Associate Director, Content Strategy; Social

Overview

Job Title: Associate Director, Content Strategy (Social)

Job Description:

I. Job Summary | Major goals and objectives.

This role is central to evolving People Inc.’s native social offerings and ensuring our editorial brands and custom work remain at the forefront of social content innovation. You will bridge editorial and sales strategy by crafting brand-aligned social concepts for advertisers, staying current on platform trends, and training the larger Content Strategy team and cross-functional partners in social best practices.

In the short term, you will support the transition of a paid-only custom social strategy to one more reliant on organic and boosted offerings, develop brand-specific social franchises, and consult on or own social-heavy RFPs. In the long term, you will operate as both an individual contributor and the designated Social SME, continually refreshing and disseminating platform knowledge and editorial social insights to the broader Content Strategy team.

This position reports to the Vice President of Content Strategy and works across the full People Inc. portfolio, including Real Simple, All recipes, PEOPLE, Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, and Southern Living.

• 50% Native Social Offering Development:
  • Support the transition of edit-led social content packages into native organic content offerings.
  • Collaborate with editorial social teams to identify and adapt successful content franchises for advertiser use.
  • Help shape frameworks for new native social products, pilots, and packages across Lifestyle verticals.
• 25% Social Ideation and Strategy for RFPs and Sold Campaigns:
  • Lead and contribute to brainstorms for social-led or social-heavy proposals.
  • Translate editorial best practices and platform trends into advertiser-ready concepts.
  • Write compelling, strategic content proposals articulating social rationale and execution ideas.
  • Partner with creative teams to estimate and scope native social deliverables.
• 20% Social Expertise and Training:
  • Stay up to date on evolving social platform features, algorithm changes, and best practices.
  • Maintain and distribute updated social playbooks for internal teams.
  • Train and consult content strategists and creative teams on platform updates, editorial learnings, and native social strategy.
• 5% Cross-Functional Collaboration and Representation:
  • Partner with creative, editorial, and marketing leads to ensure cohesive social storytelling across platforms.
  • Represent social strategy in client and agency meetings as needed.
  • Act as a bridge between Lifestyle strategy, creative, and editorial social teams to ensure alignment.

Education:

BS/BA or equivalent professional experience

Experience:

7-8 years in a social media environment

Specific

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Proven understanding of social platform algorithms, trends, and formats across Tik Tok, Pinterest, Meta, etc. and emerging platforms
• Experience translating editorial and organic content insights into advertiser-friendly concepts.
• Strong writing and storytelling skills, with ability to craft concise, persuasive client materials.
• Collaborative and communicative team player with experience in cross-departmental environments.
• Proactive learner who stays ahead of emerging social and content trends.
• Creative thinker who can adapt editorial sensibilities to branded executions.
• Flexible and comfortable working across multiple brands and verticals simultaneously.
• Preferred:
  • Experience at social media platform, social creative agency/production company
  • Familiarity with analytics and performance tools for social media evaluation.

Travel Required (Approximate): 5%

It is the policy of People Inc. to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.

In addition, the Company will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified…