Director, Social Media & Influencer Marketing

Kinder's•Walnut Creek, CA

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking an experienced and creative Director of Social Media & Influencer Marketing to join our dynamic marketing team. This role sits at the intersection of creative, social media, and influencer strategy — leading social storytelling, creator relationships, and a social-first creative engine across Kinder’s, Spanglish Asazón, and Bare Bones Bone Broth. You will manage a team of social media managers and community staff, set the strategic direction for each brand, and bring an uncompromising editor’s eye to every piece of content — from a lo-fi TikTok to a high-production campaign. We are looking for someone who transforms brand objectives into cultural moments and drives both brand heat and commercial success across the full social ecosystem.

Requirements

10-12+ years of marketing experience, with at least 8+ years specifically leading social media and influencer functions, and 5+ years managing and developing teams (agency or in-house).
Proven track record leading social and influencer programs across multiple brands simultaneously, maintaining distinct voices, strategies, and KPIs for each.
Deep familiarity with retail-driven, consumer-packaged goods marketing rhythms — including seasonal programming, retailer support, and product launches.
Exceptional creative sensibility with an uncompromising standard for content quality.
Hands-on experience managing creator programs through platforms such as GRIN, Aspire, CreatorIQ, Tribe Dynamics, Dash Hudson, or similar tools.
Fluent across nano, micro, and macro influencer tiers.
Comprehensive knowledge of paid social, organic social, influencer seeding, and affiliate strategies, with a clear understanding of how to drive both brand awareness and commercial conversion.
Deep understanding of FTC guidelines and influencer contracting.
Strong analytical abilities with a track record of using data to report on and optimize performance.
Comfortable building and presenting performance narratives for senior leadership.
Exceptional communication skills with the ability to articulate a creative vision to senior stakeholders, sell breakthrough concepts into executive leadership, and navigate a complex, cross-functional organization.
Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple campaigns and workstreams across multiple brands simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
Implements efficient internal and external workflows to achieve the highest quality output at speed.
Strong negotiation skills for influencer contracts, agency partnerships, deliverables, and rates.
Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Public Relations, or a related field.
Agency experience welcome — especially candidates who have successfully transitioned in-house and know how to run lean with high creative output.
A social-first, viral thinker who is obsessed with trending aesthetics and the mechanics of digital storytelling.
Growth mindset with an excitement to learn, teach, and push the creative work forward.
Demonstrated leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills across multiple functions.
Strong collaboration skills and ability to work in a fast-paced, team-oriented, matrixed environment.
Entrepreneurial spirit with the ability to work through ambiguity and act as a change agent.
Passionate people-leader who builds trust with teammates, creators, and consumers alike.
Long-term thinker capable of driving alignment around a vision while making smart near-term decisions.
Proactive ownership mindset — takes full accountability for brand social health and community sentiment.
Self-starter who takes initiative, speaks their mind, and pushes back constructively.
Excited to be part of a fast-moving team with the ability to be a leader and a follower where required.

Nice To Haves

Fashion, lifestyle, or culture-forward brand experience also a strong fit.

Responsibilities

Build a multi-brand, multi-channel social media strategy across Kinder’s, Spanglish Asazón, and Bare Bones Bone Broth that prioritizes storytelling and ensures each brand is a leading voice in its conversation.
Lead the concepting and execution of high-impact, social-first campaigns and seasonal storytelling that build brand love and drive organic reach.
Partner with Studio and Brand teams to develop content with exceptional taste and visual excellence, acting as the final editorial eye for execution and brand DNA.
Influence annual planning at the inception stage, ensuring social-first assets are concepted and captured before the season begins.
Manage, mentor, and inspire a high-performing team of social media managers and community staff.
Facilitate a culture of creative risk-taking and agility.
Set clear direction, provide ongoing feedback, and develop individual contributors who do exceptional work.
Own the end-to-end influencer marketing strategy across all three brands — including creator identification and recruitment, relationship management, campaign design, contract negotiation, content briefing, product seeding, approvals, and performance tracking.
Build and nurture a creator community that becomes authentic brand advocates.
Oversee community management operations for all brands — setting standards for response time, brand voice, escalation protocols, and brand love moments.
Champion UGC and use social listening and advanced analytics to surface consumer insights that optimize content strategy and ROI.
Serve as the social subject matter expert for the organization.
Partner with Brand, Creative, eCommerce, Customer Marketing, and Consumer Love teams to ensure social and influencer content is cohesive, on-brand, and fully integrated into broader marketing initiatives.
Communicate strategy and seasonal plans effectively to drive total alignment.
Develop social and influencer activations designed to support key retail partners, driving both online traffic and in-store engagement.
Partner cross-functionally to execute launch events and experiential activations that translate digital buzz into real-world brand relationships.
Establish clear KPIs and benchmarks for all social programming.
Own monthly and quarterly reporting — synthesizing organic, paid, and creator data into clear performance narratives and data-driven recommendations for senior leadership.
Oversee the social media and influencer marketing budgets across all three brands, managing relationships with external agencies and platform partners (e.g., GRIN, Aspire) to ensure maximum efficiency and output.
Maintain a proactive mindset to address cultural shifts and platform changes before they arise.
Stay ahead of algorithm updates, trending aesthetics, competitor activity, and emerging formats — and bring those insights to the broader team consistently.