SOCIAL MEDIA SPECIALIST (PART-TIME, CONTRACT)

Overview

High Country News (HCN) is looking for a Social Media Specialist to manage our social media channels, encompassing Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, TikTok, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Youtube. This is a remote-working and freelance position, requiring an average of 20 hours per week.

As the Social Media Specialist, you will guide our social media strategy and manage our social media publishing calendar. You are a storyteller who can use a combination of creativity and best practices to reconceive HCN’s journalism as compelling digital media content. In doing so, you will help build and moderate social media communities and identify opportunities to engage HCN’s audience.

High Country News is part of a growing number of newsrooms addressing a historic lack of representation, inclusion and equity in journalism and committed to finding effective solutions. We welcome applicants from all life experiences and encourage members of traditionally underrepresented backgrounds to apply, including people of color, LGBTQ+ people, women, people with disabilities, two spirit and non-binary people.

Working under the guidance of the Managing Digital Editor, you will also collaborate with our Community Outreach Manager to identify potential ambassadors, influencers, and outreach opportunities on social media.

Day to day behaviors and essential functions include:

●      Works with editorial and marketing teams to develop a comprehensive social media strategy for HCN

●      Manages all HCN-owned organic social media (i.e., publish content, monitor comments, active community listening, engage with partners and allies, share and amplify content, identify potential partners and donors) with the goal of engaging HCN’s current audience, and reaching new and diverse audiences

●      Builds creative assets for various social platforms when necessary

●      Provides content performance insights using analytics across all HCN owned platforms

●      Writes copy for social media.

●      Works with designers to create dedicated still and video assets for HCN’s social media platforms

●      Coordinates livestreams with multiple partners and individuals

●      Collaborates with the Community Outreach Manager and Associate Photo Editor, and potentially others in the High Country News organization

●      Provides guidance and mentorship to HCN’s digital interns

Skills and experience

We’re most interested in hearing how your own skills, broader experience and qualifications would enhance the work and benefit HCN and the communities we serve and hope to serve across the West. You should have an understanding of and passion for High Country News’ mission to inform and inspire people to take action on behalf of the West’s natural and human communities.

The position requires strong written and communication skills, especially for social media content, with the ability to craft messages to fit audiences. You should be able to show relevant experience communicating to broad and diverse audiences. An understanding of social media analytics and a familiarity with social media management tools is a key skill we are looking for.

The Social Media Specialist will have a high level of comfort engaging with diverse communities on social media, and video editing skills are an added advantage. Experience with graphic design tools such as Canva, Affinity Suite, or Adobe Suite is preferred. A strong track record of strategically managing social media content for a company or organization, and experience managing social media projects – especially those that include multiple stakeholders or teams – is important to this role.

You should be confident working remotely and be nimble and agile in managing multiple projects simultaneously, proactively collaborating with stakeholders and meeting deadlines.

 

Compensation and general terms
This is a twelve-month independent contract position (with potential for renewal) with a pay range of $23 – $27 per hour, dependent on skills and experience. The expected time commitment is 20 hours per week. The schedule is flexible so long as you are able to attend regular meetings and meet publishing deadlines.

This position is remote and open to freelance workers authorized to conduct business in the United States; proof of independent contractor status is required. This is not a full time position and does not include employee benefits such as healthcare, paid sick leave, vacation or employer contributions to taxes and insurance. Freelance contractors provide their own equipment and insurance as most of the work is expected to be carried out in their own home/studio.

To apply, please send a business résumé and cover letter including links to work samples to careers@hcn.org with “Social Media Specialist” in the subject line. Your cover letter should include any personal experience or qualifications you may have in working with historically underrepresented communities as they exist in the West — this may include Indigenous communities, people of color, LGBTQ+ people, immigrant communities, guest workers, communities that have been subjected to targeted violence, those marginalized because of culture, ancestry or socioeconomic class or other backgrounds missing or erased from Western narratives.

Closing date for applications is Monday, June 27th, 2022. In your email, please let us know how you heard about the position.

HCN is committed to equal opportunities and prohibits the unlawful discrimination against applicants based on race, color, national origin, ancestry, creed, religion, sex, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, marital status, gender identity or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.