Audience Collective
Director of Social
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Job Overview
Job title: Director of Social
Salary: £68–£78k
Location: Leeds (Hybrid – Tuesday to Thursday inoffice)
Reporting to: Managing Director
Direct reports: Social Lead (and wider social team)
Why join Ponderosa
Ponderosa is a brand and communications agency that helps ambitious brands grow through powerful ideas and meaningful connections. We bring together strategy, creativity, and digital expertise to deliver work that moves audiences and drives measurable results. As part of Audience Collective, we collaborate across creative, media, research and digital performance to bring broader perspective and greater impact.
The role
This is a senior creative leadership role responsible for shaping Ponderosa’s social‑first thinking, creative quality, and reputation. You’ll set the standard for what great social looks like, how creative it can be, and elevate it across pitches and client work. Challenge the agency to think social first, not last.
You will act as part of the senior creative leadership group, shaping overall creative direction alongside Creative and Strategy leadership.
Set the creative bar. Elevate social thinking. Win work through ideas.
What Good Looks Like
Ponderosa is known for strong, distinctive, social‑first creative thinking Social ideas meaningfully improve pitch win‑rate and new business confidence Teams feel creatively challenged, supported and elevated by your feedback Social work is platform‑native, culturally sharp and ideas are challenged Social thinking influences creative work across the agency, not just within the social team
Key Responsibilities
Social‑first creative leadership
Own and define what great social creative looks like at Ponderosa Set creative standards for tone, storytelling, formats and platform‑native thinking Champion social as a starting point for ideas, not an adaptation layer Act as the senior creative voice challenging work to be braver, sharper and more culturally relevant
Objective: Social work consistently meets a high creative bar and strengthens Ponderosa’s creative reputation.
Pitch leadership & new business elevation
Lead social‑first thinking within new business pitches and credentials Shape pitch narratives, ideas and creative approaches where social plays a defining role Elevate pitch work through clear creative judgement, feedback and direction Support Growth and MD teams with confident, senior social creative counsel Act as a senior creative authority in pitch rooms, helping clients feel confident in bold, social‑first ideas
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
Objective: Social‑led ideas materially improve pitch quality and win‑rate.
Agency‑wide creative influence
Act as a creative partner to Strategy, Creative, Media and Client teams Influence integrated ideas by bringing a social‑first, platform‑native lens Push teams to think culturally, creatively and in‑the‑moment where appropriate Be a visible, trusted voice in creative reviews and idea development Act as a senior, trusted social authority with key clients where creative judgement, platforms or cultural relevance matter
Objective: Social thinking strengthens creative work across the agency, not just within one discipline.
Team leadership & creative standards
Line manage the Social Lead and provide senior creative direction to the wider team Set clear creative expectations and provide direct, constructive feedback Build confidence, judgement and taste within the team over time Create an environment where ideas are challenged constructively, not just delivered Work in close partnership with MDs and Client Leads to ensure social‑first ideas support commercial growth, retention and long‑term client value
Objective: A confident, creatively ambitious social team producing consistently strong work.
Social growth & capability building
Support growth of the social offering through stronger creative reputation and demand Identify opportunities where social‑first ideas unlock account growth Shape how social capability evolves in response to platforms, culture and client needs Ensure influencer and creator work (where used) is idea‑led and culturally credible
Objective: Social grows because the work is good, not because it’s over‑sold.
Future capability & innovation
Stay close to cultural shifts, platform behavior and emerging social formats Encourage experimentation with new creative approaches, formats and workflows Help the agency test and learn without chasing trends for their own sake Ensure innovation improves creative quality, not just novelty Contribute to the agency’s external creative reputation through thought leadership, industry presence or awards work where it adds value Demonstrate fluency in how AI tools can support social‑first creativity from ideation and prototyping to optimization, using them to enhance creative thinking, not replace it Help set principles for the responsible, culturally intelligent use of AI within social creative workflows Act as a senior voice in how emerging technologies, including AI, shape creative standards and ways of working
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
Objective: Ponderosa’s social work stays culturally relevant, progressive and creatively competitive.
Essential
Experience & requirements
Senior‑level experience leading social‑first creative work in an agency environment Strong creative judgement and the confidence to challenge ideas constructively Proven experience elevating pitches, ideas or creative output through social thinking Deep understanding of how social platforms shape creativity and culture Ability to influence senior stakeholders and creative teams with clarity and authority
Nice to have
Previous Director title, or a standout Senior/Head‑of‑level experience ready to step up Experience working on integrated campaigns where social leads the idea Influencer or creator experience Experience helping shape or grow a social offering through creative excellence
What We Offer
Hybrid working (Leeds office Tuesday–Thursday) 25 days’ holiday + 3 celebration days 37.5‑hour working week Pension, life insurance and income protection EAP and 24/7 virtual GP access
Your first 6 months
Months 0–3: Creative immersion & standard setting
Get under the skin of Ponderosa, clients and creative culture Build trust with Creative, Strategy, Social and Client teams Start shaping what “great social” looks like through feedback and reviews Support live pitches with social‑first creative thinking
Months 4–6: Influence & elevation
Clearly establish the social creative quality bar Be a visible creative leader in pitches and big ideas Start seeing improvement in pitch confidence and social creative output Challenge teams to think more natively, culturally and boldly
Progression & capability growth
Objective: The role continues to increase its creative influence, impact on growth and agency reputation over time.
This may include:
Increasing ownership of pitch leadership and creative direction Broader influence across integrated campaigns Stronger external reputation for Ponderosa’s social work Shaping future senior creative or social leadership roles within the agency
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills
Location