Director, Social Media & Content

ACE Hardware•Oak Brook, IL

4d•$158,000 - $205,000

About The Position

About This Role The Director Digital Social Media (internally known as Director, Social Media & Content) position leads all aspects of Ace’s national and local (5,000+ stores) digital and social media efforts and assets. It sits squarely at the intersection of strategy, creative and customer obsession to lead how Ace Hardware and our stores show up socially and how our product offering sells through social platforms, both current and emerging. This position requires retail audience understanding and thrives at the intersection of brand and commerce by blending brand storytelling with performance marketing, overseeing a content ecosystem that drives meaningful engagement, builds community, and ultimately drives sales. The role will develop and guide the strategy and execution across social media, content, and emerging platforms with the focus of driving inspiration and sales. What You’ll Do Lead the strategy for social content and paid social media (Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, etc.) to grow community, deepen engagement, and drive omnichannel traffic. Develop a content calendar that supports seasonal campaigns, unique/innovative products, and retail moments, while maintaining an always-on brand presence. Define, develop and execute a content strategy that reflects our brand identity, values, and voice—tailored to resonate with our audience across platforms Build campaigns that inspire connection and spark conversation while naturally leading customers toward purchasing and/or visits Champion and optimize content that reflects both inspiration/lifestyle, product benefits and action that drives brand engagement and omni-channel traffic and sales Integrate shoppable features and frictionless shopping paths across content and platforms (e.g., Instagram Shop, TikTok Shop, UGC galleries, etc.). Establish, maintain and optimize all vendor relationships including SOCi, Sprinklr, Meta including Meta Business Manager, Tik Tok and any emerging platforms in which Ace should have a presence on Lead, coach, and develop a team of content creators and digital producers Define KPIs and goals across brand engagement, reach, CTR, conversion, and revenue Analyze content performance and audience insights to continuously evolve creative direction and campaign strategies Guide planned and real-time content creation and storytelling that keeps Ace culturally relevant and top of mind with consumers Lead strategic testing across content types and formats designed to deliver better results Lead cross-functional efforts with e-commerce, merchandising, creative, and paid media teams to align goals and strategies Partner with Public Relations team to identify and Manage influencer relationships and creative partners to ensure alignment with brand tone, values, and performance goals Who You Are The ideal candidate thrives at the intersection of brand and commerce, understands retail audiences deeply, and can lead a content team that creates with both heart and results in mind, while bringing proven expertise and knowledge of what content strategy and creative works for brands to drive meaningful sales.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in marketing, Communications, Journalism, or related field.
Minimum of 10 years of experience in digital marketing, content strategy, or social media, ideally in the retail, fashion, beauty, or consumer lifestyle space.
Proven success in creating, analyzing and optimizing content that builds brand affinity and drives measurable sales.
Deep understanding of social commerce platforms, digital retail trends, and omnichannel shopping behavior.
Strong leadership skills, with experience managing in-house and freelance content teams.
Proficiency in tools like Google Analytics, Meta Business Suite, SOCi or similar platforms.
Familiarity with video-first and mobile-first content creation for platforms like TikTok and Reels.
Excellent visual and editorial judgment with a portfolio of work that demonstrates brand-building and conversion-focused content.
Experience with influencer campaigns, affiliate marketing UGC

Responsibilities

Lead the strategy for social content and paid social media (Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, etc.) to grow community, deepen engagement, and drive omnichannel traffic.
Develop a content calendar that supports seasonal campaigns, unique/innovative products, and retail moments, while maintaining an always-on brand presence.
Define, develop and execute a content strategy that reflects our brand identity, values, and voice—tailored to resonate with our audience across platforms
Build campaigns that inspire connection and spark conversation while naturally leading customers toward purchasing and/or visits
Champion and optimize content that reflects both inspiration/lifestyle, product benefits and action that drives brand engagement and omni-channel traffic and sales
Integrate shoppable features and frictionless shopping paths across content and platforms (e.g., Instagram Shop, TikTok Shop, UGC galleries, etc.).
Establish, maintain and optimize all vendor relationships including SOCi, Sprinklr, Meta including Meta Business Manager, Tik Tok and any emerging platforms in which Ace should have a presence on
Lead, coach, and develop a team of content creators and digital producers
Define KPIs and goals across brand engagement, reach, CTR, conversion, and revenue
Analyze content performance and audience insights to continuously evolve creative direction and campaign strategies
Guide planned and real-time content creation and storytelling that keeps Ace culturally relevant and top of mind with consumers
Lead strategic testing across content types and formats designed to deliver better results
Lead cross-functional efforts with e-commerce, merchandising, creative, and paid media teams to align goals and strategies
Partner with Public Relations team to identify and Manage influencer relationships and creative partners to ensure alignment with brand tone, values, and performance goals

Benefits

Incentive opportunities, based on role/grade level (rapid company growth over the past 5 years resulted in incentives being paid out at an average of 122% of your target opportunity!)
Generous 401(k) retirement savings plan with a fully vested matching contribution the first year in addition to quarterly contributions and annual discretionary contribution (once eligibility requirements have been met).
Over the past 5 years, company contributions (matching, quarterly & discretionary) for fully eligible employees have averaged 10.4% of total eligible compensation.
Comprehensive health coverage (medical, dental, vision and disability – up to 26 weeks short-term disability and long-term disability) & life insurance benefits for you and your dependents
21 days of vacation immediately available (prorated in the first year) and up to 6 paid holidays depending on the month of hire
Your career at Ace is more than just a job. It’s a chance to be part of something meaningful.
We help locally-owned businesses thrive and make an impact in their communities – and we support our employees in doing the same by offering an annual Ace Cares Week, 20 hours off work per year to volunteer at an organization of your choice, opportunities to help Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and the Ace Helpful Fund through the Ace Foundation
Ace invests in every employee we hire, with a key focus on development and coaching. We offer on-site classes, facilitator-led courses, and a generous tuition assistance program, plus a performance management approach that goes beyond the typical annual review
We know the work environment matters. That’s why Ace holds frequent campus events like Employee Appreciation Week, vendor demos, cookouts, and merchandise sales
We bring them to you! Services such as mobile spas, auto maintenance, car wash and detailing, dry cleaning, dentists, eye doctors, flu shots, recycling and more!
Employee discounts on Ace merchandise (including top brands like Weber, Traeger, Yeti, Craftsman, DeWalt and more), travel, fitness, computers and thousands more
Birth/Adoption bonding paid time off
Adoption cost reimbursement
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) – access to free visits to therapists and lawyers, guidance on financial matters, elder and childcare, and assistance with tickets to entertainment events
Identity theft protection