Global Social Strategy Director

GLOBAL SOCIAL STRATEGY DIRECTOR

ABOUT THE ROLE
We are looking for a Global Social Strategy Director to shape the future of social strategy for one of our key global clients. This is a senior strategic leadership role for someone who understands that social is more than a collection of platforms. It is where culture, communities, creativity and consumer behaviour intersect
- creating opportunities for brands to build relevance, influence perceptions and drive measurable business impact. You will define and lead the global social strategy, turning audience intelligence, cultural insights and platform innovation into compelling strategic recommendations and social-first opportunities. Working closely with global stakeholders, creative partners and local markets, you will help strengthen the position of one of our leading global brands as an unconventional challenger brand, connecting its distinctive identity with new generations of audiences. We are looking for a strategic thinker, not simply a social media specialist: someone who can challenge conventional approaches, influence senior stakeholders and translate ambitious thinking into actionable strategies. ROLE OVERVIEW
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Location:
PHD Barcelona — hybrid
• Reporting to: Global Digital Director
• Direct report: Global Social Media Manager
• Key collaborators: Global Strategy & Innovation Director, global media teams, creative agencies, client headquarters and local markets.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Global Social Strategy & Brand Growth
• Define and lead the global social strategy, connecting brand ambitions, audience needs and business objectives.
• Establish a clear strategic role for social within the broader brand, communications and media ecosystem.
• Develop social-first strategic approaches for global campaigns, product launches, brandbuilding initiatives and cultural activations.
• Translate complex business and marketing challenges into clear strategic opportunities, recommendations and actionable plans.
• Challenge briefs and existing approaches constructively, bringing fresh perspectives and evidence-based thinking to senior client discussions.
• Identify opportunities for social to contribute across the consumer journey, from brand discovery and consideration to engagement and conversion. 2. Cultural Intelligence, Audiences & Insights
• Identify emerging cultural movements, audience behaviours, communities and social conversations relevant to the brand's positioning.
• Lead the strategic interpretation of social listening, audience research, platform intelligence and performance data.
• Turn data and cultural observations into meaningful insights that inspire creative thinking and inform marketing decisions.
• Develop a deep understanding of Gen Z, emerging audiences and evolving consumer relationships with brands.
• Identify opportunities for the brand to participate authentically in relevant cultural territories, including music, sport, entertainment and lifestyle.
• Anticipate changes in social behaviour and translate them into future-facing brand opportunities. 3. Social-First Campaign & Creator Strategy
• Shape the strategic direction of social-first campaigns, working hand in hand with client headquarters, creative agencies and other key stakeholders, while respecting their respective areas of expertise and ownership.
• Translate global campaign platforms into relevant social narratives, audience strategies and activation opportunities.
• Work closely with the dedicated CREO team to integrate creator and influencer strategies into the broader global social and communications ecosystem.
• Collaborate with the Brand and relevant stakeholders to ensure creator-led initiatives align with brand positioning, audience priorities and cultural territories.
• Provide strategic guidance on platform roles, content approaches, paid amplification and audience engagement.
• Ensure social insights and effectiveness learnings inform future campaign development, creative briefs and integrated activation strategies. 4. Global Leadership, Governance & Market Enablement
• Act as a senior strategic advisor to client headquarters on social strategy, audience opportunities and platform evolution.
• Develop global social frameworks, strategic principles and playbooks that provide clear direction while allowing local cultural relevance.
• Partner with local markets to translate global strategies into actionable, market-relevant approaches.
• Build strong relationships across global and local teams, influencing stakeholders with different priorities and levels of social maturity.
• Identify opportunities to improve collaboration, knowledge-sharing and strategic consistency across markets.
• Work closely with the Global Digital Director and Strategy & Innovation Director to ensure social thinking is integrated into wider strategic planning.
• Provide leadership, coaching and strategic direction to the Global Social Media Manager. 5. Innovation, Platform Partnerships & Future Opportunities
• Develop a strategic innovation roadmap that identifies emerging opportunities across social platforms, creator ecosystems, AI and evolving audience behaviours.
• Build relationships with major social platforms and relevant technology partners to access insights, expertise and new opportunities.
• Evaluate new formats, technologies and partnerships based on their potential to create meaningful brand or business value.
• Lead strategic experimentation, defining clear hypotheses, success criteria and opportunities for scaling.
• Challenge conventional social media approaches and bring forward ideas that can differentiate the brand from its competitors. 6. Effectiveness, Measurement & Business Impact
• Define meaningful success frameworks connecting social activity to brand and business objectives.
• Work with analytics, research and media teams to evaluate the contribution of social across the consumer journey.
• Go beyond traditional engagement metrics to assess audience quality, brand impact, cultural relevance and business contribution.
• Translate performance results into strategic learnings and recommendations for client headquarters and local markets.
• Build compelling strategic narratives that demonstrate the value of social investment and support future decision-making. WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE Success in this role will be measured through:
• Strategic impact: Quality, originality and adoption of social strategies that influence global brand and marketing decisions.
• Brand and business contribution: Demonstrable impact on relevant brand, audience and business KPIs.
• Cultural relevance: Ability to identify and activate meaningful opportunities within relevant audiences and communities.
• Global-to-local effectiveness: Successful adoption and adaptation of global strategic frameworks across markets.
• Client leadership: Strong relationships with senior stakeholders and recognition as a trusted strategic advisor.
• Innovation: Development and scaling of initiatives that create measurable value rather than innovation for its own sake.
• Team development: Growth of strategic capabilities, collaboration and effectiveness within the social function. ABOUT YOU Strategic & Analytical Thinker You can see beyond individual channels and campaigns, connecting audience insights, cultural trends and business challenges to develop compelling strategic recommendations. You are comfortable with ambiguity, able to simplify complexity and confident in defending your point of view. Culturally Curious & Social Native You understand social platforms deeply, but your curiosity extends beyond them. You follow culture, communities, creators, entertainment, technology and consumer behaviour because you recognise their influence on how brands grow. Creative Strategic Partner You know how to inspire creative thinking through strong insights and strategic direction. You can collaborate effectively with creative agencies, media specialists and client teams, challenging ideas constructively without needing to own creative execution. Influential Leader You are confident presenting to senior stakeholders, navigating complex organisations and bringing different teams together around a shared strategic vision. You can challenge conventional thinking while maintaining strong relationships. Visionary but Pragmatic You bring ambitious ideas, but you also know how to make them happen. You can translate strategic thinking into clear frameworks, priorities and actionable recommendations. EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS
• 8+ years of relevant experience in social strategy, communications strategy, digital strategy or integrated brand planning, with demonstrable strategic leadership.
• Proven experience developing social strategies for major brands, ideally across multiple international markets.
• Strong portfolio of strategic work demonstrating original thinking, insight development and measurable impact.
• Experience advising senior marketing stakeholders and influencing strategic decisions.
• Deep understanding of social platforms, creator ecosystems, audience behaviour and cultural trends.
• Strong knowledge of paid, owned and earned social and how they contribute to integrated communications strategies.
• Proven ability to translate research, social listening and performance data into actionable strategic insights.
• Experience collaborating with creative agencies, media teams and multidisciplinary stakeholders.
• Experience developing strategic frameworks and guiding their implementation across markets.
• Strong presentation, storytelling and communication skills.
• Fluent English, written and spoken. Spanish is an advantage.
• Experience in automotive, premium brands, lifestyle or culturally driven challenger brands is desirable, but not essential. Above all, we are looking for someone who can make social a source of strategic competitive advantage for one of our key global brands, not simply another channel to manage.