Associate Director, Social Media Activation

About the role

WPP Media, the AI‑driven media operating unit of WPP, is seeking an Associate Director of Social to provide strategic leadership and operational oversight across paid social accounts. The role drives campaign quality, guides client relationships, and mentors team members to ensure social media initiatives align with client business objectives. The position is based near a WPP office (e.g., Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Atlanta) and operates in a hybrid model with teams in the office around four days a week.

Responsibilities

• Delegate and approve campaign strategy, forecasting, and measurement/testing plans to align with client goals.
• Serve as the ultimate escalation point for campaign launch, QA, data integrity compliance, and post‑campaign analysis.
• Direct career development, coaching, and growth plans for direct reports (Supervisors and Managers).
• Oversee team bandwidth, staffing efficiency, and workload utilization to maintain high performance and prevent burnout.
• Act as the primary activation lead and key escalation point for senior client stakeholders.
• Build strong relationships with key media partners and internal teams while independently resolving complex account or scoping issues.
• Drive process enhancements and best‑practice adoption across paid social workflows.
• Partner with cross‑functional and regional teams to identify new platform opportunities, share learnings, and showcase top‑tier work.

Qualifications

• Strong expertise in client communication, escalation handling, and paid social platform best practices.
• 2+ years of direct line‑management experience.
• Proven ability to guide, mentor, and QA the day‑to‑day work of junior/mid‑level team members (experience managing nearshore or offshored teams in LATAM is a plus).
• Demonstrable experience in senior client‑facing roles, serving as primary point of contact, leading strategic client calls, and setting clear expectations.
• Deep, practical familiarity with major paid social native platforms (LinkedIn, Meta, X/Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, etc.) and direct experience working inside platform back‑ends.
• Proven ability to track, manage, and optimize large‑scale media budgets across multiple social platforms.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with confidence to drive high‑level strategic conversations with senior client executives.
• Ability to act as the primary escalation point for campaign or platform issues, providing swift and thoughtful solutions under fast‑paced agency timelines.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, vision, and dental insurance.
• Group retirement plans.
• Significant paid time off.
• Preferential partner discounts.
• Employee mental health awareness days.
• Access to extensive global WPP Media & WPP networks for professional growth.
• Employee resource groups and frequent in‑office events celebrating wins, thought leadership, holidays, and milestones.
• Hybrid work model with approximately four days per week in the office.
• Accommodations or flexibility available upon request during the interview process.

Pay

US Pay Range: $75,000 – $180,000 USD. Individual compensation varies based on location, business needs, level of responsibility, experience, and qualifications.