Associate Director, Social Media

Real Chemistry; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Real Chemistry is seeking an Associate Director, Social Media to join our Activation team. This hybrid role supports East Coast hours, with options for remote work within the US.

You will lead social programs across organic, paid, and influencer workstreams, shaping strategy and execution for healthcare clients. You will craft social content calendars, briefs, and assets, collaborate with strategy, creative, and paid media teams, and mentor junior staff while ensuring compliance and brand

Qualifications

• 5–8 years of social media, digital marketing or integrated communications experience, ideally in healthcare or regulated industries.
• Agency or client-service experience managing multiple projects and stakeholders.
• Experience coordinating social content development, review processes and client-ready deliverables.
• Experience mentoring team members.
• Comfort balancing hands-on social work with project coordination and client communication.
• College degree; BA or equivalent preferred; understanding of FDA, fair balance and client review considerations.

Responsibilities

• Lead social media programs across organic, paid, influencer and integrated workstreams.
• Develop and manage social content plans, calendars, assets and briefs.
• Bridge social execution to broader communications goals and client priorities.
• Lead recurring client and internal meetings; translate feedback into action.
• Coordinate across internal teams, vendors and stakeholders to keep workstreams on track.
• Communicate recommendations and insights clearly to clients and partners.
• Use AI-enabled tools and analytics dashboards to support research and reporting.
• Guide team members with direction and feedback on content, timelines and deliverables.
• Contribute to thought leadership and strategic social POVs for clients.

Skills

Social media

Digital marketing

Integrated communications

Agency experience

Client management

Team mentoring

Strategic storytelling

AI tools

Education

BA or equivalent preferred

Tools

Meta Business Manager

LinkedIn Ads

Sprinklr

Sprout Social

Brandwatch

Canva

Job description

At Real Chemistry, making the world a healthier place isn’t just an aspiration—it’s our everyday reality. Our drive to transform healthcare is informed by our blend of deep scientific expertise, human-centred creativity, and AI-driven insights, fostering a unique environment where innovation thrives and our people are impact‑obsessed. As a global agency, we provide a full suite of services across healthcare communications and marketing to our clients, including top players in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.

Our culture is rooted in our people—we believe we are best together and are committed to excellence for both our clients and colleagues. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting your career, if you share our passion for healthcare and connection, we invite you to explore our opportunities.

Discover your purpose. Embrace innovation. Experience .

Real Chemistry is looking for an Associate Director, Social Media to join our growing Activation team. This is role for someone who is ready to help manage high‑quality social programs, develop smart content and keep complex work moving across healthcare clients.

For us, social isn’t just a channel — it’s a craft. Our team brings together healthcare knowledge, creative thinking, content development, paid media awareness and strong execution to help clients show up with purpose across platforms.

This is a hybrid role, based in any of our US offices—including New York City, Boston, Chicago, Carmel, or San Francisco—or remotely within the US, depending on team and business needs. This role will primarily support East Coast working hours; candidates based in other time zones may be considered if they are comfortable working East Coast hours.

What You’ll Do

• Help lead social media programs across organic, paid, influencer and integrated workstreams, translating strategy into clear, compliant and platform‑native execution.
• Develop and manage social content plans, editorial calendars, campaign assets, post copy, creative briefs and supporting materials in partnership with strategy, creative, paid media and account teams.
• Bring an integrated social and digital lens to the work, connecting day‑to‑day social execution to broader communications goals and client priorities.
• Support and, at times, lead recurring client and internal meetings, helping turn discussion, feedback and decisions into clear next steps, timelines and deliverables.
• Coordinate across internal teams, vendors and client stakeholders to keep social content, approvals, publishing and reporting workstreams organized and on track.
• Communicate recommendations, project updates and social insights in a clear, thoughtful way for clients and cross‑functional partners.
• Use AI‑enabled tools, Canva, social listening platforms and analytics dashboards to support research, brainstorms, content development, reporting and presentations.
• Bring a curious, responsible approach to emerging tools and social trends, while keeping healthcare accuracy, client privacy, compliance and brand standards at the center.
• Help guide team members by providing direction, feedback and support on content, timelines, reporting and client‑ready deliverables.
• Contribute to social and cultural POVs, trend notes and thought starters that bring timely, relevant thinking to clients, industry and our RC teams.
• Support business growth through research, proposal inputs, client development materials and strong day‑to‑day relationship management.

This Position Is a Perfect Fit For You If

• Our Company values, Best Together, Impact Obsessed, Excellence Expected, Evolve Always, and Accountability with an "I", genuinely resonate with how you work and lead.
• You demonstrate the Real Chemistry Can mindset by approaching challenges with optimism, accountability, creativity, and a solutions‑oriented attitude, always looking for ways to make a meaningful impact for our clients, colleagues, and communities.
• You are adaptable, resilient, and comfortable adjusting your scope, responsibilities, and priorities in a fast‑paced, evolving environment. As our business grows and changes, so do we.
• You are proactive, driven, and resourceful, with strong prioritization skills, intellectual curiosity, and a desire to leverage data to inform decisions and drive outcomes.
• You are energized by innovation and the transformative potential of AI, actively exploring new technologies, identifying opportunities to work smarter, and championing practical, responsible AI adoption that drives meaningful business impact.

What You Should Have

• 5–8 years of social media, digital marketing or integrated communications experience, ideally in healthcare, biotech, pharma or another regulated industry.
• Agency or client-service experience, with the ability to manage multiple projects, priorities and stakeholders at once.
• Experience coordinating social content development, review processes, calendars, campaign materials and client‑ready deliverables.
• Experience guiding or mentoring team members
• Comfort balancing hands‑on social work with project coordination, client communication, team support and new business or organic growth needs.
• College degree required; BA or equivalent preferred; understanding of FDA, fair balance, adverse event and client review considerations preferred.
• Strong social media judgment, including the ability to develop content plans, post copy, briefs, recommendations and executional materials that align to strategy.
• Understanding of major social platforms, audience behavior, platform‑native content best practices and the role of social within broader healthcare communications.
• Ability to contribute to channel recommendations, paid social approaches, influencer considerations, content calendars and social media reports that tell a clear story.
• Comfort with social publishing, listening, analytics, paid social and AI‑enabled tools, including platforms such as Meta Business Manager, LinkedIn Ads, Sprinklr, Sprout Social, Brandwatch, Microsoft Office and Canva.
• Strong writing, organization and communication skills, with the ability to synthesize inputs, shape clear copy and serve as a dependable social media partner to clients and internal colleagues.

Pay Range

$90,000 - $115,000

This is the pay range the Company believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on job‑related, non‑discriminatory factors including but not limited to work experience, skills, certificates, and geographical location. The Company reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time.

Real Chemistry is proud to be Great Place to Work certified; check out what our people shared about our culture and workplace on our Great Places to Work Profile here.

We believe we can do our best when feeling our best, which is why we’ve put together a benefits program designed to give you the support you and your family need at every stage of life. Real Chemistry offers a comprehensive benefit program and perks, tailored to your region. Globally, this includes offices in our key markets with free snacks to keep you running all day long, generous holiday and paid time off, options for private medical, dental, and vison plans, and support in saving for the future. Other perks include mental wellness coaching and support and access to more than 13,000 online classes with LinkedIn Learning. Learn more about our great benefits and perks and search specific offerings in your region at: www.realchemistrybenefits.com.

At Real Chemistry, we believe we're at our best when we're connected. Our Real Hybrid and Regional Teams (Real HART) approach is designed to foster collaboration, learning, innovation, and meaningful relationships while providing flexibility where appropriate. Because our workforce spans multiple countries, regions, and client needs, work arrangements may vary by role and location. Some positions offer hybrid or remote flexibility, while others require regular in‑office presence. For example, certain teams and regions, including some of our UK operations, have office‑based requirements. Your recruiter will discuss the specific expectations for the role you're pursuing during the interview process and keep you informed throughout the hiring journey. For employees located within a one‑hour commute of a Real Chemistry office, we require in‑person attendance two days per week, either from a Real Chemistry office or when working onsite with clients. Employees in regions without a nearby office may work remotely and come together throughout the year for collaboration, culture‑building, learning, and team connection opportunities. While these guidelines reflect our current workplace model, we understand that everyone’s circumstances are unique. If you require additional flexibility, we welcome an open conversation with your recruiter and our HR team to discuss your needs and determine what may be possible.

Real Chemistry is an Equal Opportunity employer. We continually strive to build and sustain an inclusive and equitable work environment where our employees feel empowered to leverage all they bring from their personal lived experience and professional expertise, to make our team the best in the industry. We encourage motivated and qualified applicants to apply without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, ethnic or national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, marital information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local employment discrimination laws where Real Chemistry operates. Should you require accommodations throughout the interview process please let your recruiter know.