Director, Digital Strategy

About Ketchum

As a global communications consultancy with 100 years of experience, Ketchum is a trusted partner who is equal parts creative and analytical. Ketchum is a place where all perspectives and points of view are welcome and encouraged. We are a collection of communications specialists, content creators, creatives, researchers, data analysts, media pros, digital strategists, issues and crisis counselors, and tech nerds. And we love when those worlds collide to create the very best teams and solutions for our clients. We work with the world’s leading brands, emerging start-ups, and everything in between. We are beyond proud to have created some of the most celebrated and award-winning campaigns in our industry. We’re just crazy enough to think we can impact the world – and how it responds to ideas – through communication.

We encourage our employees to be curious, brave, inspiring, and a force for good. Let’s talk. Come belong at Ketchum!

 

 

Overview:

As Director, Digital + Social Strategy, you will be a senior strategic leader guiding brands in how to authentically show up and thrive in social and digital spaces. You will pair deep knowledge of consumer and cultural trends with an expert understanding of social media behavior, emerging platforms, and community-building strategies. You will lead insight-driven, social-first planning that translates data into compelling briefs, inspires creative teams, and drives measurable brand and business results.

This role is built for a strategic thinker who understands the pulse of culture and how audiences behave, connect, and create in social channels—and who can activate that knowledge to fuel impactful campaigns for consumer, lifestyle, and CPG brands.

About the Job:

Strategic Leadership & Consulting

• Lead the development of integrated, social-first strategies that align with brand objectives, audience behaviors, and cultural opportunities.
• Act as a senior advisor on digital and social strategy for priority consumer, lifestyle, and CPG clients—connecting cultural intelligence with actionable marketing approaches.
• Monitor and interpret cultural trends, social media behaviors, platform updates, and community dynamics to identify opportunities for brand engagement.
• Build strategies that not only spark attention but also foster lasting brand communities across social channels.

Data, Insights & Creative Inspiration

• Leverage social listening tools, trend-tracking platforms, AI-driven insight tools, and first/third-party data to surface actionable audience and content insights.
• Translate complex data into clear narratives and strategic recommendations that inspire bold creative ideas.
• Write and present compelling content and campaign briefs that galvanize creative teams toward social-first, earned-led solutions.

Client & Business Development

• Serve as a primary strategic lead for key accounts, ensuring strategies deliver measurable engagement, community growth, and brand impact.
• Play a lead role in high-value new business efforts, developing social-first strategy narratives and participating in pitches.
• Identify and proactively recommend opportunities for brands to activate around emerging cultural and digital moments.

Thought Leadership & Innovation

• Produce thought leadership content, trend reports, and best practice guides to position Ketchum as a leader in digital and social strategy.
• Represent the agency in industry conversations—conferences, panels, media commentary—on culture, social media, and community-building trends.
• Partner with analytics, creative, and channel experts to evolve proprietary methodologies for social listening, trend activation, and community growth.

Team Leadership & Development

• Manage and mentor junior strategists, building their skills in cultural insight gathering, social strategy, and creative briefing.
• Champion collaboration across analytics, creative, influencer, paid media, and account teams to ensure integrated, insight-led campaign development.
• Contribute to talent planning, resourcing, and skills development for the broader Digital + Social team.

Qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience in digital and social strategy, with proven expertise in consumer, lifestyl