Head of Next Gen Social

Dentsu Group Inc•New York, NY

63d

About The Position

Dentsu is an integrated growth and transformation partner to the world's leading organizations. Founded in 1901 in Tokyo, Japan, and now present in over 145 countries and regions, it has a proven track record of nurturing and developing innovations, combining the talents of its global network of leadership brands to develop impactful and integrated growth solutions for clients. Dentsu delivers end-to-end experience transformation (EX) by integrating its services across Media, CXM and Creative, while its business transformation (BX) mindset pushes the boundaries of transformation and sustainable growth for brands, people and society. Role The Head of Next Gen Social will spearhead dentsu's next-generation social offering, unifying Media, Creative, Production, and Creator Strategy into one powerful, holistic solution for clients. This executive role is pivotal to dentsu's strategic growth and innovation agenda, bridging historically siloed disciplines to meet the evolving needs of the algorithmic, community-driven social era. The Head of Next Gen Social will define and drive a vision that elevates dentsu as a thought leader in social, delivers integrated client value, and future-proofs our business against competitors' advances. In essence, this leader ensures "one dentsu" delivers a unified social strategy - inspiring our teams and clients to embrace a new model where media, content, influencers, and technology work in concert to drive brand growth.

Requirements

Executive Leadership in Marketing: 15+ years of experience in digital marketing, media, or creative industries, with at least 5 years in senior executive roles leading multi-disciplinary teams or practices.
Demonstrated success in building and scaling an offering or business unit (e.g. launching a new service, integrating capabilities across an organization).
Experience in both media and creative/content environments is strongly preferred, as is prior P&L responsibility for an integrated product or service.
Deep knowledge of the social media and influencer marketing ecosystem, including platforms (Facebook/Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter/X, emerging channels), content trends, creator economy dynamics, and paid media strategies.
Understands the interplay between paid, owned, and earned media and how to optimize each within a unified strategy-to-date on algorithm changes, social commerce, community-building, and the tools/technologies that drive social marketing (analytics, social listening, creator management tools, etc.).
Proven ability to engage at C-suite level with global clients.
Must be a confident communicator and advisor to CMOs/CEOs, able to translate complex social strategies into business outcomes.
Exceptional presentation and storytelling skills are required - this leader can command a boardroom, inspire confidence, and credibly challenge clients' thinking to elevate their approach track record of leading major pitch wins or consulting engagements with Senior client stakeholders is essential.
Exceptional leadership abilities to inspire and manage large, diverse teams.
Capable of setting clear direction and motivating cross-functional groups to rally around a common purpose.
Strong change management skills to drive organizational transformation - able to navigate complexity and ambiguity while bringing others along. A track record of fostering collaborative, high-performance cultures that break down silos is important.
Must be adept at working across matrixed organizations and influencing senior peers and stakeholders without direct authority.
Commercially savvy, with experience growing revenue streams and improving profitability.
Comfortable developing business cases, investment plans, and performance dashboards.
Data-driven and outcome-focused, continually seeking to measure and optimize the impact of social 4 initiatives on business metrics (ROI, customer acquisition, brand lift, etc.).
Able to prioritize opportunities that drive meaningful progress for clients and for dentsu, balancing quick wins with long-term strategic bets.
Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, or related field required.

Nice To Haves

Experience in both media and creative/content environments is strongly preferred, as is prior P&L responsibility for an integrated product or service.
Experience driving innovation programs or thought leadership initiatives (e.g. published POVs, speaking at industry events) is a plus.
The ideal candidate anticipates industry shifts (e.g. the rise of AI in social, new platform monetization models) and has the vision to position an organization ahead of the curve.
Entrepreneurial mindset with a willingness to challenge the status quo and incubate new approaches.
MBA or other advanced degree is a plus.
Relevant executive education or certifications in digital/social strategy, innovation, or leadership will be considered favorably.

Responsibilities

Strategic Vision & Roadmap: Develop and articulate a multi-year strategy for Next Gen Social that aligns with dentsu's global vision. Envision how social, influencer, and content trends will evolve over the next 2-3 years and set highimpact priorities to capitalize on them. This includes defining the "Total Social" operating model and innovation roadmap (e.g. unified platform for social strategy, creator management, and measurement).
Integrated Offering Leadership: Lead the unification of Media, Creative, Influencer, and Production teams into a seamless offering. Break down organizational barriers and P&L silos to enable one coordinated practice. Build workflows and processes so that paid, organic, and influencer strategies are planned and executed holistically, delivering social-first solutions without the restrictions of separate departments.
Team Building & Talent Development: Build and manage a high-performing cross-functional team for Next Gen Social, Influencer, and Creator strategy. This includes hiring and mentoring key direct reports, such as the Next Gen Social Strategy & Growth Lead and Ops & Tech Lead, as well as providing dotted-line leadership to regional social leads. Champion upskilling programs to cross-train talent in media and creative on integrated social tactics. Nurture future leaders by coaching teams across disciplines, fostering an inclusive culture that values diverse talent and perspectives.
Product & Partnership Development: Oversee the development of dentsu's Next Gen Social "product" - including tools, data partnerships, and processes that differentiate our offering. Identify and forge strategic partnerships with social platforms and technology providers (e.g. SaaS tools for creator discovery, social listening, and measurement). Ensure dentsu is leveraging best-in-class tech (or "building, borrowing, buying" as needed) to deliver cutting-edge capabilities to clients.
Client Engagement & Growth: Act as executive sponsor and thought leader in key client engagements, especially with C-suite stakeholders. Confidently present the Next Gen Social, Influencer, Creator strategy vision to client CMOs and CEOs, demonstrating how an audience-centric, integrated social approach drives business results (e.g. higher ROI, greater brand relevance). Deepen relationships with top clients by providing social strategy advisory, provoking new thinking, and co-creating innovative campaigns that span media and content. Lead business development for social - partnering with account teams to win new clients and organically grow existing ones by packaging dentsu's unified Social, Influencer, Creator strategy capabilities.
Thought Leadership & Profile: Serve as the public face of dentsu's social innovation. Represent the organization at industry forums, conferences, and in the press as a visionary on next-gen social trends. Publish or speak about dentsu's POV on the future of social (community algorithms, influencer marketing at scale, social commerce, etc.), thereby enhancing dentsu's reputation and attracting clients. Internally, drive a thought leadership agenda (whitepapers, case studies, best practices) to transform client thinking and ensure dentsu is seen as leading - not following - in the Social, Influencer, Creator strategy space.
Cross-Service Collaboration: Work closely with other senior leaders across Media, Creative, and CXM service lines to ensure Next Gen Social integrates with and amplifies our broader offerings. Align with dentsu's Global Practice Presidents and account leadership to embed social strategies into integrated client plans, creating a truly connected "full funnel" approach. Champion radical collaboration by actively connecting networks, sharing talent and resources across teams, and cultivating a one-team mentality in pursuit of client success.
Performance & Operational Management: Establish KPIs and success metrics for the Next Gen Social, Influencer, Creator strategy capability and track performance across markets. Examples include growth in social media-related revenue, improvement in campaign ROI, client retention, and internal adoption of social tools. Oversee operational initiatives (frameworks, process improvements) that drive efficiency and quality in delivery. Course-correct and adapt strategy based on results, maintaining agility in a fast-changing social landscape. Ensure 3 governance and accountability for this new practice, including reporting progress to executive stakeholders regularly.

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