Director of Social Strategy

VML Canada (English); Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 125,000 - 194,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Job summary

VML Canada, a WPP company, seeks a Director of Social Strategy to shape the future of how brands connect with people. Reporting to the Chief Strategy Officer, you will lead social strategies, campaigns, and real-time activations for a diverse client portfolio.

You will build our social capability, mentor a team, and translate cultural insights into brave, impactful work, setting the standard for social excellence across the agency.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in social marketing or strategy
• Demonstrated experience leading and coaching direct reports
• Deep expertise in social platforms, audience behaviours, and digital culture
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills
• Proven ability to collaborate across departments and levels

Responsibilities

• Define and champion the overarching social vision, strategies, and playbooks for diverse enterprise brands
• Translate social listening, trends, and community behaviours into actionable insights for brand decisions
• Collaborate across creative, strategy, data, and media teams to drive measurable outcomes
• Architect and oversee high-impact campaigns including influencer partnerships and real-time activations
• Mentor and grow a high-performing social team and drive growth for the agency
• Advise senior clients and communicate complex strategies with clarity and confidence
• Identify new business opportunities and position VML's social capabilities in the market

Skills

Social strategy

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Communication

Collaboration

Job description

VML, part of WPP, is a leading creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce, creating connected brands to drive growth. VML is celebrated for its innovative and human first, award-winning work for blue chip client partners including AstraZeneca, Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, Ford, Microsoft, Nestlé, The Coca-Cola Company, and Wendy's. The agency is recognized by the Forrester Wave™ Reports, as a Leader among Marketing Creative and Content Service Providers, Commerce Services, Global Digital Experience Services, Global Marketing Services and, most recently, Marketing Measurement & Optimization. In addition, VML’s specialist health network, VML Health, is one of the world’s largest and most awarded health agencies. VML’s global network is powered by 26,000 talented people across 55+ markets, with principal offices in Kansas City, New York, Detroit, London, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, and Sydney.

About WPP

WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. We unitecutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, world-class creativity, next-generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counselin a single company –powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open,to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth. For more information, visit WPP.com.

At VML Canada (a WPP company), we create connected brands that impact the world. We are looking for a Director of Social Strategy who is ready to shape the future of how brands connect with people. Reporting to the Chief Strategy Officer, you will be the visionary force behind social strategies, campaigns, and real-time activations for a diverse portfolio of enterprise brands.

This role is about more than managing platforms — it is about building our social capability, driving agency growth, and leading a team to translate cultural insights into brave, impactful work. If you are a strategic leader who thrives on turning complex business challenges into compelling social narratives and you want to take ownership of setting the standard for social excellence, we want you to lead the charge.

What You'll Do

• Define and championthe overarching social vision, strategies, and playbooks for a diverse roster of enterprise brands
• Lead the translationof social listening, cultural trends, and community behaviours into actionable insights that guide strategic brand decisions
• Collaborate seamlesslyacross creative, strategy, data, and media teams to ensure social initiatives drive measurable business outcomes
• Architect and overseehigh-impact campaigns — from influencer partnerships and UGC to real-time cultural activations
• Mentor and growa high-performing team, fostering a culture of continuous learning and development
• Act as a trusted advisorto senior clients, influencing their approach to social and communicating complex strategies with clarity and confidence
• Drive agency growthby proactively identifying new business opportunities and positioning VML's social capabilities in the market

Who You Are

• Acurious, strategic problem-solverwho looks beyond the obvious to uncover insights and simplify the complex
• Anempathetic leaderwho builds deep trust with clients and empowers team members to do their most meaningful work
• Abold thinkercomfortable navigating ambiguity, challenging the status quo, and championing ideas that elevate brands

What You'll Need

• 8+ years of experience in social marketing or strategy, with a proven track record on large-scale, complex initiatives
• Demonstrated experience leading, coaching, and developing direct reports
• Deep expertise in social platforms, audience behaviours, and digital culture
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills across diverse stakeholder settings
• Proven ability to collaborate across departments, disciplines, and organisational levels

The base salary for this position at the time of this posting may range between the values at the bottom of this posting. Individual compensation varies based on job-related factors, including location, business needs, level of responsibility, experience, and qualifications.

$90,000 - $140,000 USD

We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office an average of four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

WPP (VML) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.