Social Director

Social Media Director

We are seeking an accomplished Senior Social Media Director to set the vision and lead our social capability for a leading brand.

You’ll be a senior leader within the VML social team, responsible for the strategic direction, team leadership, and client counsel that ensures we deliver truly exceptional social work at scale.

This is a role for someone who can see the big picture; connecting business objectives, social innovation, and team development into a cohesive vision.

You’ll be a trusted senior advisor to clients, a champion for social across the wider agency, and someone who fosters an environment where great people do great work.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Vision & Leadership: Set the overarching social vision across your client portfolio, ensuring all work ladders up to client business objectives and represents the best of what social can offer.

Guide hypotheses and decision‑making even in situations where information is incomplete.

• Client

Counsel: Serve as a senior trusted advisor to client stakeholders, continuously counselling on opportunities, risks, and effectiveness in social, with a deep understanding of the specific challenges and opportunities within the industry.

Build and maintain high‑trust relationships at senior client level.

• Team Leadership & Development: Lead, mentor, and develop a team of social specialists across disciplines.

Provide consistent coaching that builds a high‑performance team culture.

Effectively match talent and skill sets to the needs of client business.

• Business

Growth: Identify opportunities for growth on current business and develop plans to win.

Lead assigned areas of pitch preparation and play a client‑facing role in new business presentations.

Understand agency financial and operations structure to make sound staffing and resourcing decisions.

• Capability

Building: Identify opportunities to improve and evolve VML’s social offerings.

Contribute to the creation of new capabilities and ensure the team stays at the forefront of social innovation.

• Cross‑Agency

Collaboration: Foster strong relationships with senior leaders across VML including strategy & planning, creative, data, and client engagement, to ensure social is fully integrated into the broader agency offering.

• Agency

Stewardship: Represent VML’s expertise and core values to clients, vendors, partner agencies, and industry groups/publications.

Champion the social practice internally and externally.

• The Ideal Candidate
• Be an established social media leader with significant experience directing social strategy and delivery for major brands.
• Have a proven ability to set vision and inspire teams to deliver against it.
• Be a natural relationship builder who can adapt their communication style to influence a wide variety of senior stakeholders.
• Foster an environment that rewards innovation, welcomes risk‑taking, and values diverse perspectives.
• Be adept at navigating complexity, managing multiple clients, teams, and priorities simultaneously.
• Have a nuanced perspective on social marketing built from wide‑ranging experience and continuous learning, including specific insights into consumer trends, brand storytelling, and platform innovations.
• Be passionate about growing people, capabilities, and business in equal measure.
• Be proactive and results‑oriented with strong work ethic and commitment to excellence.

Qualifications & Experience

• Extensive experience in a senior social leadership role within an advertising/marketing agency or major brand.
• Proven track record of leading social strategy and delivery for large, complex client accounts.
• Demonstrated experience building, managing, and developing high‑performing teams.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience contributing to business growth and pitch activity.
• Expert‑level understanding of social platforms, emerging technologies, and the evolving social landscape, with specific knowledge of how these apply to high‑value product launches, brand building, and community engagement.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills at senior/board level.
• Experience working with cross‑functional teams across multiple disciplines.
• A degree of some sort will help us understand your background and point of view.

Benefits

• Generous annual leave allowance and pension allowances.
• Life Assurance.
• Permanent Health Insurance.
• BUPA.
• Flexible hybrid‑working schedule.
• Enhanced family friendly policies.
• Well‑being Programme.
• Employee Assistance Support.
• Cycle to Work Scheme.
• Eye Care and Glasses Vouchers.
• Season Ticket Loans.
• WPP Discounts.
• Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

VML is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without regard to race, colour, religion or belief, sex, age, national origin, citizenship status, marital status, military/veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental disability.

We believe in creating a dynamic work environment that values diversity and inclusion and strives to recruit a diverse slate of candidates to help us achieve that goal.

WPP (VML) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics.

We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.

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