Associate Director of Cultural Strategy

Fact & Fiction•Kansas City, MO

About The Position

Fact & Fiction is seeking an Associate Director of Cultural Strategy to lead its social practice and help clients participate in culture in ways that feel real and relevant. The role sits within the Strategy discipline and reports to the Senior Director of Cultural Strategy. It leads a team responsible for social strategy, community management, reporting, trend spotting and conversation intelligence, connecting that work to ideas that earn attention and demonstrate cultural fluency. The Associate Director will establish standards for planning, creating and measuring social work across clients; bring cultural insights and human truths into briefs; and partner with strategy, creative and influencer teams to develop ideas that resonate and travel. The role also serves as a trusted strategic voice for clients, translates reporting into recommendations, contributes to new business, mentors and develops the team, and helps build the practice as it grows. The position evaluates and integrates AI, social listening and analytics tools and develops repeatable frameworks for trend spotting, conversation analysis and social measurement.

Requirements

At least 6 years of experience in social strategy, with at least 2 years leading or mentoring a team (the posting labels this level as a placeholder to confirm).
Agency experience, or brand-side experience leading social for a national or global brand.
A portfolio of social- and culture-driven work that can be presented, including its underlying insight and results.
Fluency in social listening, analytics and reporting tools, and curiosity about the development of AI tools.
Strong writing and presentation skills, including the ability to make complex ideas simple and compelling.
A builder's mindset and willingness to work hands-on rather than only oversee.

Responsibilities

Lead the day-to-day social practice, including social strategy, community management, reporting, trend spotting and conversation intelligence.
Set standards for planning, creating and measuring social work across every client.
Partner with the Senior Director of Cultural Strategy to package, sell, staff and deliver the practice as it grows.
Bring cultural developments and human truths into briefs.
Collaborate with strategy, creative and influencer partners to build ideas that earn attention and travel.
Connect social insights with Culturistics and audience intelligence work.
Provide the team with direction, regular feedback and growth paths; help shape hiring, team structure and team rituals.
Advise clients on how their brands can show up in social and culture.
Turn reporting into recommendations that explain what was learned, why it matters and what to do next.
Contribute social and cultural thinking to new business pitches.
Evaluate and integrate AI, listening and analytics tools to improve the team's work.
Develop repeatable frameworks for trend spotting, conversation analysis and social measurement.
Mentor the team and help raise the quality of its work.