Strategy Director

Company Description

Herd MSL represents one of Australia’s largest and most awarded group of agencies. Part of Publicis Groupe ANZ and global PR network MSL, Herd MSL has more than 21 years in the market and has achieved multiple agency and campaign wins and Cannes Awards for creativity – including PRIA’s 2022 Agency Team of the Year.

We work with an impressive portfolio of clients ranging from established multinational technology companies and leading consumer and corporate brands to innovative industry leaders and state and federal government departments.

At Herd MSL, we encourage our people to work in a way that provides balance, and we pride ourselves in fostering a behavior-led approach to flexibility. We are fun and fast-paced and thrive in a learning-based culture.

Overview

We are looking for a culturally plugged-in, commercially minded and strategically influential Social Strategy Director to join our dynamic team of Thinkers & Makers at Influential. In this role, you’ll set the strategic direction for social-first thinking across key clients and new business opportunities, turning audience behaviour, platform intelligence, creator culture and cultural insight into sharp, compelling strategies that drive brand relevance, business impact and measurable growth. 

You will partner closely with senior social, influencer, creative, media, data and client leadership teams to shape strategic responses, lead content and channel frameworks, guide always-on social thinking, and elevate the quality of strategic output across the agency. You’ll be responsible for building persuasive narratives, identifying growth opportunities, strengthening senior client relationships and ensuring our work connects brands with culture in ways that are distinctive, effective and commercially valuable. 

This is a senior leadership role, so we’ll be looking for confident communication, strong stakeholder management, high-quality presentation skills and the ability to translate complex social, cultural and commercial challenges into simple, inspiring and actionable strategic direction. You should be comfortable leading multiple clients, senior stakeholder conversations, briefs and workstreams, while mentoring strategists and broader agency teams to deliver stronger, more connected social and influencer thinking. 

General Responsibilities: 

• Set and lead the strategic direction for social and influencer across priority clients, campaigns, always-on programs and new business responses. 

• Raise the strategic standard for the agency by shaping clear, insight-led narratives that connect audience, culture, platform behaviour and brand ambition. 

• Partner with senior client, creative, media, influencer and production leads to ensure social strategy translates into distinctive, effective and executable work. 

• Lead, mentor and develop strategists and broader team members, building confidence, strategic rigour and stronger social-first thinking across the business. 

• Drive growth by identifying strategic opportunities within existing clients and contributing senior strategic leadership to new business pitches and proactive opportunities. 

• Work with agency leadership to ensure strategic recommendations support commercial objectives, project scope, resourcing, profitability and long-term client growth. 

• Represent and champion Influential’s social and influencer capability across Publicis Groupe, helping integrate with media, creative, data and production teams to deliver holistic brand experiences. 

We are looking for someone who has: 

• Extensive experience in social, influencer, creative, media or digital strategy, ideally within an agency environment. 

• A strong track record setting strategic direction for major brands, campaigns, retained clients and new business opportunities. 

• Proven ability to lead senior client conversations, shape strategic direction and influence stakeholders across multiple disciplines. 

• Experience leading, mentoring or managing strategists, social specialists or cross-functional teams to improve the quality of strategic thinking and output. 

With a proven understanding of: 

• The social, influencer and creator landscape, including platform behaviours, audience motivations, cultural trends and how brands can earn attention in social spaces. 

• How to turn research, data, cultural insight and business challenges into compelling strategic platforms, content territories, channel recommendations and creative springboards. 

• How paid, owned, earned and influencer activity work together to create connected social ecosystems and measurable brand impact. 

• How to build strong case studies, effectiveness narratives and strategic credentials that demonstrate capability and support client growth. 

• Strong people leadership, stakeholder management and presentation skills, with the confidence to guide senior clients, internal teams and cross-agency partners. 

• Commercial awareness, including how strategy supports scope, revenue, profitability, resourcing decisions and long-term agency growth. 

Additional Information

Publicis Groupe benefits: Be a part of the Publicis Groupe family, recent winner of the Employer of Choice Awards and one of the world's most progressive and dynamic modern communications businesses. You can learn more about us at www.publicisgroupeanz.com.

Enjoy all the perks that come with our network offering:

• A comprehensive Wholeself program supporting physical, mindful, and financial wellbeing.
• A creative, lively, and rewarding office environment where people love working with each other, supported by our Publicis Liberté flexibility approach — "working your way with us."
• Access to our Global AI Platform Marcel, connecting Publicis Groupe employees with opportunities for career mobility and collaboration across our global network.
• Extensive Learning & Development opportunities including more than 15,000 learning programs via our online learning platform, Marcel Classes.
• A culture of open feedback and support to reach your goals through our Career Conversations program.
• A committed Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion strategy driven through our Viva Women, Égalité, enABLE, EmbRACE, and Écologique committees.
• Leave benefits including Birthday Leave, Flexible Public Holidays, and an additional 5 days of leave after 2 years of service.
• Work Your World program enabling employees the flexibility to work from anywhere in the world for up to 6 weeks per year.
• Parental leave policy with up to 18 weeks based on tenure, paid primary carer leave, secondary carer swap, and Cub Care leave.
• Access to counsellors, psychologists, and professionals through Sonder, an all-in-one digital wellbeing technology platform designed to support psychological, medical & safety needs.
• A workplace that stands together to provide a more open, supportive, and recovery-forward culture for all employees with life-threatening illnesses. Read more about our Working With Cancer Pledge: https://workingwithcancerpledge.com/
• Proud partners of Diversity Council Australia, Pride in Diversity, Family Friendly Workplaces, Supply Nation, and the Australian Disability Network.

If you don't tick every box in this ad, please don't rule yourself out. Research suggests that women and other people in underrepresented groups tend to only apply if they meet every requirement. We focus on hiring people who share our values of inclusion, collaboration, adaptability, fearlessness, and integrity rather than ticking boxes — so if this role resonates with you, please apply.

Diversity. Inclusion. Equity. More than just words; these are part of our DNA. At Publicis Groupe, we are committed to the inclusion and recognition of all people regardless of race, age, culture, ability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, and religious affiliation. We believe that to deliver the best solutions to our clients, our people need to reflect the diverse communities in which our clients operate. We value diversity and the skills, knowledge, and experience that difference brings to our culture and solutions.

Uniqueness is powerful; without it, we wouldn't be where we are today. So be you — we like it that way.

We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments for people with disability or those that require additional support throughout the application process. If you need any assistance or adjustments, please contact us via recruitment@publicisgroupe.com; your personal information will be kept confidential.