Associate Director, Strategy (Influencer Marketing)

What You'll Do Here

• Independently lead senior-level strategy work end-to-end across client and business growth opportunities and ongoing account delivery.
• Turn qualitative and quantitative insights into clear, actionable recommendations that drive measurable outcomes for clients and the business.
• Own the quality and delivery of strategic work across major projects or workstreams within larger accounts or business contexts.
• Architect integrated, social-first strategies with fluency across Influencer, Community Management, Earned, Experiential, and Owned, with a clear POV on how each lever drives audience, business, and brand outcomes.
• Partner with clients to define the true nature of the business problem before solutioning, translating data-backed recommendations into clear direction that drives real creator performance.
• Define KPIs, measurement frameworks, and success metrics for strategic recommendations in alignment with Business Intelligence, and continuously adapt strategy based on performance and market shifts.
• Recommend strategic direction and help guide key decisions on assigned accounts, pitches, and workstreams.
• Drive constant strategic innovation by introducing new frameworks, tools, and points of view that elevate the team’s output.
• Serve as a strong day-to-day senior client partner, alongside client services, presenting and selling strategic thinking confidently to mid-senior and executive client stakeholders.
• Lead strategy across major RFPs, proposals, pitches, and existing client expansion opportunities.
• Identify and capitalize on client expansion opportunities through deep account intimacy and a clear view of client business challenges.
• Translate complex business challenges into innovative, social-first solutions that demonstrate clear client and commercial value.
• Partner with Sales, Client Service, Business Intelligence, and senior leadership to articulate Viral Nation’s competitive advantages and shape compelling strategic narratives.
• Mentor junior strategists and support the development of strategic upleveling across the department.
• Manage direct reports as assigned, with accountability for performance, growth, coaching, and quality of output.
• Contribute to the evolution of ways of working, strategic frameworks, templates, and team standards.
• Support resourcing, capacity planning, and workflow management in partnership with department leadership and the PMO.
• Participate in recruitment, onboarding, and continuous learning initiatives that elevate team capability.
• Partner cross-functionally with Creative, Talent, Accounts, Paid Media, Community, and Measurement to ensure strategic alignment across delivery.
• Lead and participate in internal strategy reviews and QA checkpoints, ensuring sharp, on-brief, on-strategy output before it reaches clients.
• Act as a connector and expert across Viral Nation’s full suite of solutions, creating frameworks that enable productive collaboration across COEs.
• Contribute to Viral Nation’s external strategic presence through thought leadership, POVs, and competitive intelligence shared across the organization and, selectively, with clients.

Success Measures

• Strength and quality of strategic output and thinking.
• Consistent strategic innovation across assigned accounts, pitches, and workstreams.
• Ability to lead major assignments effectively and independently, end-to-end.
• Tangible contribution to client expansion, business growth, and delivery excellence.

You'll Need To Have

• 8+ years of agency or in-house experience across social, creative, content, influencer/creator, business development, and/or strategy.
• Proven track record independently leading senior-level strategy work on Fortune 500 and enterprise brands.
• Extensive experience developing integrated, social-first strategies that drive both client and business growth.
• Strong track record leading RFPs, proposals, pitches, and client expansion plans end-to-end.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor junior talent and manage direct reports.
• Visionary mindset with the ability to turn thought-starters into fully integrated strategies, pitch decks, and campaigns.
• Experience interfacing and presenting to c-suite executives.
• Fluency in AI tooling, measurement platforms, and emerging social/creator tech, with a clear POV on how to apply them to elevate strategic output.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with strong senior client-facing presence.
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple major workstreams simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
• Entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for innovation.
• Experience working directly with brands and at agencies.
• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, or a related field.