Head of Social & Audience Development, The Drum

• 7+ years’ experience leading social media, audience growth or digital influence strategies
• Proven success building audiences and engagement across multiple platforms
• Deep understanding of LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok and emerging social ecosystems
• Strong understanding of platform algorithms, audience behaviour and content formats
• Experience creating social-first content strategies and recurring content franchises
• Strong analytical capability and experience using audience insights to inform decisions
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills
• Commercial awareness and understanding of how audience translates into business value
• Excellent communication and leadership skills

Desirable

• As Head of Social, Audience & Influence, you will be responsible for making The Drum one of the world’s most influential media brands for marketers
• You will own The Drum’s social strategy, audience growth and platform presence globally, ensuring our journalism, events, awards, intelligence products and commercial initiatives consistently reach and engage the right audiences
• This is a highly visible leadership role sitting at the intersection of editorial, content, events, commercial and brand strategy
• You will lead how The Drum shows up across LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, newsletters and emerging platforms, helping transform the business into a truly social-first organisation where audience growth and influence are built into everything we do
• This is an opportunity to redefine how a global media brand builds influence in the modern marketing landscape
• You will shape how audiences discover The Drum, engage with our journalism and participate in our communities
• You will create the frameworks, formats and culture that enable The Drum to become a must-follow brand for marketers globally
• The successful candidate will combine strategic thinking with hands-on social expertise, strong editorial instincts and a deep understanding of how influence is built in modern media
• Social & Influence Strategy:
• Develop and own The Drum’s global social and audience strategy
• Define how The Drum builds influence across LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, X, newsletters and emerging platforms
• Establish clear objectives, KPIs and growth plans for each platform
• Identify new opportunities for audience growth, engagement and brand visibility
• Ensure social and audience thinking informs business strategy across editorial, events and commercial activities
• Social Media Leadership:
• Own The Drum’s organic social media strategy globally
• Build The Drum into one of the most influential social brands within marketing and media
• Establish governance, publishing standards and platform best practice across the organisation
• Lead experimentation with new formats, technologies and emerging platforms
• Create scalable reporting frameworks that measure both audience growth and influence
• Social-First Content & Franchise Development:
• Develop repeatable social-first content franchises and editorial formats
• Identify opportunities to create recurring shows, video series and platform-native content properties
• Ensure major editorial initiatives are designed for social impact from the outset
• Build systems that maximise the value and lifecycle of all content investments
• Partner with editorial teams to identify stories and formats with strong social potential
• Thought Leadership & Creator Strategy:
• Develop strategies that increase the visibility and influence of The Drum’s editors, journalists and senior leaders
• Build frameworks that encourage internal participation and thought leadership
• Support senior stakeholders in building professional influence across key platforms
• Identify opportunities to collaborate with creators, industry voices and external communities
• Help position The Drum and its people as essential voices within the global marketing industry
• Video & Multimedia Growth:
• Develop a social-first video strategy across all platforms
• Partner with editorial and production teams to create scalable video formats
• Ensure all multimedia content is designed with audience behaviour and platform consumption habits in mind
• Integrate podcasts, documentaries, short-form video and live content into wider audience strategies
• Drive the growth of video audiences and engagement
• Audience Development & Distribution:
• Build repeatable distribution frameworks for major editorial campaigns, events and industry moments
• Ensure audience planning becomes an integral part of editorial commissioning and business planning
• Create systems that maximise reach across owned and third-party platforms
• Monitor audience insights and performance data to continually improve strategy
• Champion intelligent content repurposing and cross-platform distribution
• Business-Wide Audience Leadership:
• Partner closely with Editorial, Events, Awards, Commercial and Marketing teams
• Ensure audience and influence objectives are embedded across the business
• Support the promotion of major events, awards and proprietary initiatives
• Develop practical frameworks that allow all teams to contribute to audience growth
• Build a culture where audience thinking is everyone’s responsibility while maintaining clear ownership of social strategy and performance
• Commercial Audience Strategy:
• Support commercial teams in demonstrating The Drum’s audience and influence capabilities
• Develop audience strategies for branded content and commercial partnerships
• Help partners maximise value from their relationships with The Drum
• Identify opportunities to create socially driven sponsorship and partnership products
• What Success Looks Like:
• The Drum becomes one of the most influential social brands in global marketing
• Significant growth across LinkedIn, YouTube, newsletters and emerging channels
• Stronger audience engagement and increased brand visibility globally
• Social-first thinking becomes embedded across the organisation
• Major editorial initiatives consistently achieve greater reach and impact
• Senior leaders and journalists become recognised voices within the industry
• Video and social franchises become meaningful drivers of audience growth and commercial opportunity
• Audience growth contributes directly to subscriptions, event attendance, partnerships and business performance
• Distribution and influence planning become core parts of business decision-making
• Why Join The Drum?
• Help shape the future of one of the world’s leading marketing media brands
• Build a globally influential social and audience platform for marketers
• Work across journalism, events, awards, intelligence and commercial partnerships
• Collaborate with some of the world’s leading brands, agencies, platforms and creators
• Join a business undergoing significant transformation and international growth
• Play a central role in defining how influence is built in modern B2B media