Senior Manager, Social Media
Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE
At Etihad Airways, we're redefining the future of travel through innovation, exceptional customer experiences, and a world-class brand. We are seeking a visionary Senior Manager, Social Media to lead our global social media strategy and elevate Etihad’s presence across digital platforms.
Reporting to the Director of Brand, Creative & Social, this role will be responsible for shaping and executing a best-in-class, social-first approach that strengthens brand affinity, drives business performance, and supports Etihad’s ambitious growth journey.
As a senior leader within the Brand function, you will oversee a team of social media specialists, partner closely with executive stakeholders, agencies, creators, and influencers, and ensure social channels deliver measurable impact throughout the marketing funnel.
What You'll Do
Lead Etihad's Global Social Media Strategy
- Develop and execute a comprehensive global social media strategy aligned with Etihad’s brand and commercial objectives.
- Create a clear social media playbook that enables Etihad to stand out, drive engagement, and win in an increasingly competitive digital landscape.
- Leverage audience insights, analytics, and emerging platform opportunities to continuously optimise performance.
Bring the Brand to Life
- Define how Etihad’s brand strategy translates across social media channels, ensuring a consistent, distinctive, and premium presence.
- Champion innovative storytelling and social-first creative approaches that resonate with global audiences.
- Maintain brand excellence across all content, campaigns, partnerships, and activations.
Drive Best-in-Class Content and Campaigns
- Oversee the development and delivery of compelling content that supports brand, customer, and commercial objectives.
- Lead forward planning of content calendars and proactively identify creative opportunities aligned with key business priorities and cultural moments.
- Ensure content is optimised for platform performance, audience engagement, and business outcomes.
Deliver Measurable Business Impact
- Establish and monitor key social media KPIs, using performance data to drive decision-making and optimisation.
- Translate social media performance into actionable business insights and demonstrate ROI to senior stakeholders.
- Continuously evaluate and refine strategies to maximise reach, engagement, conversion, and advocacy.
Lead High-Profile Events and Activations
- Provide strategic leadership for major brand moments, global partnerships, events, and campaign launches.
- Oversee real-time social coverage and live content execution to maximise engagement and visibility.
- Drive impactful influencer collaborations and content partnerships that extend campaign reach and relevance.
Inspire and Develop a High-Performing Team
- Lead, coach, and develop a team of social media professionals, fostering a culture of creativity, collaboration, and excellence.
- Conduct regular performance reviews and provide ongoing mentorship to support professional growth and career development.
- Build a high-performing function focused on innovation, accountability, and results.
Partner with Key Stakeholders
- Act as Etihad’s senior subject matter expert on social media, advising internal teams and external partners on best practices.
- Collaborate closely with Brand, Creative, Digital, Commercial, Communications, and Customer Experience teams to ensure aligned and integrated campaigns.
- Build strong relationships across the organisation to drive social media excellence at every touchpoint.
Manage Agencies and Strategic Partnerships
- Serve as the primary lead for global and regional social media agency relationships.
- Ensure agency partners deliver exceptional performance and strategic value aligned to Etihad's objectives.
- Evaluate and manage influencer partnerships, ensuring alignment with brand values and campaign goals.
Champion Innovation and Customer Insights
- Stay ahead of social media trends, platform developments, emerging technologies, and evolving consumer behaviours.
- Work closely with community management teams to monitor sentiment and identify actionable customer insights.
- Foster a culture of experimentation, innovation, and continuous improvement across the social media function.
Why Join Etihad?
This is an opportunity to shape the voice of one of the world's most recognised aviation brands, lead a talented team, and influence how millions of customers engage with Etihad every day. You'll play a critical role in driving brand growth, customer engagement, and commercial performance while setting new benchmarks for social media excellence in the travel industry.
What We're Looking For
Experience & Expertise
- 10+ years of experience in social media, digital marketing, or content strategy, gained within a leading global agency or a major consumer-facing brand.
- Proven track record of developing and executing high-impact social media strategies that drive brand growth, audience engagement, and measurable business results.
- Experience operating in complex, global organisations with multiple stakeholders and market considerations.
Leadership & Stakeholder Management
- Demonstrated success leading, inspiring, and developing high-performing social media teams.
- Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence at all levels and build productive partnerships across internal and external audiences.
- A collaborative and proactive mindset, with a passion for delivering outstanding outcomes through cross-functional teamwork.
Strategic & Commercial Thinking
- Strong strategic acumen, with the ability to translate business objectives into innovative social media initiatives.
- Deep understanding of how social media contributes across the marketing funnel, from brand awareness and engagement to conversion and loyalty.
- Experience using data, insights, and performance metrics to inform decision-making and optimise results.
Project & Agency Management
- Proven ability to lead complex projects, manage multiple priorities, and deliver excellence in fast-paced environments.
- Experience managing and maximising relationships with creative, social media, influencer, and media agency partners.
- Strong organisational skills with a focus on execution, quality, and impact.
Digital & Technical Skills
- Advanced knowledge of social media publishing, measurement, analytics, and social listening platforms.
- Strong understanding of paid social strategies and digital performance marketing.
- Familiarity with SEO principles and their role within integrated digital campaigns.
- Working knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite tools such as Photoshop or Illustrator would be advantageous.
Industry Knowledge
- Experience within aviation, travel, hospitality, luxury, or lifestyle brands is highly desirable.
- Strong understanding of evolving digital trends, consumer behaviours, and the social media landscape.
Education & Languages
- Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Digital Media, Business, or a related discipline.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
- Arabic language proficiency is highly desirable.
Personal Attributes
- Innovative, commercially minded, and passionate about digital storytelling.
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment where adaptability and agility are essential.
- Curious, forward-thinking, and constantly seeking new opportunities to elevate performance and brand impact.
Etihad Airways is more than the UAE’s national airline - we’re shaping the future of global aviation. From our hub in Abu Dhabi, we connect people across continents and cultures, while driving our “Journey 2030” ambition to double our fleet, expand our network and grow our people for a new era of excellence. Join us and become part of a vision where the world is your workplace and extraordinary experiences take flight.
To learn more visit www.etihad.com
Recruitment Fraud Alert
Beware of fraudulent job offers from individuals or organizations claiming to represent the Etihad group. We will never ask for personal information, bank details, or payment during the recruitment process. Interviews are conducted face-to-face or via video/telephone before any formal offer. If you are asked for money, please treat it as fraudulent.