Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Head of Social Media

🎯 Role Definition

The Head of Social Media is a strategic leadership role responsible for defining and driving the organization's entire social media presence and digital voice. This individual is the chief architect of the brand's online narrative, tasked with building and nurturing vibrant communities, enhancing brand reputation, and translating social media engagement into measurable business impact. At the heart of this role is the fusion of creative storytelling, data-driven strategy, and inspirational team leadership. The Head of Social Media acts as the central hub for all social initiatives, collaborating across departments like marketing, sales, PR, and customer service to ensure a cohesive and compelling brand experience across all digital touchpoints. This role is pivotal in navigating the ever-evolving social landscape, identifying emerging trends, and positioning the company as an innovative leader in its industry.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Senior Social Media Manager
Content Strategy Director
Digital Marketing Manager

Advancement To:

Director of Marketing / Senior Director of Marketing
VP of Digital Strategy
Head of Brand or Chief Brand Officer

Lateral Moves:

Head of Content Strategy
Director of Communications
Head of Digital Experience

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop and execute a comprehensive, global social media strategy that aligns with overarching business objectives, brand positioning, and key marketing campaigns.
Lead, mentor, and scale a high-performing team of social media managers, content creators, and community specialists, fostering a culture of innovation, creativity, and continuous professional growth.
Own the master social media content calendar, overseeing the planning, creation, and distribution of engaging, high-quality content tailored to each platform's unique audience and algorithm.
Establish and manage the annual social media budget, including allocations for paid media, creator partnerships, technology platforms, and team resources, ensuring a strong return on investment.
Define and track a robust set of KPIs and performance metrics, delivering regular, insightful reports to executive leadership on channel performance, audience growth, engagement rates, and campaign outcomes.
Act as the organization's primary expert on all social media platforms, staying ahead of algorithm changes, new features, and emerging platforms to capitalize on new opportunities.
Oversee the company's social listening and community management framework, ensuring timely and on-brand responses to customer inquiries, feedback, and comments.
Forge and maintain strong relationships with key industry influencers, creators, and brand advocates to amplify our message and build authentic partnerships.
Partner closely with the PR and Corporate Communications teams to develop and implement a proactive crisis management protocol for social media, safeguarding brand reputation.
Drive the strategy for paid social advertising campaigns, from audience targeting and creative development to budget optimization and performance analysis, in collaboration with the performance marketing team.
Champion a "test and learn" mindset within the team, constantly experimenting with new content formats, posting schedules, and engagement tactics to optimize performance.
Direct the social media component of major product launches, brand campaigns, and corporate announcements, ensuring a cohesive and impactful digital rollout.
Ensure all social media activities are compliant with legal guidelines, advertising standards, and company policies.
Serve as a key cross-functional leader, collaborating with product, sales, customer support, and HR to source stories and support their departmental goals through social channels.
Evaluate and manage the social media technology stack, including scheduling, listening, and analytics tools (e.g., Sprinklr, Khoros, Sprout Social, Brandwatch), to enhance team efficiency and capabilities.
Translate complex data and social media trends into actionable insights and strategic recommendations for senior stakeholders.

Secondary Functions

Support cross-functional partners with ad-hoc social listening reports and audience sentiment analysis to inform broader business decisions.
Contribute thought leadership to the organization's overall digital marketing strategy and long-term brand roadmap.
Collaborate with the creative and brand teams to ensure all social media content is visually compelling and consistent with brand identity guidelines.
Participate in industry panels, workshops, and events to represent the company and build its reputation as a social media leader.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Advanced Social Media Management Platforms: Deep expertise in enterprise-level tools such as Sprinklr, Khoros, Sprout Social, or similar.
Social Listening & Analytics Tools: Proficiency in using tools like Brandwatch, Talkwalker, or NetBase to derive actionable insights from social conversations.
Paid Social Advertising: In-depth knowledge of advertising platforms including Meta Ads Manager, LinkedIn Campaign Manager, TikTok Ads, and X (Twitter) Ads, with a focus on optimization and ROI.
Web Analytics: Strong ability to use Google Analytics (GA4) or Adobe Analytics to track social referral traffic, conversions, and user behavior.
SEO Principles: Solid understanding of how social media activity impacts search engine optimization and how to align strategies for mutual benefit.
Budget Management & Financial Acumen: Experience developing and managing significant budgets, forecasting spend, and reporting on financial performance.

Soft Skills

Strategic Vision & Foresight: The ability to think long-term, anticipate future trends, and build a social media strategy that drives sustained business growth.
Inspirational Leadership & Team Development: Proven ability to lead, mentor, and motivate a diverse team, fostering a positive and high-performing culture.
Exceptional Communication & Presentation Skills: The capacity to articulate complex strategies and data-driven insights clearly and persuasively to C-suite executives and diverse audiences.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: A natural ability to build strong relationships and influence stakeholders across various departments to achieve shared goals.
Data-Driven Decision Making: A deeply analytical mindset with the ability to translate data into compelling stories and strategic adjustments.
Crisis Management & Composure: The ability to remain calm, think strategically, and lead decisively during high-pressure situations or brand crises.
Creativity & Innovation: A passion for creative storytelling and a relentless drive to push a brand's creative boundaries on social media.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's Degree

Preferred Education:

Master's Degree (e.g., MBA, Master's in Marketing or Communications)

Relevant Fields of Study:

Marketing
Communications
Journalism
Business Administration

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 8-12+ years of progressive experience in social media marketing and digital strategy.

Preferred: At least 4-5 years of experience in a people management or team leadership capacity within a social media function. A proven track record of developing and executing successful, large-scale social media strategies for a well-known consumer brand or at a senior level in a digital agency is highly desirable.