Role Purpose:
The Group Social Media Manager is responsible for leading, governing, and elevating social media across all AKI brands, business units, and Group-level channels. This role sets the strategic direction, ensures consistent storytelling, and oversees best practices across a diverse portfolio that spans healthcare, consumer, retail, fitness, logistics, construction, automotive, environmental services and more and the corporate brand.
Acting as the central point of excellence, the role ensures every brand and business unit communicates with one coherent voice, aligned with AKI's narrative, values, and strategic priorities.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Group-Wide Social Media Strategy & Governance
- Develop and lead the overarching social media strategy covering all AKI brands, business units, and Group channels.
- Establish a unified set of standards, frameworks, guidelines, and workflows for social media across the organisation.
- Implement strong governance to ensure every brand and BU operates with consistent messaging, quality, and tone of voice.
- Serve as the approval and quality gatekeeper for major campaigns and key content across BUs.
2. Content Leadership & Creative Direction
- Drive the creation of high-quality, engaging content that reflects AKI's people-first culture and each brand and BU's unique proposition.
- Lead creative direction for flagship content including:
- Leadership thought leadership
- Major launches, events, partnerships, achievements
- Brand and campaign storytelling
- Oversee content calendars across Group and BUs to ensure alignment, timing, and cohesion.
3. Cross-Business Unit Collaboration & Support
- Work closely with social media leads in all BUs to align on themes, upcoming content, campaigns, and key moments.
- Support brands with ideation, content creation, creative briefs, and campaign rollouts.
- Build a strong community of BU social media champions, ensuring shared learning and capability building.
4. Social Media Centre of Excellence
- Establish and manage a Social Media Centre of Excellence that sets standards, provides training, and drives innovation.
- Introduce clear systems for planning, checkpoints, approvals, escalation, and reporting.
- Lead internal training, creative workshops, and capability sessions for BU teams.
5. Data, Analytics & Reporting (Group + BU)
- Oversee performance reporting for ALL AKI channels at group level and BU level.
- Provide monthly dashboards covering reach, engagement, sentiment, follower growth, video performance, and campaign impact.
- Deliver quarterly strategic reviews for each BU with insights, recommendations, and action plans.
- Drive a culture of data-led decisions across all brands.
6. Campaigns, Influencers & Paid Media
- Work with BU teams on influencer partnerships, paid social, and integrated campaign amplification.
- Ensure influencer selection aligns with AKI's values and brand safety requirements.
- Collaborate with PR and external agencies to deliver integrated marketing campaigns.
Skills & Experience Required:
- 8+ years experience managing social media for multi-brand or large multi-business organisations or agency background.
- Proven experience setting group-wide or regional strategies.
- Strong understanding of LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X, and emerging platforms.
- Demonstrated ability to lead creative direction and storytelling across multiple brands.
- High-level writing and editing skills in UK English.
- Data and analytics expertise with ability to translate insights into action.
- Experience with paid social, influencer programmes, and campaign amplification.
- Ability to influence, guide, and coordinate with teams across multiple functions and markets.
Preferred:
- Experience in family business groups or complex multi-industry companies or agency.
- Arabic language (advantage).
Key Competencies:
- Strategic thinking and structured planning
- Creative excellence and storytelling
- Governance and attention to detail
- Stakeholder management and cross-BU leadership
- Data-driven decision-making
- Agility and adaptability
- High emotional intelligence
What Success Looks Like
- One clear, elevated, consistent voice across all AKI brands and business units.
- Strong and cohesive Group + BU social media presence aligned with AKI's narrative and values.
- Enhanced engagement, reach, and sentiment across all channels.
- Data-led reporting and decision-making across the organisation.
- Strong capability uplift and alignment across BU social media teams.
- Integrated social media support for major AKI initiatives, campaigns, and announcements.
Work Location: Dubai
