Social Media Specialist job description.
A Social Media Specialist plans, creates, and publishes content across an organization's social channels to build audience engagement and brand awareness. They monitor performance metrics, respond to community activity, and coordinate with marketing and design teams to keep messaging consistent and on-brand.
The Social Media Specialist job description · $29
The full editable .docx — role summary, 8 worked responsibilities, qualifications, and skills, formatted for your letterhead. Delivered to your inbox within 24 hours — usually instantly.
Role: Social Media Specialist Reports to: Marketing Manager or Communications Director
A Social Media Specialist plans, creates, and publishes content across an organization's social channels to build audience engagement and brand awareness. They monitor performance metrics, respond to community activity, and coordinate with marketing and design teams to keep messaging consistent and on-brand.
- Plan and maintain a social content calendar across platforms
- Write, design, or coordinate creation of posts, captions, and short-form content
- Monitor engagement, comments, and messages, responding promptly
What's inside the document.
One-paragraph plain-English explanation of the role's outcome and scope.
8 responsibilities phrased the way the work is actually done.
4 qualifications a candidate must have to perform on day 30.
3 qualifications that would make a candidate excellent in year two.
5 skill chips you can copy directly into your ATS.
Marketing Manager or Communications Director
A complete document set.
- Word document (.docx) — fully editable
- PDF — signature-ready
- Google Docs — one-click copy to your Drive
- 12 months of updates to this document
- Commercial-use licence for internal and client work
The work, not the title.
- Plan and maintain a social content calendar across platforms
- Write, design, or coordinate creation of posts, captions, and short-form content
- Monitor engagement, comments, and messages, responding promptly
- Track platform analytics and report on key performance metrics
- Stay current on platform trends, algorithm changes, and best practices
- Coordinate paid social campaigns with the marketing team
- Collaborate with design and content teams on visual assets
- Support brand consistency across all social channels
Required — and what would make a candidate excellent.
- 2+ years of social media management experience
- Proficiency with social scheduling and analytics tools
- Strong writing and visual content skills
- Understanding of major platform algorithms and best practices
- Experience with paid social advertising
- Basic graphic design or video editing skills
- Bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, or related field
Eight steps from download to publish.
- 01Open the Social Media Specialist job description in Word or your one-click Google Docs copy.
- 02Replace placeholders for company name, reporting line, and location with your specifics.
- 03Tighten the summary to one paragraph that names the team's outcome, not just the role.
- 04Edit the responsibilities to match the actual scope of the seat — aim for 6 to 8 items, not 12.
- 05Separate required qualifications from preferred. Required is what a candidate must have to do the work on day 30; preferred is what would make them excellent in year two.
- 06Add salary range guidance using BLS, Payscale, or your own band data — do not copy generic figures.
- 07Have the hiring manager and one peer read it. Cut anything that wouldn't survive a candidate question.
- 08Publish to your ATS, intranet, and external careers page.
The right document at the right moment.
Use this Social Media Specialist job description any time you are opening or reopening a seat at this level. The mid band sets the calibration — copy the document, tighten it to your specific scope, and circulate to the hiring panel before the first interview.
The reporting line (Marketing Manager or Communications Director) and skills list are starting points. Override either if your org structure or stack differs from the norm — the template is a draft, not a contract.
Honest answers before you download.
- How is this different from a Social Media Manager?
- A Specialist typically executes day-to-day content and engagement, while a Manager sets overall strategy and oversees the specialist(s) or agency relationships.
- Should this role handle paid ads too?
- It depends on team size—smaller teams often combine organic and paid duties, while larger teams separate them.
Other documents in this neighbourhood.
Social Media Manager
A Social Media Manager plans, creates, and manages content across a company's social platforms to build brand awareness and audience engagement.
Social Media Coordinator
A Social Media Coordinator manages an organization's day-to-day presence across social platforms, creating and scheduling content, engaging with followers, and tracking basic performance metrics.
Content Strategist
A content strategist plans and guides an organization's content across channels to support business and audience goals.
This Social Media Specialist job description is a professionally drafted starting point for your hiring process and is not legal advice. Hiring practice varies by jurisdiction (e.g. pay-transparency laws differ across US states and AU jurisdictions). Adapt this document for your specific location and have employment counsel review any clauses you add before publishing. Salary varies by region, employer type, and experience. Reference BLS or current industry surveys for ranges. Full disclaimer.