Head Of Social Media

Overview

Starling Bank is a fully licensed UK bank with the culture and spirit of a fast-moving, disruptive tech company. We employ more than 3,500 people across our London, Southampton, Cardiff and Manchester offices. We are hiring a Head of Social Media to join our Marketing team during a pivotal new phase of growth. This role involves shaping Starling’s social strategy across multiple platforms as we launch our new brand platform with major above and below-the-line advertising.

Role Description

We are seeking an experienced leader who lives and breathes social media, combining creative flair with a passion for data. The successful candidate will move Starling out of the banking category and into the heart of culture by treating content as the primary engine for growth. This role involves building a content ecosystem that ensures Starling is the most discoverable and trusted voice in the digital age.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Oversight & Channel Ownership: Own the overarching strategy for Starling’s social presence, defining the role of each channel (from TikTok to LinkedIn), establishing authentic brand presence, and ensuring a cohesive visual and tonal umbrella across the digital footprint.
• Own the Content Franchises: Build and scale repeatable, high-value content franchises across TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn that convert followers into a loyal community.
• Optimise for GEO & AI Discoverability: Ensure Starling content is structured to excel in Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), becoming the primary source for AI-driven financial queries and social search.
• Content as a Growth Engine: Lead social content strategy to drive lower-funnel results, using every meme, thread, and video to help people manage their money better.
• Community Architecture: Transition from managing comments to building communities by identifying and empowering Starling advocates within Reddit, Discord, and niche financial circles.
• Lead & Inspire: Mentor a high-performing team of creators and platform specialists, fostering a “social-first” culture.
• Cultural Reactivity: Lead proactive influencer partnerships and rapid reactive content to position Starling within cultural conversations with wit, empathy, and flair.
• Cross-Functional Synergy: Collaborate with Product, Brand, and Data teams to ensure social strategy informs feature development and customer communication.

Candidate Profile

• Proven experience leading social teams in a high-growth, community-first environment, with the ability to scale a brand without losing its essence.
• Deep understanding of platform algorithms, GEO, and how Large Language Models (LLMs) categorise and surface brand content.
• Creative intuition to brief and approve content that feels native to each platform rather than repurposed advertising.
• Expert-level use of Sprout, native analytics, and social listening tools to demonstrate ROI and adapt strategy in real time.
• Experience identifying and engaging fragmented niche audiences within the broader market.

Benefits

• 25 days holiday plus flexible public holiday allowance
• An extra day’s holiday for your birthday
• Annual leave increases with length of service, with the option to buy or sell up to five extra days
• 16 hours paid volunteering time per year
• Salary sacrifice and company enhanced pension scheme
• Life insurance at four times your salary
• Private Medical Insurance with VitalityHealth, including mental health support and cancer care
• Partner benefits including discounts with Waitrose, Mr & Mrs Smith, and Peloton
• Generous family-friendly policies
• Perkbox membership offering retail discounts, wellness platform access, and weekly perks
• Access to initiatives such as Cycle to Work and salary-sacrificed gym partnerships

About Us

We encourage applications from candidates who may not meet every requirement but are excited about the role. While not all flexible working requests can be accommodated, we are open to discussion.

Starling Bank is on a mission to radically reshape banking, bringing together people of all backgrounds and experiences who enjoy working collaboratively to solve problems.

We are an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering diversity and inclusion. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

By submitting your application, you agree that Starling Bank may collect your personal data for recruitment and related purposes. Our Privacy Notice explains what personal information we process, how and where we process it, the purposes of processing, and your rights regarding your personal data.