Senior Social Media Manager

Location: Remote or hybrid. Science Friday’s headquarters are in New York City, but we offer considerable WFH flexibility for both local and remote employees. Applicants based in the greater NYC area are preferred, but remote applicants welcome. Science Friday’s WFH policy requires that every full time employee, regardless of location, work from the New York City office or studio for a minimum of 24 days per year. Conferences, work-related events, off-site meetings will count towards that total. Unless otherwise indicated, travel to the office is at the expense of the employee.

Reports to: Director of Audience Engagement and Growth

Type: Full-time, exempt. This is a full-time role that includes benefits. Science Friday offers competitive compensation with medical, dental, and vision insurance, and generous time off benefits including vacation, sick time, and parental leave.

Deadline: This is an immediate vacancy. Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Candidates should be prepared to participate in multiple interviews.

About Your Role

Science Friday is seeking a creative, detail-obsessed, and strategic leader to design and execute an innovative social media strategy as our new Senior Social Media Manager. In this role, you’ll use Science Friday’s social platforms to grow the audience for our radio show and podcasts, expand reach, and connect more people to the wonder of science.

You’ll be the driver of all things social media—owning the day-to-day management, strategy, and execution across platforms. From posting to planning, you’ll oversee every aspect of Science Friday’s social presence, ensuring our voice is consistent, responsive, and always on mission. You’ll collaborate closely with colleagues across teams to align social media with our owned channels (newsletters, website, podcasts, community boards, broadcast, and other programs) and surface insights that inform editorial decisions.

At Science Friday, our mission is to increase public access to science and scientific information. You will serve as the eyes, ears and voice of our social media presence—creating distinctive, engaging content, facilitating dialogue, opening channels for audience input, and moderating communities with thoughtful, inclusive norms. If you’re the kind of person who notices a typo from across the room (and loses sleep over it), you’ll fit right in! Attention to detail is essential, from fact-checking to phrasing, every post matters.

This full-time role is fully remote, with flexibility to work from anywhere, though living in or near NYC is a plus. You will report to the Director of Audience Engagement and Growth and collaborate closely with our audience, editorial, education, experiences, and digital teams. Success in this role will be measured not only by conventional metrics like audience growth and engagement, but also by Science Friday’s broader vision of impact—gathering qualitative evidence of science learning, discourse, action, confidence, belonging, and sharing among audiences.

The ideal candidate thrives in a fast-moving and often contentious social media landscape with creativity, humor, and adaptability. You should have a strong understanding of both journalism and science communication, as you will be responsible for sharing science news on topics that frequently spark controversy—including public health, climate change, and other politically or socially charged issues—and must be able to navigate feedback from both well-intentioned and bad-faith actors thoughtfully and strategically. You should have a strong sense of the online conversation, staying attuned to emerging trends and discussions to inform Science Friday’s newsroom and guide engagement. On top of this, experience managing social media accounts, creating engaging content, and moderating online communities is essential to ensure inclusive, productive, and safe interactions with audiences.

About Science Friday

Science Friday is a 100% publicly-funded nonprofit. As such, all SciFri staff are expected to contribute to fundraising efforts including supporting grant ideation, editing, writing, annual appeals, social media posts, donor events, and encouraging their networks to support independent, nonprofit news like Science Friday.

All employees of Science Friday are invited and encouraged to participate in at least one board meeting per year. This transparency between our board and staff allows our hybrid team to calibrate quarterly and supports staff in learning about the often opaque governance structure of nonprofits. The organization is committed to this effort and will reimburse staff for expenses related to that annual meeting. SciFri also encourages staff to serve on boards and/or volunteer in the community with our flexible PTO plan and hybrid remote model.

Key Responsibilities

Social Media Strategy & Execution

• Develop and execute Science Friday’s social media strategy across platforms including Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, and emerging platforms such as Bluesky.
• Create and manage a daily publishing schedule aligned with organizational priorities, our editorial calendar, and campaigns.
• Collaborate across teams (audio, digital, education, events, development) to ensure social content amplifies our programming and organizational goals.
• Identify and test new social formats, features, and storytelling opportunities to grow reach and engagement including video content.
• Identify and cultivate partnerships with like-minded organizations, influencers, and content creators to expand Science Friday’s reach, amplify key programs, and increase audience engagement across social media platforms.
• Manage SciFri’s paid social media campaigns, including budgeting, campaign design, optimization, and reporting on performance metrics; oversee boosted posts and collaborate with internal teams or external partners to maximize reach and impact.

Content Creation

• Own the end-to-end creation of all social media content. You are the designer, writer, and producer—developing every post from concept to publication.
• Produce and edit high-quality, platform-specific content—including short-form videos, social post graphics, and social-first stories that make science fun, accessible, and shareable.
• Craft smart, engaging, and accurate social copy that reflects Science Friday’s brand voice and journalistic integrity.
• Collaborate with producers, editors, and freelancers to adapt SciFri’s audio, digital, and educational content for social media.
• Capture, edit, and package video clips, audio excerpts, and behind-the-scenes moments for social channels.
• Maintain and evolve Science Friday’s visual identity across all social platforms, ensuring every post is accurate, consistent, and aligned with our mission.

Community Engagement

• Monitor social media and audience feedback channels (including listener email), surface important questions and feedback to relevant SciFri team members, and facilitate constructive, science-informed discussions on social platforms when appropriate.
• Identify opportunities for user-generated content, live Q&As, and community participation.
• Provide social media strategy and on-the-ground coverage for Science Friday events, including live posting, audience engagement, and behind-the-scenes storytelling; this role will require occasional travel.
• Train and guide SciFri staff on best practices for social media engagement, helping teams amplify content and extend the reach of SciFri’s programs across platforms.
• Support key SciFri staff in building and engaging their own social audiences.

Analytics, Insights and Optimizations

• Track and report social media KPIs (reach, engagement, shares, audience growth, referral traffic, etc.).
• Use data to inform content decisions, optimize performance, and identify audience trends.
• Share insights and best practices across teams to inform overall audience strategy.
• Use data to inform creative decisions, platform strategy, and content optimization.
• Experiment with A/B testing and new features to increase engagement and reach.
• Prepare regular performance reports and insights for internal teams, funders, and leadership.

Collaboration & Leadership

• Work closely with Audio, Digital, Education, and Development teams to amplify their work and ensure alignment across platforms.
• Partner with the Editorial team to translate scientific reporting into engaging, social-first storytelling.
• Support fundraising and partnership campaigns with social media strategies and assets.
• Manage external vendors or freelancers as needed for social content production.

Qualifications

Required

• 5+ years managing social media for a media, news, or mission-driven brand.
• Proven experience developing and executing platform-specific strategies that drive measurable growth.
• Comfortable being a team of one—you’ll own every aspect of Science Friday’s social presence, from strategy to content creation to community engagement.
• Excellent writing and editing skills with a sharp sense of tone, voice, and storytelling.
• Meticulous attention to detail, from copy to captions to cropping, you catch the things others miss.
• Strong creative and technical skills across content creation, including video editing (Premiere Pro, Riverside, CapCut, Descript) and graphic design (Photoshop, Canva, or Adobe Creative Suite).
• Proficiency with major social media platforms and publishing tools (e.g., Buffer, Sprout Social, Meta Business Suite, X/Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky, YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn).
• Deep understanding of journalistic standards and ethics.
• 3+ years communicating science for a lay audience, including a demonstrated ability to translate complex or technical information into engaging, accessible social content.
• Deep understanding of analytics and strong ability to gather and interpret data to optimize performance.
• Passion for science, public media, and making complex topics relatable and fun for all audiences.
• Willingness and ability to travel for work and occasionally work evenings or weekends to support live events and coverage needs.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship now or in the future.

Preferred

• Science journalism experience.
• Non-profit experience.
• Understanding of SEO, audience segmentation, and paid media campaigns.
• Experience in nonprofit, media, or educational settings.
• Experience working with or managing social campaigns for podcasts or video series.
• Understanding of accessible and inclusive communication best practices.

What We Offer

• Salary range: $70,000–$90,000, commensurate with experience and location.
• Comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, and vision insurance; 403(b) retirement plan with employer contribution; generous paid time off; and paid parental leave.
• A mission-driven, collaborative, and creative work environment that values curiosity, inclusion, and experimentation.

How to Apply

Please submit a resume, a brief cover letter, and 2–3 examples of social media content or campaigns you’ve developed that demonstrate your creativity and strategic thinking. Use this link to apply: https://airtable.com/app1Y4Je6kb4WSVbX/shrRUijYBrJewhC2q

Please note: Final candidates will complete a brief design and copy project based on a SciFri archival story. It should take no more than 30 minutes and will be used only for evaluation.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $70,000.00 - $90,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Vision insurance

Work Location: Hybrid remote in New York, NY 10004