Senior Social Media Specialist - Youth Sports

Job Summary :

ESPN is seeking a Senior Social Media Specialist to discover, develop, and distribute content across ESPN social media platforms, with an emphasis on youth sports content (high school sports and below) that will grow our SportsCenterNEXT brand.

This position is preferred to be based in Bristol, CT but may be open to New York, NY.

An ideal candidate must have a passion and knowledge of sports and have extensive experience writing social copy under pressure, experience finding, sourcing and aggregating user-generated content and know the high school sports landscape.

The candidate will be expected to work with both internal and external stakeholders.

The Senior Social Media Specialist will also be responsible for composing comprehensive plans and reports in support of high school sports and collaborating across multiple teams to lead successful projects from start to finish.

The Sr. Social Media Specialist will report to the Sr. Social Media Manager, Audience Expansion.

Responsibilities :

• Edits and approves social posts across the Social Team for journalistic accuracy, audience relevance, and tone, including real-time decision-making at various stages of content development.
• Creates content (visual, video, text) that is optimized for social platforms, specifically Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Snapchat.
• Manages content planning and strategy for our high school sports content on SportsCenterNEXT and as well as additional ESPN social brands as applicable.
• Knows how and where to find high-engaging UGC content before competitors.
• Collaborates with multiple internal partners to make social content compelling and comprehensive to a youth audience.
• Direct management of one employee, assigning work to select peers and designers as needed.
• Maintains proficiency and knowledge in all the latest social media trends and best practices.
• Analyzes metrics performance of social content and incorporate insights into future content decisions.
• Performs supervisory duties and leads projects intermittently for the social team (ex : leads content plans for an upcoming national high school tournament on ESPN).
• In partnership with the Senior Manager, Audience Expansion, collaborate and guide agency work supporting the SportsCenterNEXT account.
• Sports happen on nights, weekends, and holidays; shifts during these times will be regular and required in this position.

Qualifications :

• A minimum of 3 years’ experience working in a fast-paced social media environment with content creation responsibilities or relevant experience.
• A minimum of 2 years’ experience using video editing software (. Final Cut, Premiere).
• A minimum of 2 years’ experience using photo editing software (. Photoshop, InDesign).
• Skilled in social media comprehension and execution across multiple social media platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat.
• Possess excellent news judgement and verbal / written communication skills.
• Strong understanding of journalistic standards.
• Ability to work quickly and juggle multiple tasks during a typical workday.
• Ability to analyze and apply data to decision-making.
• Appreciation and understanding of popular culture that contributes to an understanding of the tastes of ESPN’s social media followers.
• Understands the high school sports competitive landscape with demonstrated knowledge about the up-and-coming stars and who resonate with younger fans on social.

Preferred Qualifications :

• Previous brand voice and account launch management.
• Advanced knowledge of the latest social media and tech trends.

Required Education :

High School Diploma

Preferred Education :

A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in journalism, communications, online / multimedia or related field

Additional Information :

Must be comfortable working weekends and nights.

ESPNMedia

The hiring range for this position in New York, NY is $77,100 to $103,400 per year based on a 40-hour work week. The amount of hours scheduled per week may vary based on business needs.

The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors.

A bonus and / or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and / or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.