Department: Media, Social Media
Director, Social Media
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Job Summary
The Director of Paid Social Media is a senior leadership role responsible for setting the strategic vision, overseeing execution, and driving performance across all paid social media initiatives. Reporting directly to the VP of Social, this client-facing role serves as the primary paid social subject‑matter expert and strategic lead, partnering closely with Strategy, Client Services, Analytics, and Creative to ensure paid social programs deliver against client business objectives.
This position is designed for a highly experienced, data‑driven leader with deep platform expertise, strong people management skills, and a proven ability to translate complex performance data into clear strategic direction for both internal teams and clients. The Director will oversee a team of social specialists, guide test‑and‑learn roadmaps, and help evolve paid social offerings in line with platform innovation and client needs.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership & Vision
- Own the overarching paid social strategy across clients, ensuring alignment with client business goals and broader integrated media strategies.
- Act as a senior thought leader for paid social, staying ahead of platform updates, automation and AI advancements, and industry best practices, and translating these into actionable recommendations.
- Lead the development of learning agendas, test‑and‑learn frameworks, and innovation roadmaps to continuously advance paid social performance.
- Leverages cross-channel performance insights (beyond paid social)
Client Partnership & Communication
- Serve as a senior client contact for paid social, providing strategic guidance, performance narratives, and recommendations.
- Partner with Client Services and Strategy to shape paid social approaches during onboarding, annual planning, and key moments throughout the year.
- Confidently present performance insights, optimizations, and forward‑looking strategies to clients and internal stakeholders.
- Partners with channel leads to deliver integrated, data-driven recommendations that maximize overall client impact
Team Leadership & Development
- Manage, mentor, and develop a team of paid social specialists to ensuring high‑quality execution, strategic growth, and clear career progression.
- Establish best practices, workflows, and quality standards across the paid social team.
- Provide ongoing coaching and performance feedback, fostering a collaborative, accountable, and growth‑oriented team culture.
Campaign Oversight & Optimization
- Oversee the planning, execution, and optimization of paid social campaigns across platforms including Meta (Facebook & Instagram), LinkedIn, TikTok, and emerging channels as relevant.
- Ensure budgets are strategically allocated and actively optimized to maximize ROI and achieve client KPIs.
- Guide advanced audience strategies, including first‑ and third‑party data usage, platform AI solutions, and targeting innovation.
Measurement, Reporting & Insights
- Partner with Strategy and Analytics to define success metrics, reporting frameworks, and performance benchmarks.
- Translate campaign data into clear, actionable insights that inform optimization decisions and future strategy.
- Ensure reporting outputs clearly communicate impact, learnings, and next steps to both internal teams and clients.
Qualifications
- 7+ years of experience in paid social media strategy, activation, and optimization, with demonstrated leadership responsibility.
- Proven track record of building and scaling paid social programs that drive brand awareness, engagement, and performance outcomes.
- Deep hands‑on expertise across major paid social platforms, with a strong understanding of platform algorithms, automation, and best practices.
- Experience managing and developing high‑performing teams.
- Strong analytical mindset with the ability to interpret complex data and translate it into strategic direction.
- Proficiency with paid social and analytics tools such as Meta and LinkedIn ad platforms, Excel, Tableau, Google Analytics, and similar reporting solutions.
- Experience managing and optimizing sizable budgets across multiple clients or brands.
- Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills.
- Pharma experience is preferred but not required.
Why This Role Matters
The Director of Paid Social Media plays a critical role in shaping how paid social drives impact our clients. This role bridges strategy and execution, ensuring best‑in‑class performance today while building scalable, future‑ready paid social capabilities for tomorrow.
Underscore Marketing is a woman-owned, independent agency specializing in life sciences. Since 2002, we've helped clients gain a competitive edge through bold, data-driven promotional strategies that deliver measurable results. Our team comprises media, strategy, and omnichannel analytics experts who thrive on collaboration, innovation, and results. When you join Underscore, you become part of a dynamic environment where your ideas matter, your growth is supported, and your work helps elevate brands in a competitive healthcare landscape.
If you're passionate about making a difference and want to be part of a team that values integrity, creativity, and results, if that sounds like you, we invite you to share.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
Underscore is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. We believe that diversity drives innovation and success, and we welcome candidates from all backgrounds to apply.