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Head of Social Media

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Head of Social job description

This page details key information about the Head of Social Media job title. Keep reading to learn the main responsibilities, average salary information and how to approach social media recuritment.

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What does a Head of Social do?

Part of the digital team, the Head of Social is responsible for building brand awareness across social media channels.

They create impactful social media strategies and lead a team of marketers to execute them. Their main goal is to ensure that a business is engaging with their target audience across the right platforms.

Key responsibilities

While the role might vary in different businesses and teams, the main duties of the Head of Social Media include:

  • Lead social media activity: Develop and implement platform-specific strategies that maximise audience engagement and revenue growth.
  • Influencer marketing: Identify opportunities to maximise partnerships with influencers.
  • Ensure cohesive marketing plans: Work closely with the Head of Marketing to align social media campaigns with overall goals.
  • Brand management: Create strategies tailored to each platform, while ensuring a cohesive brand tone of voice and messaging.
  • Content production: Lead the digital content team to ensure the highest quality of social media content. This can include videos, imagery, text and carousels.
  • Stay on top of trends: Keep on top of updates to social media platforms, integrating changes into the strategy. The Head of Social and Content will also ensure the team are reactive to any social trends relevant to the brand.
  • Customer engagement: Build and engage an online community, ensuring a positive customer service. Where necessary, work closely with the communications team on crisis management.
  • Reporting: Use analytics tools, such as Hootsuite, to track performance across social media accounts. Utilise this data to report on key performance indicators (KPIs), demonstrate return on investment (ROI) and optimise the strategy.
  • Team management: Lead and develop a team of Social Media Managers, Community Managers and Content Managers.


Skills and requirements

The Head of Social role requires the following skills and experiences:

  • Experience working in a digital marketing job focussed on social media and content marketing
  • Proven track record in delivering social media strategies and campaigns to drive brand and revenue growth
  • Expert knowledge of social media platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn and Pinterest
  • Experience managing internal and external relationships with key stakeholders and agencies
  • Passion for the sector, constantly staying up to date with the latest updates
  • Strong leadership and team management skills
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • Strong project manager, with the ability to be reactive with marketing
  • Creative and innovative mindset


How much is a Head of Social Media paid?

The average salary for a permanent, full time Head of Social Media in London is £70,000 - £90,000. Meanwhile, a contractor can expect a day rate of £350 - £500.

It's important to note that pay fluctuates based on business, location and level of experience. For more information on salaries, access our complete social media and content salary guide below.

Salary guides
Side-by-side bar charts comparing salary of a Head of Social Media (£100K scale) and day rate (£500 scale) with highlighted segments in pink and blue tones.

Career path & progression

Social media is now a key element of every brand's digital marketing strategy. As a result, Heads of Social Media are in high-demand across every industry, opening lots of opportunities to candidates.

When ready to progress their careers, they might consider the following job titles.

Candidates with a passion for content marketing might pursue the Head of Content role. With experience in distributing content across social media, this is a great move for those expanding their skill set. 

In this role, marketers will be responsible for managing the entire content calendar. They will tailor content to specific audiences to drive brand and audience growth.

For a broader view of digital marketing, candidates can pursue the Head of Digital role. In this role, they will look after the entire digital marketing strategy. This will involve managing all digital channels from social media to email marketing.

Learn more

With enough leadership experience, candidates might consider the Digital Marketing Director job. Directors work with channel specialists to ensure their strategy meets business objectives.

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Ready to hire a Head of Social Media? Get in touch to see how we can help!

Liz Hopkins Senior Director

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