Senior Community manager

Who We Are

VML, part of WPP, is a leading creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce, creating connected brands to drive growth. VML is celebrated for its innovative and human first, award-winning work for blue chip client partners including AstraZeneca, Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, Ford, Microsoft, Nestlé, The Coca-Cola Company, and Wendy's. The agency is recognized by the Forrester Wave™ Reports, as a Leader among Marketing Creative and Content Service Providers, Commerce Services, Global Digital Experience Services, Global Marketing Services and, most recently, Marketing Measurement & Optimization. In addition, VML’s specialist health network, VML Health, is one of the world’s largest and most awarded health agencies. VML’s global network is powered by 26,000 talented people across 55+ markets, with principal offices in Kansas City, New York, Detroit, London, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, and Sydney.

About WPP

WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. We unite cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, world-class creativity, next-generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel in a single company – powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open, to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth. For more information, visit WPP.com.

Senior Community Manager

Company: VML

Hybrid working: Working from home / Sea Containers office, London, SE1

At VML, we are a beacon of innovation and growth in an ever-evolving world. Our heritage is built upon a century of combined expertise, where creativity meets technology, and diverse perspectives ignite inspiration. With the merger of VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson, we have forged a new path as a growth partner that is part creative agency, part consultancy, and part technology powerhouse.

Our global family now encompasses over 30,000 employees across 150+ offices in 64 markets, each contributing to a culture that values connection, belonging, and the power of differences. Our expertise spans the entire customer journey building connected brands that drive growth for our clients. We do this by leveraging our 3 core practices; Brand experience, Customer experience and Commerce. Within these practices we offer expertise across communications, commerce, consultancy, CRM, data, production, and technology. We deliver end-to-end solutions that result in revolutionary work.

The Role: Senior Social Media Manager, Community

We are seeking an experienced Senior Community Manager to lead the community strategy and engagement for a leading luxury automotive brand. You'll be the expert on how the brand shows up in conversation — defining community engagement frameworks, leading on reactive moments, and turning social interactions into genuine brand affinity.

You'll go beyond day-to-day replies to shape how the brand builds and nurtures its social community. You'll develop engagement strategies, guide tone of voice in different contexts, surface audience insights that shape content and strategy, and lead the response during high-pressure or crisis moments. You'll also begin to share your knowledge and guide more junior community managers.

If you're passionate about the power of social communities, can think strategically about engagement while still crafting the perfect reply, and have experience managing brand voices for major clients; we want to hear from you!

The VML Social team is growing and this opportunity is primed for someone that's looking to deliver best in class community management, whilst learning and upskilling themselves with a team of specialists.

Key Responsibilities:

• Community Strategy: Develop and lead community engagement strategies that build authentic relationships between the brand and its social audience. Define frameworks for engagement: when, where, and how the brand should show up in conversation.

• Community Leadership: Lead day-to-day community engagement and oversee quality across social platforms. Set the standard for brand voice in social interactions and guide others to deliver against it.

• Social Listening & Insights: Lead social listening efforts to track sentiment, identify emerging themes, and surface community insights. Translate these into actionable recommendations for content, strategy, and the wider client team.

• Crisis & Issues Management: Lead the community response during high-pressure moments, issues, or crisis situations. Exercise expert judgement on tone, timing, and escalation. Develop and maintain response protocols.

• Proactive Engagement: Identify and capitalise on opportunities for the brand to join cultural conversations, engage with relevant communities, and create moments that build brand affinity. Develop broader POVs on community engagement best practices.

• Client Engagement: Present community insights, engagement strategies, and performance to clients in a clear and compelling manner. Counsel clients on the nuances of community management and challenge assumptions where needed.

• Collaboration: Work closely with content creators, social strategists, and the broader social team to ensure community insights feed into strategy and content, and that engagement activity is fully integrated with the social plan.

The ideal candidate will:

• Have a proven track record of leading community management for major brands, with demonstrated expertise in social engagement strategy.

• Be an expert in brand voice, knowing how to flex tone across platforms, contexts, and situations while maintaining authenticity.

• Be culturally sharp and fast on their feet; able to spot opportunities and navigate risks in real time.

• Be a strategic thinker who can connect community insights to broader content and business recommendations.

• Be a highly collaborative team player, capable of building strong relationships with clients, internal teams, and external partners.

• Be comfortable working in a dynamic, fast-paced environment and managing multiple priorities simultaneously.

• Be passionate about 'what's next' in social communities and audience engagement.

• Be able to set and manage expectations, delegate tasks, and share responsibility for outcomes.

• Be a proactive and results-oriented individual with a strong work ethic and a commitment to excellence.

• Knowledge and experience in the luxury space or within automotive.

Qualifications & Experience:

• Proven experience leading community management for well-known brands, ideally within an agency environment.

• Demonstrated expertise in developing community engagement strategies and brand voice guidelines.

• Strong understanding of social listening tools and community management platforms (e.g. Sprinklr, Brandwatch, or similar).

• Experience managing social media crisis and issues response.

• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.

• Proven ability to build and maintain strong client relationships.

• Experience working with cross-functional teams and managing multiple projects simultaneously.

• Experience of working on automotive clients is highly beneficial although not essential.

• A degree of some sort will help us understand your background and point of view.

Sound like you? Then we'd love to talk to you about this super exciting opportunity!

What's in it for you?

Aside from a generous annual leave allowance and pension allowances, you will have access to a whole host of other benefits and activities such as

• Life Assurance

• Permanent Health Insurance

• BUPA

• Flexible hybrid-working schedule

• Enhanced family friendly policies

• Well-being Programme

• Employee Assistance Support

• Cycle to Work Scheme

• Eye Care and Glasses Vouchers

• Season Ticket Loans

• WPP Discounts

You will also have a clear long-term career development plan and access to our learning and development activities and online learning platforms.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

VML is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without regard to race, colour, religion or belief, sex, age, national origin, citizenship status, marital status, military/veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental disability. We believe in creating a dynamic work environment that values diversity and inclusion and strives to recruit a diverse slate of candidates to help us achieve that goal.

If you are unable or limited in your ability to access our career site as a result of a disability, we will be happy to assist you. Please contact our People Team at [email protected] to request an alternate accommodation. Please note that only requests for an employment application accommodation will be returned.

We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office an average of four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

WPP (VML) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.

VML is a WPP agency (NYSE: WPP). For more information, please visit  www.vml.com, and follow along on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.

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