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.

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 recent 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 robust 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 rec

📌 Strategy Director (Sydney)
🏢 Herd MSL
📍 Sydney