Associate Director, Social & Culture lead

Social-first leadership. Commercial growth. Cultural impact.

We're looking for a culturally connected, socially obsessed and commercially ambitious Associate Director to help shape the next phase of growth for the agency.

This is a role for someone who lives at the intersection of culture, creativity and commerce. Someone who understands how brands earn attention, build communities and drive meaningful growth through social, influence, earned media and culture-led ideas.

ABOUT THE ROLE:

You'll be responsible for leading a portfolio of clients, growing revenue, building exceptional relationships and developing work that gets people talking. You'll bring fresh energy, entrepreneurial thinking and a relentless curiosity about what's next, spotting opportunities before clients do and turning them into impactful programmes, partnerships and business growth.

You'll be a natural connector, confident leader and persuasive storyteller, equally comfortable in a client boardroom, a new business pitch, a creative brainstorm or on the ground at a cultural moment.

Most importantly, we're looking for someone who doesn't wait for briefs. Someone who actively creates opportunities, opens doors and turns cultural insight into commercial success for both clients and the agency.

WHAT YOU'LL DO:

Grow the Business - Commercial leadership and agency growth

• Own a portfolio of clients, delivering against revenue, profitability, retention and growth targets.

• Develop proactive growth plans that identify opportunities across social, influencer,

• creator partnerships, earned media, content, experiential and integrated communications.

• Consistently uncover and convert opportunities for additional revenue by identifying business challenges and presenting creative, strategic solutions.

• Build trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders and become a valued commercial partner.

• Lead client forecasting, scoping and budgeting with confidence and accuracy.

• Understand the commercial drivers behind client businesses and proactively identify opportunities for growth.

• Work collaboratively across the wider agency to unlock new capabilities, drive cross-selling opportunities and create integrated solutions for clients.

• Take ownership of portfolio profitability while ensuring exceptional service and delivery.

• Play a leading role in agency marketing, networking, credentials, outreach and new business activity.

• Contribute to winning new clients through strategic thinking, creative development, pitch participation and relationship building.

• Act as an ambassador for the agency, building visibility, reputation and relationships across the industry.

Lead Great Work - Social-first ideas that earn attention

• Champion social-first thinking across all client programmes and agency initiatives.

• Stay ahead of platform innovation, creator culture, audience behaviours, consumer trends and emerging opportunities.

• Develop culturally relevant, conversation-driving ideas that connect brands with audiences in meaningful ways.

• Collaborate closely with strategists, creatives and specialists to shape impactful campaigns and content ecosystems.

• Identify proactive opportunities that help clients stay relevant in culture and ahead of competitors.

• Lead integrated activity spanning social media, influencer marketing, PR, content, partnerships and experiential.

• Ensure all work is insight-led, creatively ambitious and strategically robust.

• Champion excellence across campaign development, production and delivery.

• Bring a strong understanding of how social, influencer, earned media and content work together to deliver measurable business outcomes.

• Lead or play a senior role in the development of new business strategy, creative ideas and pitch responses.

Build Relationships - Trusted advisor. Natural connector.

• Develop strong and lasting relationships with clients, creators, partners, media and industry stakeholders.

• Become a go-to source of advice on culture, social media, communications and brand relevance.

• Inspire confidence through thoughtful counsel, creative problem solving and commercial acumen.

• Elevate conversations beyond campaign delivery, focusing on innovation, long-term growth and broader business objectives.

• Create opportunities through networking and relationship building that generate value for both clients and the agency.

• Champion collaboration and knowledge sharing internally and externally.

Support and Inspire People - Building high-performing teams

• Lead, mentor and develop account teams, helping individuals build confidence, skills and career progression.

• Foster an inclusive, ambitious and supportive working environment where great ideas can come from anyone.

• Maintain visibility of team workload, wellbeing and development needs.

• Play an active role in recruitment, onboarding and talent development.

• Encourage curiosity, creativity and continuous learning throughout the team.

• Lead by example, creating a culture that is hardworking, collaborative, positive and fun.

• Help shape agency culture and contribute to making the agency an exciting place to build a career.

ABOUT YOU:

What Success Looks Like - The ideal candidate will:

• Be genuinely passionate about social media, culture, creativity and audience behaviour.

• Have a strong understanding of how brands grow through conversation, community and cultural relevance.

• Be entrepreneurial, proactive and excited by commercial opportunities.

• Bring fresh thinking, positive energy and a growth mindset to every challenge.

• Be naturally curious about trends, platforms, creators and emerging cultural movements.

• Have outstanding presentation, storytelling and influencing skills.

• Be confident leading client conversations, workshops, creative sessions and pitch presentations.

• Have experience delivering integrated campaigns across social, influencer, content and earned channels.

• Deep, demonstrable knowledge of major social media and community platforms (e.g., TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, YouTube, X, etc.), including their current algorithms, advertising mechanisms, and content best practices.

• Hands-on experience with a range of social listening and audience tools, such as Brandwatch, CreateiQ, GWI, Klear, Meltwater, Mintel, Quid, SEMrush, SimilarWeb, YouGov and similar platforms.

• Understand how to balance creativity with commercial objectives.

• Be comfortable identifying opportunities, opening conversations and contributing directly to agency growth.

• Thrive in fast-moving environments and enjoy turning ambiguity into action.

• Demonstrate exceptional emotional intelligence, leadership and relationship-building skills.

• Take ownership, inspire those around them and consistently raise the standard of work.

What you'll bring:

Significant experience leading social, influencer, earned media or integrated communications programmes.

• Strong understanding of platform ecosystems, creator communities and cultural trends.

• Proven experience managing senior client relationships and commercial conversations.

• Experience developing and delivering successful growth plans for existing clients.

• Strong strategic thinking combined with a practical understanding of content, communications and campaign delivery.

• Experience contributing to or leading new business opportunities and pitches.

• Excellent organisational and project management skills.

• Strong commercial awareness, including budgeting, forecasting and profitability management.

• Extensive knowledge of the UK media, creator and cultural landscape, with relevant industry relationships a strong advantage.

• Comfortable balancing hands-on client leadership with agency growth responsibilities.

WHAT YOU’LL GET:

For the right candidate, we will offer a competitive salary and benefits package which includes 27 days annual holiday, private healthcare, employer contributory pension, life assurance and income protection. We also offer a host of benefits that support wellbeing including subsidised gym membership, whilst our commitment to Diversity and Inclusion sees us offer learning opportunities around D&I, mentoring programmes and the opportunity for all to participate in a number of active Employee Led Networks and associated events. Finally, this role will be supported with all the necessary personal development required to set someone up for success.

ABOUT M+C SAATCHI GROUP

M+C Saatchi Group has pledged its commitment to create a company that values difference, with an inclusive culture. As part of this M+C Saatchi Group continues to be an Equal Opportunity Employer which does not and shall not discriminate, celebrates diversity and bases all hiring and promotion decisions solely on merit, without regard for any personal characteristics.

If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment and selection process, please make us aware as part of your application.

All employee information is kept confidential according to General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).