Social Media & Digital Engagement Specialist / California Academy of Sciences

We’re looking for an experienced, highly skilled Social Media and Digital Engagement Specialist to join our dynamic Digital Engagement team at the California Academy of Sciences. Apply here!

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Sr. Digital Engagement and Community Manager, you’ll contribute directly to Academy digital-engagement efforts on a wide range of platforms (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, YouTube, LinkedIn); be responsible for significant paid social-media campaigns; use your expertise & creativity to help inform team strategy and content-creation; and support team efforts such as influencer programs, digital special-projects, & more. You’ll also be wholly responsible for 2 brands within our social ecosystem—the digital magazine bioGraphic (showcasing the natural world and efforts to protect it), and our BigPicture Natural World Photography Competition—directly executing all organic and paid efforts, strategy, and metrics/reporting for those accounts.

The importance of excellent writing skills for this position cannot be overstated; the ability to craft compelling, well-written, accurate content using the appropriate voice and tone for varying platforms, audiences, and subject matter is an absolute must. You should additionally have high-level experience with paid social-media advertising (strategy & execution); be a thoughtful, comfortable public speaker and great all-around communicator; and—as part of a team that regularly liaises with a wide range of internal and external contacts while supporting a diverse range of priorities—be highly responsible, organized, goal-oriented, self-motivated, and able to work both as part of a team and autonomously.

In the process of carrying out the duties detailed below, you’ll be interacting with amazing scientists and researchers, highlighting our incredible scientific collections, showcasing the fascinating animals we’re home to, and supporting the Academy’s mission to explore, explain, and sustain life on Earth. Interest in or experience with science/nature communication is a plus, as is experience with other cultural institutions or attractions.

The California Academy of Sciences welcomes people of all backgrounds, identities, and beliefs to join us in achieving our mission to explore, explain, and sustain life on Earth. We place diversity, equity, and inclusion at the heart of our recruiting efforts and strive to build a culture centered on mutual respect, equal treatment, and the opportunity to succeed.

 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

Work with Sr. Digital Engagement & Community Manager and teammates to contribute directly to Academy brand social efforts and to directly manage select individual Academy accounts – 40%

  • Directly manage ~3 Academy Brand platforms (e.g. YouTube, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Pinterest, Google Business, third-party review channels) and contribute directly to Academy Instagram, Snapchat, and any other platforms adopted
  • Source and create social-optimized assets (images, gifs, videos) as needed to highlight Academy science, staff, and initiatives
  • Identify new platforms, tools, formats, and updates that support DE’s ongoing work to compellingly highlight Academy staff, science, and expertise on social media
  • Stay up-to-date on trends, platform changes, and industry news that affect current Academy efforts or are likely to do so in the future (e.g. follow industry publications, read related articles, seek out online resources, actively research questions that arise)
  • Collaborate with scientists, researchers, and staff to execute special digital-engagement features that make them & their work more accessible and relevant to digital audiences
  • Run and/or assist with with live-streaming and other events
  • Identify and execute digital-engagement-focused events and activations on the public floor
  • Work with Digital Engagement colleagues to build and curate a robust community of highly effective influencers who can act as ambassadors for the Academy or for individual Academy efforts/initiatives
  • Support execution of all Academy Brand and Digital Engagement team goals

Oversee paid and organic bioGraphic and BigPicture social media efforts (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) on a daily basis, including monitoring on evenings and weekends as needed – 35%

  • Work with Sr. Digital Engagement and Community Manager and other account stakeholders to develop an annual social media strategy for each brand and execute accordingly
  • Curate and create engaging social content that directly supports individual brand goals; optimize content strategy and voice unique to each brand based on performance metrics and best practices
  • Create, manage, and execute a paid social strategy for each brand optimized to support individual brand goals (e.g. engagements, community growth, awareness, reputation)
  • Directly manage budgets for each brand’s paid efforts
  • Provide complete social care for each account, e.g. monitoring, engaging with, and responding to comments and questions from followers (working with appropriate brand stakeholders as needed for replies) in a timely and appropriate manner that reflects positively on the Academy
  • Create, organize, and manage social editorial calendars for each brand
  • Facilitate collaboration with various external partners
  • Track, measure, and report metrics for each brand’s organic and paid social efforts
    • Update monthly metrics dashboards
    • Leverage data to provide insights, make recommendations to improve account performance, and adjust strategy as needed

Co-execute Academy-wide social advertising efforts (in collaboration with Specialist colleague) – 20%

  • Liaise with Academy departments (Membership, Sales, Development, Education, Consumer Insights, HR) to understand client needs; provide recommendations on what specific platforms, targeting, messaging, and strategies would best support their objectives
  • Create compelling copy-plus-asset ad packages; execute, monitor, and report back on campaigns
  • Work with Sr. Digital Engagement & Community Manager to review campaign performance and continuously optimize results

Other – 5%

  • Work with Sr. Digital Engagement & Community Manager to support/contribute to special Digital Engagement projects
  • Monitor social media email inbox and respond to or redirect emails as needed
  • Follow all Academy safety regulations.
  • Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE:
A qualified candidate will possess a combination of the following education and/or equivalent experience:

  • B.A. in Marketing, Communications, English, Creative Writing, Liberal Arts or related area of study AND three or more years of experience in marketing, communications, writing, digital engagement, social media; OR comparable combination.
  • Experience representing a brand on social media (minimum community size of 25K) is required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

  • Exceptionally strong writer with excellent radar for appropriate voice and tone, and the ability to modulate their own writing style to match. Background in or passion for science communication is a plus.
  • Proven ability to effectively manage large social accounts and represent a brand with little oversight.
  • Proficiency in all primary social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube) with a solid understanding of current best practices and industry trends; demonstrated ability & desire to stay on the cutting edge
  • Higher-level experience with paid social media advertising; ability to write genuinely compelling copy, interpret resulting metrics, and extract meaningful, actionable insights
  • Creative thinker who’s able to pitch, identify, and source compelling and relevant content for a range of Experience in media asset production (video, photography, gifs, AR/VR, 360) & with related tools (e.g. Adobe Creative Suite, video editing) is preferred
  • Rock-solid communicator able to effectively share with, listen to, and offer insight and support to diverse internal groups
  • Determined self-starter with ability to drive their own projects by setting goals, establishing timelines, managing stakeholder expectations/communication, and ensuring key milestones and deliverables are met
  • Well organized, detail- and solutions-oriented, and able to prioritize and execute on multiple projects simultaneously
  • Experience in planning public events and activations
  • Clear understanding of digital-asset rights and licensing restrictions
  • Passionate about the Academy’s mission

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:  
Please submit your cover letter and resume online at https://calacademy.snaphire.com.