms should have a high degree of platform, creator, and cultural sensitivity and be aware of how micro and macro shifts may impact a brands’ presence across social platforms. Finally, this role should be a right hand to the Executive Director, Strategy, Social Platforms in managing and mentoring a growing social and influencer strategy team, helping to improve core competencies.

Responsibilities:

• Oversee the social and influencer development of clients, directly leading that development of 4-5 clients to ensure client and internal trust that leads to attention-worthy work in a complex and cluttered world
• Build client relationships and be seen as a trusted partner to client teams
• Partner with agency leadership to identify and pioneer opportunities for creative experimentation with new innovation, platforms, or tech
• Partner with agency leadership to develop new capabilities to meet and exceed expectations of an ever-changing social and digital landscape
• Cultivate internal education opportunities for all McKinney disciplines to raise the collective knowledge of the agency
• Partner with business leadership teams to iterate on internal processes to ensure that work (i.e., briefs, strategies, creative deliverables) leverage a social-first lens / approach built on insights and data
• Model strategic partnership and prowess 
• Drive new business growth for existing and prospective clients by leading the social and influencer process, and identifying untapped potential of prospective clients
• Represent agency’s social and influencer expertise externally (i.e., via conferences, panels, and think pieces)
• Lead and impact the professional and personal development of social and influencer strategists within the Strategy department
• Maintain working knowledge of technology providers, and identify worthy technologies or tools for the agency – or specific clients – to partner with

Competencies 

▪ Creativity. Comes up with a lot of new and unique ideas; easily makes connections among  previously unrelated notions; tends to be seen as original and value-added in brainstorming settings. ▪ Interpersonal Savvy. Relates well to all kinds of people, up, down, and sideways, inside and outside  the organizations; builds appropriate rapport; builds constructive and effective relationships; uses  diplomacy and tact; can diffuse even high-tension situations comfortably. 

▪ Learning on the Fly. Learns quickly when facing new problems; a relentless and versatile learner;  open to change; analyzes both successes and failures for clues to improvement; experiments and  will try anything to find solutions; enjoys the challenge of unfamiliar tasks; quickly grasps the  essence and the underlying structure of anything. 

▪ Listening. Practices attentive and active listening; has the patience to hear people out; can  accurately restate the opinions of others even when they disagree. 

▪ Problem Solving. Uses rigorous logic and methods to solve difficult problems with effective  solutions; probes all fruitful sources of answers; can see hidden problems; is excellent at honest  analysis; looks beyond the obvious and doesn’t stop at the first answers. 

▪ Perseverance. Pursues everything with energy, drive and a need to finish; seldom gives up before  finishing, especially in the face of resistance or setbacks.

Professional Skills & Knowledge 

Business and marketing savvy with strong creative ability. A masterful understanding of social strategy,  best practices, and management. Proficient understanding of brief development, concepting, analytics, and production. Hands-on experience with multiple levels of social marketing (strategy, campaigns, day-to-day). Ability to manage internal teams and client teams. Ability to translate social data into real-time insights and optimizations. Ability to powerfully present ideas and recommendations to prospective and current clients at a C-Suite level.

Experience 

Must be a proven strategist with 7 years of social media experience, including in influencer or creator-led spaces.

• 7 years experience as a social media professional, ideally as a Social and/or Influencer Strategist.
• 3 years of experience as a people leader, with direct ownership of coaching and mentoring a social or influencer strategy team team.
• Strong ability to analyze, organize and integrate large amounts of data into clear and concise creative briefs.
• Deep, up-to-the-moment understanding and insight on all major social media platforms. This should include strong familiarity with platform best practices, poor practices, policies, regulations, and operational tendencies.
• Strong understanding and sensitivity to social media culture at large.
• Strong understanding of key social media subcultures, particularly among Gen-Z and Millennials.
• Experience at an advertising or social media agency preferred but not required.

Salary Range

Our estimated range for this role is $185-$225k

Compensation packages are based on the skill level and experience each candidate brings to their role. There may also be a more senior or junior position available that could be a better fit with your expertise. Each level has its own compensation range.

We pride ourselves on competitive salaries, and ensuring pay equity exists across our organization. We benchmark each position against existing employee competencies and 4As compensation data which includes geographic and agency size benchmarks. We also meet with department leaders 3x/year to ensure we are supporting employees in living into their full potential.  Our promotions are not limited to a specific time per year. Promotions are tied to performance.  

Right To Work In The US

You must be authorized to work in the US for any employer.  At this time, we are not sponsoring or providing assistance with obtaining work authorization.

McKinney is a place where everyone can grow. Studies have shown that marginalized communities  such as women, LGBTQ and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. However you identify, and whatever background you bring with you, please apply if this is a role that would make you excited to come into work every day.
We are in the office Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday on a hybrid schedule. We look forward to meeting you!

Salary : $185,000 - $225,000