Social Strategy Manager

Job Description

KUOW has an outstanding opportunity for a Social Strategy Manager to join their team.

Reporting to the Director of Marketing, the Social Strategy Manager leads the long-term vision, strategy, growth, and evolution of the organization’s social media presence. This role develops and drives audience-centered strategies that expand KUOW’s reach, deepen engagement, strengthen audience loyalty, and advance the organization’s mission across established and emerging social platforms. As KUOW’s social media leader, the Social Strategy Manager defines how KUOW’s journalism is distributed and presented across social channels, establishing publishing strategies, content frameworks, engagement approaches, and performance benchmarks that maximize audience impact.

The Strategist collaborates closely with editorial, digital, and creative teams to ensure content is optimized for platform success while reflecting KUOW’s editorial, brand, and accessibility standards.

This position is based at KUOW’s University District studio and is suitable for hybrid telework. Duties may occasionally require evening and weekend work.

Social Media Strategy, Audience Growth, and Innovation (35%)

• Develop, lead, and continuously evolve KUOW’s social media and audience growth strategy across established and emerging platforms.
• Identify opportunities to expand audience reach, deepen engagement, strengthen audience loyalty, and increase visibility of KUOW journalism.
• Serve as KUOW’s subject matter expert on social media trends, platform developments, audience behavior, and emerging content formats.
• Recommend and test new approaches, tools, channels, and storytelling methods that support audience growth and engagement goals.
• Use audience insights, industry trends, and performance data to inform strategic direction and resource allocation.
• Foster a culture of innovation, experimentation, accountability, and continuous improvement within the social media function.

Content Strategy, Publishing, and Creative Execution (35%)

• Lead KUOW’s social publishing strategy, including content prioritization, scheduling, cadence, platform selection, and distribution plans.
• Monitor and maintain KUOW’s continuous presence across all active channels, including managing post automations and a publishing calendar of original content.
• Define platform-specific best practices for content packaging, including captions, headlines, graphics, videos, accessibility, calls to action, and audience engagement tactics.
• Determine the most effective content formats and storytelling approaches for individual stories and broader editorial initiatives.
• Collaborate with editors, reporters, web producers, video producers, and graphic designers to create compelling social-first content that advances audience and editorial goals.
• Create and publish social media content, including writing captions, creating thumbnails, developing graphics within established templates, and performing light video editing for platform-specific distribution.
• Review content and creative assets, providing feedback and direction to ensure they meet strategic objectives and brand expectations.
• Support social media coverage of breaking news, major events, fundraising campaigns, and enterprise journalism as needed.

Audience Engagement, Analytics, and Performance (25%)

• Develop strategies that foster meaningful audience engagement, conversation, and community connection across social platforms.
• Monitor audience feedback, sentiment, and engagement trends to identify opportunities and inform content decisions.
• Establish and track performance metrics aligned with KUOW’s mission, audience goals, and growth objectives.
• Monitor messages and comments and maintain a…