Senior Director - Cultural Influence

Bully Pulpit Interactive is an outcomes agency made up of strategists, data scientists, and artists. We come from politics, brands, and government and we communicate without barriers and measure what matters. BPI specializes in public affairs, corporate reputation and social impact. A growing firm, we sit on both coasts and between and connecting Silicon Valley technology, Madison Avenue creative, Washington policy and real people.

The Impact You Will Make

This senior leadership role will drive influencer strategies that shift key audiences’ attitudes and behaviors through deep understanding of pop and digital culture, subcultures and fandoms. We are seeking a Senior Director to evolve offerings, scale capabilities, and run cultural influence programs across a diverse client portfolio spanning public affairs, nonprofit and advocacy campaigns, and electoral politics.

This leader will guide a growing team of cultural strategists, influencer experts, and campaigners, working cross-functionally with Strategic Communications, Marketing, and Culture Change teams to deliver integrated, effective, and authentic influence work.

Salary range - 160,000 - $175,000

BPI follows a hybrid work schedule with the expectation to work from an office at least 3 days a week. This role can be based out of New York, DC or LA.

What Day to Day Looks Like

Strategic Leadership & Cultural Vision

• Shape the agency’s overall influencer engagement strategy, aligning it with client priorities and cultural trends
• Develop and execute comprehensive go-to-market, culture-rooted influencer strategies that align with client objectives and break through with harder-to-reach audiences
• Help clients and internal teams understand how cultural influence works and why parasocial trust, authenticity, and relevance matter more than just reach
• Identify emerging platforms, creators, trends, and cultural moments that can be activated for client campaigns
• Educate clients and colleagues on the evolving influencer landscape and the strategic relevance of parasocial trust, authenticity, and cultural legitimacy

Program Design & Execution

• Design and scale influencer and creator programs that are measurable, mission-aligned, and emotionally resonant
• Build integrated campaigns that combine influencer engagement, strategic content co-creation, and narrative storytelling
• Oversee day-to-day execution of influencer programs, including influencer identification, relationship development, content strategy, and performance tracking
• Create frameworks for cultural impact measurement, including opinion shift, narrative traction, and behavior change
• Understand the latest trends in digital platforms and social subcultures and know how to activate them through organic and paid strategies

Talent Engagement & Ecosystem Building

• Build a network, map and engage a diverse range of trusted messengers, cultural producers, creative collaborators, and digital voices.
• Develop long-term, values-based partnerships with influencers (and/or influencer agencies) in addition to transactional content deals
• Steward relationships across a tiered ecosystem of creators (from micro-influencers to celebrities)
• Be able to identify creators for both one-off campaigns and long-term partnerships that grow over time

Team Leadership & Development

• Recruit, manage, and grow a high-performing team of influencer specialists and cultural mobilizers
• Foster a collaborative culture that values creativity, experimentation, and continuous improvement
• Provide strategic oversight while empowering team members to lead on execution and relationship management
• Integrated Collaboration
• Advise Creative teams to develop story-first content that feels authentic to both creator voice and campaign goals
• Partner with Media to extend reach and precision through targeted distribution
• Leverage Insights to guide creator selection, message testing, and audience relevance
• Support Client Services in pitching, reporting, and building client relationships rooted in cultural fluency and strategic value

• 12+ years experience in communications or related discipline; at least 8 years experience influencer marketing, cultural strategy
• Proven success designing and executing influence programs for advocacy, nonprofit, corporate, or public affairs clients
•  Understanding of how cultural narratives drive perception, legitimacy, and behavior
• Demonstrated ability to build long-term, non-transactional partnerships with creators
• Strong cross-functional collaboration, communication, and leadership skills
• Comfort engaging clients at senior levels and articulating the business and societal value of cultural influence
• Possess expertise in leveraging cultural movements and creator ecosystems to drive narrative and policy change
• Be equally adept at pitching strategic recommendations to CMOs and campaign directors as they are at managing partnerships with digital creators and measuring the impact of campaigns
• Have deep knowledge of the ecosystem from ideation to execution. This includes technology platforms for identification, management, and measurement along with an understanding of, the broader influence landscape (including emerging publishers, aggregators, and creator agencies)

Success Metrics

• Increased client investment in cultural and influence strategies
• Successful integration of influencer work across agency disciplines and campaigns
• Growth and retention of a best-in-class influencer and cultural strategy team
• Demonstrated cultural impact and resonance across campaigns (reach, sentiment, narrative traction)
• Recognition as a leading voice in culture-forward public affairs and narrative strategy

BPI offers a wide range of benefits to U.S.-based employees, including 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) program with employer match up to 4%, generous time off for vacation, $50 monthly phone reimbursement, unlimited sick time, and 16 weeks of paid leave for new parents. BPI’s benefits prioritize employee wellness and progressive support to our diverse workforce.

We’re looking for all kinds of people. 

BPI Group is an integrated public affairs agency that delivers outcomes for the top organizations and leaders around the world. With expertise in strategic communications, digital marketing, creative, research, and measurement, we offer a cohesive approach across corporate, policy, and public affairs strategy in today’s interconnected world. By combining incisive strategy and deep tactical expertise, we make change possible. Our transatlantic presence includes offices across eleven markets in the US and Europe.

We are an equal opportunity employer and make employment decisions based on individual commitment to excellence. We want to have the best qualified people in every job. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, status as a protected veteran, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information or characteristics (or those of a family member) or any other consideration made unlawful by applicable federal, state or local laws. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. 

BPI is dedicated to building an inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible workplace that fosters a sense of belonging – so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to still consider submitting an application. We consider applications holistically and you may be just the right candidate for this role or another one of our openings!

Let’s keep in touch. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter at bpigroup.com