At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead global social media strategy and drive commercial growth through innovative campaigns.
- Company: Fast-paced international consumer business with multiple brands and markets.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, bonus potential, hybrid work, and comprehensive benefits package.
- Other info: Dynamic role with opportunities for creativity and strategic influence.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by transforming social media into a powerful growth engine.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in social media, particularly in paid performance and team leadership.
The predicted salary is between 90000 - 95000 £ per year.
Location: Central London, hybrid, 3 days per week in the office.
Salary: £90,000 to £95,000 base, plus up to 10% bonus and benefits (may be potential headroom to negotiate for someone particularly strong fit for the role).
We’re looking for someone who knows how to turn social media from a channel into a commercial growth engine. You’ll be joining a fast-paced, international consumer business operating across multiple brands, markets and territories. It’s a competitive, highly regulated environment where brand, performance, creative, compliance and commercial outcomes all need to work together. So this is not a role for someone who sees social as a content calendar.
Your goal is to lead global paid and organic social strategy, build sharper operating rhythms, improve creative effectiveness, bringing greater structure to testing and measurement, and help social media play a much bigger role across acquisition, brand, retention and revenue growth. The business already has scale, budget, data, creative ambition and market presence. What they’re looking for is a credible leader to take the team to the next level. Someone who can bring paid and organic closer together, remove silos, raise standards, and create a clearer roadmap for how social media contributes to commercial performance.
You’ll lead and continue to evolve and develop teams across paid and organic social, with a particular emphasis on performance‑led paid social. You’ll own strategy, budget allocation, forecasting, measurement, platform relationships, creative testing frameworks and senior stakeholder engagement across the business. This is a hands‑on leadership role, but not in the sense of doing everything yourself. It needs someone close enough to the work to challenge, shape and improve it, while still operating at the level of strategy, leadership and commercial accountability.
Role Responsibilities- Define and own the global social media strategy across paid and organic channels, creating a clearer roadmap for how social supports growth across multiple markets and brands.
- Lead performance across paid social globally, overseeing significant media budgets, improving ROI, strengthening measurement and making sure activity is properly aligned to revenue, brand and market growth objectives.
- Build a more connected full‑funnel approach, linking brand, acquisition and retention activity through stronger creative, messaging and testing frameworks.
- Work closely with creative, brand, CRM, ATL, performance marketing and wider digital teams to improve alignment, speed to market and cross‑channel impact.
- Lead, structure and develop high‑performing social teams, giving them clearer direction, stronger ways of working and the leadership needed to raise both performance and morale.
- You’ll also own relationships with key social platforms, including Meta and TikTok, and look at where innovation, automation, tooling and reporting can improve the way the function operates.
- You’ll need a strong background in social media, with substantial experience across paid social performance. Ideally, you’ll have operated in a complex, high‑growth, multi‑market consumer environment before and are able to evidence growth achievements and commercial impact.
- Experience managing large paid social budgets is important. As a guide, you should have owned or scaled budgets of £5m+, with clear evidence of commercial impact.
- You’ll need to understand both paid and organic social, and how the two can work together across brand, acquisition and retention. Organic cannot just be treated as an awareness channel here. It needs to be measured, structured and understood in terms of its contribution to brand and business performance.
- You’ll also need to bring strong creative judgement. That means knowing how to build creative and messaging frameworks, how to test properly, how to work with content creators and influencers, and how to connect performance insight back into better creative output.
- A background in regulated, performance‑driven, e‑commerce, entertainment, subscription, marketplace, gaming, fintech, travel, app‑led, or similarly competitive consumer sectors would translate well.
- You’ll also need to be credible with senior stakeholders. This is a role with visibility, influence and expectation attached to it, so the ability to bring clarity, challenge and direction across teams are important.
- A commercially minded social media leader who enjoys scale, pace and complexity.
- Someone who can move comfortably between strategy and execution.
- A leader who can improve structure without slowing teams down.
- A performance marketer with strong creative instincts.
- A senior operator who understands that in regulated consumer markets, growth requires both ambition and control, and knows how to play in that space without getting tied up by the regulations aspect.
Salary is £90,000 to £95,000 base, plus up to 10% bonus and benefits. The role is hybrid, with 3 days per week in a Central London office. Benefits include annual leave, pension, private healthcare, life insurance, and a host of wider company benefits.
Director of Social Media in London employer: Blue Pelican
Join a dynamic and innovative international consumer business in Central London as the Director of Social Media, where you'll lead a high-performing team to transform social media into a powerful commercial growth engine. With a competitive salary, hybrid working model, and a comprehensive benefits package including private healthcare and life insurance, this role offers exceptional opportunities for professional growth and collaboration across multiple brands and markets. Embrace a vibrant work culture that values creativity, performance, and strategic thinking, making it an ideal environment for ambitious leaders looking to make a significant impact.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Director of Social Media in London
✨Show Your Creative Side
In marketing communications, standing out is key. Get creative with your application! Consider designing a mini-campaign or pitch that highlights your skills and understanding of the brand. Tailor it for Blue Pelican and show them what you can bring to the table.
✨Engage in Marketing Communities
Get involved in local or online marketing communications groups. Check out platforms like Meetup for events and workshops. Networking here can lead to hidden job openings and valuable insights into the industry trends—this is where we often discover what companies like Blue Pelican are looking for.
✨Leverage Social Media
Use platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter to showcase your passion for marketing communications. Share insights, articles, and your own content that resonates with the industry. Tagging or interacting with Blue Pelican on these platforms can catch the eye of recruiters and show you're genuinely interested in them.
✨Attend Industry Events
Keep an eye out for marketing conferences and workshops. These are great places to meet potential employers face-to-face and make connections that could land you a full-time role at Blue Pelican. Bring your business cards and be prepared to chat about how you can contribute!
We think you need these skills to ace Director of Social Media in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Craft an Impactful Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Focus on your passion for marketing communications and how your previous experiences can benefit Blue Pelican. Make sure to mention specific campaigns or projects you’ve worked on that showcase your creativity and strategic thinking.
Showcase Your Writing Skills:As you're diving into a marketing communications role, your writing ability is crucial. Include samples of your work, like blog posts, press releases, or social media campaigns in your application. This lets us see your style and how you engage with different audiences.
Tailor Your CV to Marketing:Your CV should highlight relevant marketing skills and experiences! Include specific tools or platforms you’ve used, like Google Analytics or social media management software. Mention any certifications or workshops related to marketing that you've completed – they can give you an edge!
Demonstrate Your Understanding of Blue Pelican:Show us that you’ve done your homework! In your application, briefly mention what you admire about Blue Pelican’s marketing approach or any recent campaigns that caught your attention. This can reveal your enthusiasm for the role and your genuine interest in joining our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Blue Pelican
✨Showcase Your Creative Campaigns
Get ready to flaunt your portfolio! Include examples of previous marketing campaigns you've worked on, especially those that showcase your creativity and strategy. Recruiters at Blue Pelican will be keen to see how you conceptualise and execute campaigns, so highlight any measurable outcomes to back up your claims.
✨Know Your Digital Tools Inside Out
If you’re heading into a marketing-communications role, make sure you're comfortable discussing key digital marketing tools like Google Analytics, HubSpot, or Hootsuite. Expect some technical questions about how you've used these tools in the past, as they'll want to gauge your hands-on experience and how you analyse data to drive marketing decisions.
✨Be Ready for Scenario-Based Questions
At Blue Pelican, they may throw some scenario-based questions your way, aimed at testing your problem-solving skills in real-life marketing situations. Think through potential challenges you’ve faced, how you navigated them, and be prepared to discuss your thought process and outcome.
✨Demonstrate Your Passion for Marketing
As you’re applying for a full-time position, show that you're not just looking for a job, but a career in marketing. Talk about the latest trends in marketing communications, your favourite campaigns, and why they inspire you. Your enthusiasm can really make you stand out and demonstrate that you’re committed to growing within the field.