AVP, Influencer, Communications + Cultural Strategy

Job description

the job: Senior Director, influencer, communications + cultural strategy is a senior brand leadership role responsible for architecting and leading amika's global influence ecosystem - spanning creators, VIPs, stylists, professional advocates, media, and cultural voices to drive brand equity, cultural relevance, earned authority, consumer trust, and measurable business impact. This leader will define and scale a modern, insight-led global communications, influence, and advocacy strategy that connects brand strategy, earned media, organic storytelling, paid influencer programming, creator partnerships, advocacy, cultural initiatives, events, and global market execution into one cohesive influence engine. The ideal candidate is a strategic operator, cultural translator, and communications leader with deep beauty expertise, strong commercial instincts, a sophisticated understanding of the creator economy and paid influencer market, and the ability to build and mentor a high-performing team of six, manage complex agency partnerships, and develop global playbooks that drive brand love, advocacy, demand, and growth. location: Brooklyn, NY - 2 days a week onsite (must be based in + have the right to work in the US) what you'll do: strategy & roadmap Architect and lead amika's global influence ecosystem—spanning organic advocacy, earned media, brand storytelling, and paid influencer programming—to drive brand equity, cultural relevance, and measurable business impact. Define the annual global communications, influencer, and advocacy roadmap, ensuring alignment to brand priorities, product launches, retail moments, professional initiatives, international market needs, and cultural opportunities. Continuously benchmark amika against leading beauty, hair care, and lifestyle brands to identify white space, emerging platforms, talent opportunities, cultural shifts, competitive threats, and new models of advocacy. advocacy ecosystem & creator partnerships Build and evolve a multi-tiered global advocacy ecosystem spanning VIP, macro, mid-tier, creator, stylist, micro, emerging, professional, and organic brand advocates. Translate beauty, haircare, fashion, entertainment, wellness, professional, and digital culture signals into actionable brand opportunities, storytelling territories, creator partnerships, and campaign ideas. Identify breakthrough cultural partnerships, creator-led campaigns, VIP moments, editorial opportunities, stylist advocacy programs, and experiential concepts that generate earned conversation and brand heat. storytelling & cultural strategy Lead earned storytelling strategies that reinforce brand equity, deepen consumer trust, drive cultural relevance, and generate meaningful awareness, engagement, advocacy, and brand love. Serve as the senior internal authority on influence, communications, advocacy, earned storytelling, creator culture, cultural relevance, and reputation. Act as a strategic advisor to senior leadership on brand reputation, issues management, creator risk, corporate/product communications, competitive positioning, and cultural opportunities. campaigns & execution Lead global influencer, PR, earned media, and advocacy strategy across 360 go-to-market plans, from strategic development through activation, optimization, reporting, and post-campaign learnings. Own strategic leadership of paid influencer agency programming, including creator selection, briefing, content strategy, usage rights, approvals, and performance learnings. Coordinate with the paid media lead on investment strategy and channel amplification. Partner closely with social, integrated media, brand marketing, creative, professional marketing, international, retail marketing, and sales teams to ensure influence and communications strategies connect to broader brand and business priorities. events & experiential Lead annual influencer, press, stylist, and advocacy event strategy, including tentpole activations, immersive brand experiences, launch moments, and always-on relationship-building programs. In partnership with brand management and cross-functional stakeholders, identify and negotiate larger-scale brand collaborations, cultural partnerships, and advocacy programs that fuel annual marketing plans. global leadership & standards Develop and maintain global influencer, communications, and advocacy playbooks, including market prioritization, creator criteria, briefing standards, localization guardrails, KPI frameworks, agency ways of working, and brand safety guidelines. Provide strategic direction to international marketing leads and local agency partners on influencer identification, earned media strategy, cultural relevance, and market-specific activation while maintaining amika's brand DNA and community standards. measurement & insights Oversee global measurement and reporting across EMV, share of voice, sentiment, engagement quality, creator efficiency, earned reach, advocacy retention, launch impact, and brand health indicators. crisis management & reputation Lead product, brand, and corporate crisis communications management in partnership with internal stakeholders and external PR agency partners. team leadership & management Lead, inspire, and develop a high-performing team of six with a mindset of anticipation, collaboration, accountability, creativity, and innovation. Guide the team across influencer negotiations, talent contracts, creator briefs, product communication, content approvals, event execution, reporting, and relationship management. Manage external PR, influencer, paid influencer, talent, and cultural agency partners, ensuring strong strategic output, operational excellence, brand consistency, creator quality, and measurable performance. Closely manage influencer, PR, advocacy, communications, and paid influencer programming budgets in partnership with Finance, ensuring resources are allocated against the highest-impact opportunities. must haves: 10+ years of progressive experience leading influencer, communications, PR, advocacy, social, cultural strategy, or integrated brand marketing functions, ideally within beauty, prestige, lifestyle, fashion, or high-growth consumer brands. Proven track record building global or multi-market influencer, earned media, communications, or advocacy strategies that drive brand relevance, consumer engagement, earned conversation, and measurable business impact. Deep fluency in the creator economy, including paid and organic partnerships, gifting, seeding, VIP, affiliate partnership models, usage rights, whitelisting, creator licensing, always-on advocacy, and emerging platform behavior. Strong understanding of earned media strategy, brand communications, reputation management, and cultural storytelling. Demonstrated ability to connect brand storytelling to commercial priorities across retail, DTC, professional channels, product launches, social commerce, and paid amplification partnerships. Experience managing paid influencer programming, including agency oversight, creator briefs, content strategy, usage rights, approvals, performance reporting, and alignment with paid media partners. Experience developing global playbooks, regional toolkits, agency models, governance frameworks, and market-level guidance across multiple countries or regions. Deep expertise across influencer and advocacy tiers, including VIP, macro, mid-tier, micro, emerging creators, stylists, professional advocates, media, and community voices. Strong command of influencer, PR, and communications measurement, including EMV, share of voice, sentiment, impressions, earned reach, engagement quality, content efficiency, creator retention, advocacy impact, and brand health indicators. Proven experience leading, mentoring, and developing high-performing teams. Experience managing external agency partners across PR, influencer, paid influencer, talent, cultural strategy, events, or communications. Strong executive presence with the ability to influence senior leadership, cross-functional partners, agencies, international stakeholders, and external talent partners. Demonstrated negotiation skills across talent partnerships, brand collaborations, agency scopes, creator contracts, usage rights, and cultural partnerships. Experience developing and executing large-scale influencer, press, VIP, stylist, and advocacy events, including tentpole activations and launch moments. Crisis, issues management, and corporate/product communications experience in a fast-moving consumer environment. Deep familiarity with the beauty industry, haircare category, competitive landscape, creator culture, cultural trends, and global consumer behavior. Data-driven mindset with strong analytical, strategic, creative, and commercial thinking skills. Highly collaborative, culturally fluent, brand-sensitive, and comfortable operating in a fast-paced, high-growth, cross-functional environment ready to apply? please click the link below that will bring you to our careers page where you can submit your application + resume (cover letter optional). a member of our team will be in touch soon! amika means friend. we’re a fearless, Brooklyn-born, salon-raised haircare brand + a friend to all hair, hairstylists, the planet + you. we’re rooted in clinical results. each product is infused with our intoxicating scent + powered by our superfruit soul, sea buckthorn. known as one of earth’s most omega-rich plant sources, this potent berry nourishes your skin, scalp + strands. we’re a proud pal to the planet + certified B-Corp. from sustainably sourced ingredients + recyclable packaging to our energy-saving production processes, we pledge to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, waste + energy to reach Net Zero by 2030. having grown up in salons, we know better than anyone how important stylists are—they’re our confidantes + community. Think of us as your at-home hairapist, here to empower self-expression + bring joy to your haircare experience. all hair is welcome™.