Group Director, Strategy

DEPT®•New York, NY

1d•$176,300 - $225,000•Remote

About The Position

DEPT® is seeking a Group Strategy Director, an executive leader who will serve as the strategic architect of their social media practice. This role operates at the intersection of creative breakthrough and performance excellence, balancing long-term brand-building initiatives with the agility required for real-time social planning and cultural responsiveness. The position requires deep, hands-on experience in social media strategy and execution across global and regional social presences. The Group Strategy Director will lead the development of integrated cross-channel social ecosystems, manage and elevate a team of social strategists and community managers, and build strong partnerships with social platform representatives. Reporting to the VP, Strategy, this role will be responsible for both creative and performance aspects of social work, partnering with Creative Directors on creative concepts and collaborating with paid media and data intelligence teams for optimization and measurable business impact.

Requirements

10+ years of social media strategy experience with proven track record developing and executing social strategies across all major platforms (Meta/Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, X, etc.), with minimum 5 years leading social strategy teams for global brands
Deep platform fluency and cultural expertise: Expert-level understanding of social platform mechanics, algorithms, and content formats, combined with active engagement in both mainstream and niche cultural trends, internet subcultures, and emerging social communities
Cross-channel ecosystem expertise with proven ability to build integrated social strategies across multiple platforms while maintaining platform-specific approaches, including strong track record guiding editorial calendar planning and always-on social programming
Experience with global brands operating across regional markets, including understanding the complexities of centralized brand strategy with decentralized regional execution and fluency in regional platform preferences and cultural sensitivities
Established relationships with social platform representatives (Meta, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc.) with proven ability to leverage these partnerships for beta access, early feature adoption, and strategic platform guidance
Track record balancing long-term brand-building initiatives with real-time social planning, including crisis response, cultural moment activation, and agile content creation
Demonstrated experience leading and developing senior social strategists, community managers, and social creative talent, with proven ability to manage multi-disciplinary teams and elevate both creative craft and strategic rigor
Exceptional client-facing communication skills with specific experience advising CMOs and brand leaders on comprehensive social media strategy, platform trends, and social ROI, comfortable leading C-level discussions and facilitating high-impact strategic sessions
Expertise in social-first creative briefing methodologies with ability to translate cultural insights and audience intelligence into compelling platform-native strategic narratives that inspire creative teams
Strong collaborative skills working across paid media and data intelligence teams, with understanding of social performance measurement and ability to translate insights into creative strategy while respecting distinct ownership of paid activation and analytics

Responsibilities

Lead the development of comprehensive cross-channel social media strategy roadmaps that balance long-term brand-building objectives with real-time social planning capabilities—integrating cultural relevance, platform-native creative innovation, and performance optimization across all major platforms
Partner closely with Creative Directors and social creative teams to translate complex brand challenges into inspiring, platform-specific creative briefs designed for both breakthrough social impact and systematic testing
Guide the development of editorial calendars, content frameworks, and always-on social programming that maintains strategic coherence while allowing for cultural agility and real-time responsiveness
Stay at the forefront of both broad and niche cultural trends—maintaining deep cultural fluency across mainstream movements, internet subcultures, emerging communities, and platform-specific trends to ensure our social work remains authentically relevant
Build and maintain strategic partnerships with social platform representatives (Meta, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc.) to gain early access to platform updates, beta features, new ad products, and exclusive opportunities that give clients competitive advantages
Navigate the complexities of global brand social presence across diverse regional markets, developing frameworks that balance centralized brand governance with decentralized regional execution to ensure both consistency and local cultural authenticity
Collaborate closely with paid media teams to ensure organic social strategy aligns with paid activation, providing strategic guidance that informs media planning while respecting the distinct ownership of paid execution
Partner with data intelligence teams to define social performance measurement strategies that connect creative quality metrics to business outcomes, translating performance insights into actionable creative strategy
Own senior-level client relationships as the trusted social media strategy advisor, facilitating high-impact workshops and leading conversations across organic social, community management, and influencer strategy
Drive thought leadership on emerging social formats, platform innovations, and the evolving creator economy—positioning DEPT as a leader in the convergence of social creative excellence and performance
Manage, mentor, and elevate social strategists and community managers, building team capacity for both platform-native creative craft and strategic rigor
Establish clear accountability structures and performance metrics across the social strategy team, ensuring strategic objectives are achieved across key accounts while providing guidance on resourcing and operational effectiveness