director, Social - Always-On & Engagement

About the position

From the beginning, Starbucks set out to be a different kind of company. One that not only celebrated coffee and the rich tradition, but that also brought a feeling of connection. We are known for developing extraordinary leaders who share this passion and are guided by their service to others. As Director of Social Always‑On & Engagement, you will lead Starbucks’ real-time and always-on social engine, responsible for how the brand shows up daily, reacts at the speed of culture at scale, and engages with millions of customers and fans across platforms - most critically, TikTok. This role is the heartbeat of Starbucks’ social presence: building high-velocity content, scaling community engagement, and turning social listening into action. You will oversee always-on strategy, in-house creation, agency partnerships, and real-time engagement - ensuring Starbucks is present, human, fast, and culturally fluent.

Responsibilities

• Drive new TikTok Strategy - Partner with agency to create and scale a new, high-volume, high-velocity TikTok strategy rooted in product calendar, fan insights, brand moments, creativity, experimentation, and cultural participation
• Create an always-on engine - Design and oversee a real-time content machine that moves at the speed of culture and responds to insights with urgency, prioritizing TikTok and emerging platforms
• Lead in-house creation - Manage and empower in-house creator(s) to produce dynamic, platform-native content daily
• Scale what works - Work closely with Social Campaign, Influencers, Brand Marketing, PR, Media, and Partnerships to scale always-on insights and work into bigger, buzz-driving brand moments
• Own engagement at scale - Drive an industry-leading community engagement strategy across ~22K+ daily mentions, setting the standard for brand voice, responsiveness, and relevance
• Listen and learn - Turn social listening into action—surfacing trends, fan behaviors, and emerging beverage moments that influence the menu, storytelling, and strategy
• Activate fandom - Engage directly with comments, UGC, and creator content to spark conversation, loyalty, and cultural participation
• Establish operating rigor - Build workflows, prioritization models, and measurement frameworks that enable speed without sacrificing quality
• Measure what matters - Define and optimize KPIs around engagement quality, responsiveness, relevance, and cultural impact

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in always-on social strategy, community engagement, or real-time content leadership
• Deep expertise in TikTok, social trends, and platform-native storytelling
• Experience running high-volume content and community operations at scale
• Strong instinct for culture, humor, humanity, and brand voice
• Proven ability to lead teams and agency partners in fast-paced environments

Benefits

• medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance, and other voluntary insurance benefits
• short-term and long-term disability
• paid parental leave
• family expansion reimbursement
• paid vacation from date of hire
• sick time (accrued at 1 hour for every 25 hours worked)
• eight paid holidays
• two personal days per year
• 401(k) retirement plan with employer match
• discounted company stock program (S.I.P.)
• Starbucks equity program (Bean Stock)
• incentivized emergency savings
• financial well-being tools
• 100% upfront tuition coverage for a first-time bachelor’s degree through Arizona State University’s online program via the Starbucks College Achievement Plan
• student loan management resources
• access to other educational opportunities
• backup care
• DACA reimbursement