At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead Starling's social media strategy and create engaging content across platforms.
- Company: Join a disruptive bank that’s reshaping the financial landscape with tech.
- Benefits: Enjoy 25 days holiday, private medical insurance, and flexible working options.
- Other info: Diverse and inclusive workplace with opportunities for personal and professional growth.
- Why this job: Be at the forefront of cultural conversations and make banking relatable.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in social media leadership and a passion for community building.
The predicted salary is between 43200 - 72000 £ per year.
Overview
Hello, we’re Starling. We built a new kind of bank because we knew technology had the power to help people save, spend and manage their money in a new and transformative way. We’re a fully licensed UK bank with the culture and spirit of a fast-moving, disruptive tech company. We employ more than 3,500 people across our London, Southampton, Cardiff and Manchester offices.
We’re hiring a Head of Social Media to join our Marketing team during a pivotal new phase of growth. You’ll shape Starling’s social strategy across multiple platforms as we launch our new brand platform with major above and below-the-line advertising.
We are looking for an experienced leader who lives and breathes social media, combining creative flair with a passion for data. Your goal is to move Starling out of the banking category and into the heart of culture. You will treat content as our primary engine for growth, enabling and celebrating our audiences to show the world what it truly means to be good with money. You won’t just manage channels; you will build a content ecosystem that ensures Starling is the most discoverable and trusted voice in the digital age.
Key Responsibilities
- Strategic Oversight & Channel Ownership: You will own the overarching strategy for Starling’s social presence. This means defining the specific role of each channel (from TikTok to LinkedIn), establishing how the brand shows up authentically on each, and ensuring a cohesive visual and tonal umbrella across our entire digital footprint.
- Own the Content Franchises: Move beyond ad-hoc posting to build and scale Content Franchises in repeatable, high-value formats across TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn that turn followers into a loyal community.
- Optimise for GEO & AI Discoverability: Future-proof our presence. You’ll ensure Starling content is structured to win in Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), making us the primary source for AI-driven financial queries and social search.
- Content as a Growth Engine: Lead the strategy for how social content drives lower-funnel results. You’ll see every meme, thread, and video as a bridge to helping people manage their money better.
- Community Architecture: Shift from "managing comments" to building communities. You will identify and empower Starling advocates within Reddit, Discord, and niche financial circles.
- Lead & Inspire: Mentor a high-octane team of creators and platform specialists, fostering an environment where social-first is the default setting.
- Cultural Reactivity: Be the pulse of the brand. You’ll lead on proactive influencer partnerships and high-speed reactive content that inserts Starling into the cultural conversation with wit, empathy, and flair.
- Cross-Functional Synergy: Work alongside Product, Brand, and Data teams to ensure our social strategy isn’t a silo, but a feedback loop that informs how we build features and talk to our customers.
- Modern Track Record: Proven experience leading social teams in a high-growth, community-first environment. You know how to scale a brand without losing its soul.
- Algorithm & AI Literacy: A deep, intuitive understanding of platform algorithms, GEO, and how LLMs (Large Language Models) categorize and surface brand content.
- Creative Intuition: The ability to brief and greenlight content that feels native to the platform, not like a repurposed TV ad.
- Data-Driven Rigor: Expert-level use of Sprout, native analytics, and social listening tools to prove ROI and pivot strategy in real-time.
- Niche Navigator: Experience in identifying and accessing fragmented audiences—knowing that the mass market is now actually a collection of thousands of specific niches.
Benefits
- 25 days holiday (plus take your public holiday allowance whenever works best for you)
- An extra day’s holiday for your birthday
- Annual leave is increased with length of service, and you can choose to buy or sell up to five extra days off
- 16 hours paid volunteering time a year
- Salary sacrifice, company enhanced pension scheme
- Life insurance at 4x your salary
- Private Medical Insurance with VitalityHealth including mental health support and cancer care. Partner benefits include discounts with Waitrose, Mr Smith and Peloton
- Generous family-friendly policies
- Perkbox membership giving access to retail discounts, a wellness platform for physical and mental health, and weekly free and boosted perks
- Access to initiatives like Cycle to Work and Salary Sacrificed Gym partnerships
About Us
You may be put off applying for a role because you don’t tick every box. Forget that! While we can’t accommodate every flexible working request, we’re always open to discussion. So, if you’re excited about working with us, but aren’t sure if you’re 100% there yet, get in touch anyway.
We’re on a mission to radically reshape banking – and that starts with our brilliant team. Whatever came before, we’re proud to bring together people of all backgrounds and experiences who love working together to solve problems.
Starling Bank is an equal opportunity employer, and we’re proud of our ongoing efforts to foster diversity & inclusion in the workplace. Individuals seeking employment at Starling Bank are considered without regard to race, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, ancestry, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
Head of Social Media employer: Starling Bank
At Starling Bank, we pride ourselves on being a forward-thinking employer that champions innovation and inclusivity. Our vibrant work culture fosters creativity and collaboration, providing ample opportunities for professional growth while ensuring a healthy work-life balance with generous benefits like enhanced holiday allowances and private medical insurance. Join us in our mission to revolutionise banking, where your contributions will not only shape our social media strategy but also resonate within the heart of culture across the UK.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Social Media
✨Tip Number 1
Get your social media game on point! Research Starling's current social presence and think about how you can elevate it. Show us your creative flair by coming up with fresh ideas that align with their brand voice.
✨Tip Number 2
Network like a pro! Connect with current or former employees on LinkedIn to get the inside scoop on the company culture. This will not only help you tailor your approach but also show your genuine interest in being part of the team.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for the interview by thinking about how you can turn social content into a growth engine. Be ready to discuss specific strategies you've used in the past and how they could apply to Starling's goals.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining the Starling family and ready to make an impact.
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Social Media
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Social Media:When you're writing your application, let your love for social media shine through! Share examples of how you've used social platforms creatively and effectively in the past. We want to see that you live and breathe this stuff!
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your application to fit the Head of Social Media role. Highlight your experience with different platforms and how you've built communities. We’re looking for someone who can really connect with our audience, so show us how you can do that!
Be Data-Driven:Don’t forget to mention your experience with analytics tools! We love a candidate who can back up their strategies with data. Talk about how you've used insights to drive content decisions and improve engagement in your previous roles.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to keep track of your application and ensure it gets the attention it deserves. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Starling Bank
✨Know Your Platforms
Before the interview, dive deep into each social media platform Starling uses. Understand their unique audiences and how content should be tailored for TikTok versus LinkedIn. This shows you’re not just a social media enthusiast but someone who can strategically navigate different channels.
✨Showcase Your Creative Flair
Prepare examples of past campaigns or content you've created that demonstrate your creative thinking. Be ready to discuss how you’ve used data to inform your creative decisions, especially in high-growth environments. This will highlight your ability to blend creativity with analytics.
✨Understand Community Building
Starling is looking for someone who can build communities, not just manage comments. Think about how you’ve engaged audiences in the past and be prepared to share specific strategies you’ve used to foster loyalty and advocacy among followers.
✨Be Data-Driven
Familiarise yourself with tools like Sprout and other analytics platforms. Be ready to discuss how you’ve used data to pivot strategies in real-time. Showing that you can back up your ideas with solid metrics will impress the interviewers and align with Starling’s focus on results.
