Social Media Manager Job Description
Hire a Social Media Manager to plan, create and optimise your social channels, grow engagement and turn followers into measurable business outcomes.
What does a Social Media Manager professional do?
Responsible for channel strategy, content and community management, performance reporting and coordinating paid and organic campaigns across social platforms.
Social Media Manager job description template
Use this employer-ready example as a starting point, then replace the placeholders and adjust the content so it accurately reflects your vacancy.
Social Media Manager
About the role
We are seeking a Social Media Manager to own our social media channels and audience growth. You will develop the content calendar, produce or brief creative assets, manage community interactions, run organic and paid activity with measurable KPIs, and deliver regular performance insights to the marketing team. This role suits someone with proven social campaigns and strong analytics skills.
Key responsibilities
- Develop and maintain a cross-platform social media strategy aligned with brand objectives and marketing plans.
- Plan and manage an editorial calendar, scheduling regular posts across channels and formats.
- Write clear, on-brand social copy and brief designers or create simple assets when required.
- Manage day-to-day community activity: respond to messages, moderate comments and escalate issues.
- Set up, monitor and optimise paid social campaigns in partnership with the digital/paid team or agency.
- Track relevant KPIs, produce weekly/monthly reports and translate insights into actionable improvements.
- Run A/B tests on creative and copy to improve engagement and conversion rates.
- Monitor trends, platform changes and competitor activity to keep the strategy current.
Essential skills and experience
- 2+ years' demonstrable experience managing social media for a brand, agency or comparable setting.
- Proven portfolio or links to social campaigns showing audience growth, engagement or conversion outcomes.
- Strong copywriting skills with the ability to adapt tone to different platforms and audiences.
- Experience using social scheduling and analytics tools (for example a scheduling platform and native analytics).
- Ability to interpret data and turn insights into practical recommendations and optimisations.
- Organised and able to manage a content calendar, stakeholders and competing deadlines.
Desirable
- Experience planning and optimising paid social campaigns (Facebook/Meta Ads Manager, TikTok Ads, LinkedIn Ads etc.).
- Basic knowledge of image/video editing tools or motion templates (Canva, Premiere Rush, Photoshop).
- Experience working with influencers or creator partnerships.
- Understanding of SEO and web analytics (Google Analytics or equivalent).
- Experience in a sector relevant to the employer (retail, B2B tech, charity, FMCG etc.).
- Formal marketing or digital qualification (not required unless the role demands it).
What we offer
- [Competitive salary - enter band or range here]
- [Pension scheme (employer contribution placeholder)]
- [Holiday entitlement + bank holidays]
- [Flexible working / hybrid option where applicable]
- [Training and professional development budget / CPD support]
- [Season ticket loan / cycle to work scheme if offered]
How to apply
Apply with your CV and any additional information requested. Make the interview process, closing date and any assessment stages clear where known.
Use this as a starting point rather than a final advert. The strongest version will reflect the real role, salary, location, systems, responsibilities, benefits and working arrangements.
What is a Social Media Manager role?
A Social Media Manager plans and executes a brand's presence across social platforms to build awareness, engage audiences and drive measurable outcomes. They create and manage content, coordinate campaigns (organic and paid), respond to community interactions and analyse performance. The role sits within marketing or communications and typically works closely with designers, paid media specialists and product or sales teams.
Strategy & Planning
Define channel objectives, audience approaches and content pillars to support broader marketing goals.
Content & Creative
Produce and brief on-brand copy and assets tailored to platform formats and audience behaviour.
Community Management
Manage interactions, moderate conversations and maintain positive audience relationships.
Measurement & Optimisation
Track KPIs, run tests and use data to improve reach, engagement and conversion over time.
Typical Social Media Manager responsibilities
Responsibilities should reflect the real scope of the vacancy rather than every task someone in this profession might ever complete.
Develop
Develop and maintain a cross-platform social media strategy aligned with brand objectives and marketing plans.
Plan and manage an editorial calendar
Plan and manage an editorial calendar, scheduling regular posts across channels and formats.
Write clear
Write clear, on-brand social copy and brief designers or create simple assets when required.
Manage day-to-day community activity: respond
Manage day-to-day community activity: respond to messages, moderate comments and escalate issues.
Set up
Set up, monitor and optimise paid social campaigns in partnership with the digital/paid team or agency.
Track relevant KPIs
Track relevant KPIs, produce weekly/monthly reports and translate insights into actionable improvements.
Run A/B tests on creative
Run A/B tests on creative and copy to improve engagement and conversion rates.
Monitor trends
Monitor trends, platform changes and competitor activity to keep the strategy current.
Social Media Manager skills and experience to look for
Keep the essential list focused on what the person really needs to perform the role. Move useful-but-trainable experience into desirable criteria.
Usually worth prioritising
- 2+ years' demonstrable experience managing social media for a brand, agency or comparable setting.
- Proven portfolio or links to social campaigns showing audience growth, engagement or conversion outcomes.
- Strong copywriting skills with the ability to adapt tone to different platforms and audiences.
- Experience using social scheduling and analytics tools (for example a scheduling platform and native analytics).
- Ability to interpret data and turn insights into practical recommendations and optimisations.
- Organised and able to manage a content calendar, stakeholders and competing deadlines.
Useful where relevant
- Experience planning and optimising paid social campaigns (Facebook/Meta Ads Manager, TikTok Ads, LinkedIn Ads etc.).
- Basic knowledge of image/video editing tools or motion templates (Canva, Premiere Rush, Photoshop).
- Experience working with influencers or creator partnerships.
- Understanding of SEO and web analytics (Google Analytics or equivalent).
- Experience in a sector relevant to the employer (retail, B2B tech, charity, FMCG etc.).
- Formal marketing or digital qualification (not required unless the role demands it).
See our guide to what to include in a job advert before publishing.
How to write a Social Media Manager job advert
Small role-specific details can make the advert much easier for suitable candidates to assess.
Lead with results
Open the advert with the core outcomes you expect (audience growth, lead generation, brand awareness) rather than vague duties.
Request a portfolio
Ask candidates to include links to live channels or campaign case studies so you can assess creativity and impact quickly.
Be specific about tools and remit
List the analytics or ad platforms the role will use and clarify whether paid budget or agency management is included.
Define seniority and autonomy
State whether the role will own strategy, manage other staff, or execute under a head of marketing to set realistic expectations.
Social Media Manager salary considerations
Pay for a Social Media Manager varies widely depending on experience, sector, responsibilities and location. Employers should set a salary band that reflects the role's seniority, whether it includes paid media budget management, the size of the audience or team, and local labour market conditions.
depending on experience
- Use a genuine range
- Separate variable pay
- Avoid “competitive” alone
- Match salary to seniority
What Social Media Manager candidates will want to know
Practical details can influence whether a suitable candidate applies, even when the title and salary are attractive.
What will my day-to-day responsibilities be?
Candidates want to know the split between strategy, content creation, community management and paid campaign work; be specific about expected daily tasks.
Who will I work with and who do I report to?
Confirm the reporting line (marketing lead, comms director) and whether the role manages direct reports, freelancers or agencies.
Will I be responsible for a paid media budget?
State whether the role controls ad spend, the typical monthly budget range or if paid activity is handled by an external agency.
What are the working hours and flexibility?
Clarify standard hours, hybrid or remote options, and any expectations for out-of-hours activity (e.g. crisis response or event coverage).
What KPIs will I be measured against?
Candidates expect clear metrics such as engagement rate, follower growth, website traffic from social or leads attributed to social campaigns.
Where to post a Social Media Manager job
For a Social Media Manager, use a mix of broad job boards to reach active seekers and targeted channels to attract specialist digital talent. Post on general UK sites for volume, LinkedIn and marketing-specific job boards for experienced candidates, and promote the vacancy in creative communities and on your company social channels. For senior roles consider targeted approaches such as recruiter networks or industry newsletters to reach passive candidates.
Related marketing & communications job descriptions
Recruiting for a slightly different role? These templates may be a closer fit.
Social Media Manager job description FAQs
Do you need a degree to hire a Social Media Manager?
No. Many successful social media managers do not hold a specific degree. Relevant experience, a demonstrable portfolio and measurable results are more important than formal qualifications.
Should the role own paid social?
That depends on capacity and expertise. If you expect the hire to plan and optimise ads, list paid social as an essential requirement. Alternatively, clarify that paid activity will be managed by an agency or separate specialist.
How can employers assess creative ability in applications?
Ask for links to live social channels, campaign case studies or a short content sample. Requesting performance metrics (engagement, reach, conversions) alongside creative examples helps evaluate both creativity and impact.
What contract type is typical for this role?
Most Social Media Managers are hired on permanent full-time contracts, but part-time, fixed-term or freelance arrangements are common depending on workload and organisational need.
Ready to recruit a Social Media Manager?
Use this template to create a clear job advert, gather portfolios and benchmark applications. When you’re ready, post the vacancy across broad and specialist channels to attract candidates with the right mix of creativity and analytics.
