Social Strategy Director (Mat Cover - 13 months)

STRATEGY, DATA & SOCIAL TEAM AT 1000HEADS

The Strategy, Data & Social team at 1000heads answers critical questions that begin with WHY, are validated by WHAT the data tells us, and are delivered through HOW brands show up on social.

If you are curious by nature, driven to uncover meaningful insights, enjoy connecting data with creativity, and thrive on turning complexity into clear, engaging direction, you'll fit right in.

The team is embedded within account teams across the agency, ensuring strategy, insight, and social expertise are applied at every key stage of the work, including:

Strategic content, media, and campaign planning
Audience definition, segmentation, and targeting
Insight generation and data analysis to inform ideation
Trend analysis, social listening, and cultural understanding
Platform, channel, and social editorial expertise
Client workshops, strategic frameworks, and alignment sessions
KPI definition, measurement frameworks, and success metrics
Paid media planning, activation, and optimisation
Post-campaign evaluation, learning, and optimisation

In addition to integrated account support, the team delivers bespoke strategic engagements designed to help clients better understand their audience, brand, category, and social performance, combining strategic thinking, data-driven insight, and social-first expertise to drive stronger business outcomes.

SUMMARY OF THE ROLE WE’RE LOOKING TO FILL AT 1000HEADS APAC

1000heads APAC is looking for an experienced Social Strategy Director to lead our Strategy, Data & Social function across the region during a 13-month maternity leave cover period.

This role acts as the strategic lead for the agency, overseeing a team of Social Strategists and Social Creative Specialists while serving as the senior strategic advisor to both clients and internal teams.

You will be responsible for shaping the strategic direction of the agency's work, ensuring excellence across all strategic output, and driving the integration of social-first thinking throughout client engagements. You will lead the development of innovative strategies, frameworks, and approaches that help clients navigate an increasingly complex social landscape.

As department lead, you'll oversee team development, resource planning, capability growth, and ways of working. You'll partner closely with Client Services, Creative, Media and Leadership teams to ensure strategy is embedded across the agency and consistently delivers commercial value.

Beyond client work, you'll play a critical role in the future growth of the business, contributing to new business opportunities, thought leadership, product development, and agency positioning. You will be a trusted strategic voice within the leadership team, helping steer agency direction and identify opportunities for growth and innovation.

This role offers the opportunity to shape the future of social strategy at 1000heads APAC while leading strategic partnerships with some of the world's most recognised brands.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Department leadership & team management

Lead and manage the Strategy, Data & Social team across APAC
Set strategic standards, methodologies, and best practices across the department
Oversee workload management, team utilisation, and resource allocation
Mentor and develop strategists and social creative specialists, supporting career growth and capability development
Foster a culture of curiosity, collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning
Drive recruitment (if needed), onboarding, and succession planning where required
Champion strategic excellence and ensure quality control across all outputs

Strategic leadership

Act as the agency's senior strategic authority and trusted advisor
Lead the development of complex social-first strategies, communications frameworks, and audience approaches
Guide strategic thinking across integrated campaigns, always-on social programs, and bespoke consultancy projects
Ensure all strategic recommendations are grounded in insight, audience understanding, cultural relevance, and measurable business outcomes
Lead workshops, stakeholder alignment sessions, and strategic planning engagements

Client leadership & strategic counsel

Build trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders
Act as executive strategic lead across key agency accounts
Present strategic recommendations and thought leadership to C-suite and senior decision makers
Provide proactive strategic guidance that helps clients solve business challenges through social and digital channels
Identify opportunities to expand strategic scope and deepen client partnerships

Research, insights & measurement

Oversee the development of insight led strategies informed by social listening, research, audience analysis, and performance data
Ensure robust measurement frameworks are in place across all client programmes
Drive innovation in reporting, insight generation, and strategic effectiveness measurement
Champion the use of data and evidence based decision making throughout the agency
Stay ahead of platform evolution, consumer behaviour shifts, and emerging trends

New business & agency growth

Play a leadership role in agency new business efforts
Lead strategic responses to RFPs, pitches, and growth opportunities
Develop compelling strategic narratives and agency propositions
Identify emerging market opportunities and areas for service expansion
Contribute to agency thought leadership, marketing initiatives, and industry visibility
Partner with leadership to help shape the future direction of the business

Cross functional leadership

Partner closely with Client Services, Creative, and Production teams
Ensure strategic alignment across all client work and agency initiatives
Support integrated planning and collaboration across disciplines
Advocate for social-first thinking throughout the agency
Act as a key member of the APAC leadership team

Your first priority will be to do your job to the best of your abilities. Your second priority will be to help those around you to do their job to the best of their abilities.

This job description is not intended to cover everything that will be expected of you but rather to act as a guide and you may be required to get involved in other and reasonable ad hoc projects.

Requirements

10+ years experience in social strategy, communications planning, and insight-led consulting roles
Proven experience leading high-performing teams
Strong commercial acumen and experience contributing to business growth
Demonstrated success leading major client relationships and influencing senior stakeholders
Deep expertise across social platforms, audience behaviour, culture, and digital ecosystems
Exceptional strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities
Outstanding storytelling, presentation, and workshop facilitation skills
Strong understanding of research methodologies, social listening, audience analysis, and measurement frameworks
Experience developing agency-wide strategic frameworks, products, or methodologies
Ability to balance strategic leadership, people management, and commercial priorities
Confidence operating at both a high-level business perspective and detailed strategic execution level
Experience working within agency environments across multiple clients and industries
Passion for mentoring and developing talent

Benefits

About 1000HEADS

1000heads combines expertise in data & analytics, strategy, technology and creativity to help the world’s best businesses build Social Age brands. 1000heads provides a fully integrated, end-to-end Social Transformation™ proposition to blue-chip clients encompassing data & analytics, strategy and implementation. 1000heads has a global footprint, employing over 200 people across 12 offices in London, New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Bogota, Sydney, Melbourne, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, Paris and Berlin. 1000heads’ clients include Alphabet, Keurig, The North Face, San Pellegrino, Amazon, Cisco, and Diageo.

1000heads is an Equal Opportunities Employer, we are passionately committed to working together to promote an inclusive environment which celebrates and promotes diversity. We are committed to our belief that diversity in our team generates better and bolder ideas, creativity, understanding and respect. We welcome applicants irrespective of age, sex, race, ethnicity, disability and other factors that have no bearing on an individual’s ability to perform their job.

For more information on 1000heads, visit 1000heads.com.