Social Media Manager

JOB DESCRIPTION

Who We Are

Outward Bound USA (OBUSA) is a national non-profit educational organization in the United States, in operation for more than 60 years. Outward Bound’s mission is to change lives through challenge and discovery. While perhaps ambitious and bold, our vision is a more resilient and compassionate world, with more endurance in response to change and more courage in the face of challenge.

Outward Bound programs provide increased access for today’s youth to develop social emotional skills and build their capacity to navigate the future with confidence, compassion, and curiosity. Programs are far-reaching – inside city and suburban classrooms and outside in rugged backcountry settings – lasting anywhere from one-day to an entire semester. Outward Bound staff are positive, fun, passionate, mission-driven change makers who uphold a high standard for quality and commitment to our students. We strive to provide educational experiences that are inclusive and relevant for all participants and are committed to organizational improvement in support of an equitable and just society. Learn more about us at: outwardbound.org/about-us/

Position Impact

Outward Bound prioritizes high-quality educational experiences and a strong culture of safety in delivering our mission. Guided by a strategic Vision for Impact 2030, our work prioritizes access to the outdoors for underrepresented youth and communities and expands the capacity of Outward Bound USA’s national network. We engage in organization-wide continuous improvement and cultivate a workplace that attracts top talent—like you. This new role becomes part of a collaborative organization that is rich with talent, connection and teamwork contributing to the expansion of our mission nationwide.  

Reporting to the Director of Customer Experience, the Social Media Manager will be the voice of the Outward Bound brand online, responsible for social content creation and distribution, monitoring and engagement, and measuring and adjusting for digital KPIs. The Social Media Manager will be a virtual community builder, interacting across platforms and topics to inspire audience engagement and to strengthen the Outward Bound brand across our different audience segments, channels, and owned groups. This role requires an awareness of evolving best practices, and the ability to create and execute thoughtful, innovative strategies.

Our Culture

As a leading non-profit educational organization, Outward Bound is designed to embrace challenge. Thriving here takes compassion, a learning mindset, and a deep desire to do meaningful work to achieve our goals. At Outward Bound, we are crew, not passengers. Everyone is on the crew, and we all contribute. We share success and view challenges as opportunities. From the office to the wilderness, we grow together. You belong here. 

Functions and Responsibilities

Social Media Management

• Co-develop, implement, and manage our owned organic social media strategy across Outward Bound USA channels: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, and other owned groups and/or virtual programming.
• Maintain a robust editorial calendar that supports the organizational content strategy.
• Co-define the most important social media KPIs and provide regular reports on performance. 
• Manage and oversee social media content across Outward Bound’s total inventory of channels to ensure brand and message alignment.
• Measure the success of our social media campaigns. 
• Stay up to date with the latest social media best practices and technologies; provide continual recommendations for the upkeep of national and regional channels.
• Collaborate with our network Schools, other Outward Bound affiliates to ensure recurring cross-promotion, alignment, and campaign involvement

Social Media Content Creation & Distribution

• Set and maintain the highest standard of social media content, creativity, and customer service. 
• Use tools like Canva to create ephemeral content using our brand tools and design system. Demonstrate fluency in creating different native content formats and sizes. 
• Work with the Customer Experience Team to ensure content supports our overall content strategy, in alignment with our brand voice and visual identity. 
• Monitor Sprout Social (social listening tool) for mentions and interactions that involve and/or are relevant to our brand and/or programs.
• Republish top performing content from across our network of Schools, engaged partners, and brand advocates. 
• Leverage and remix user generated content in authentic and creative ways, identifying opportunities to promote content with high engagement potential. 
• Support Content & Communications Manager in identifying new and/or interested contacts or publications for collaboration and/or media opportunities.Utilize best practice campaign tools such as UTM parameters, deep-linking, and DM automation throughout content. 

Digital Community Engagement

• Research and identify opportunities to publish inspiring content for our key audiences on social media channels. 
• Monitor and respond to social content indirectly mentioning or referencing Outward Bound in the US, our related industries, and related partners. 
• Respond quickly and thoughtfully to direct messages, and relevant comments including the management of negative responses with compassion and commitment to exceptional customer service. 
• Communicate with industry professionals and relevant influencers via social media to create a strong network and build brand equity.
• Serve as a key member of the crisis communication team to distribute crisis-related responses for social media. 
• Collaborate with Outward Bound Alumni Manager and related stakeholders to focus engagement for youth alumni across the country. 

 Competencies

• Cultural Competence – You recognize and appreciate cultural differences and commonalities
• Collaboration – You can work effectively on a team 
• Communication – You can communicate with impact and adjust approach in real time to account for different audiences and cues
• Conflict management – You can manage and resolve conflict independently even in high stakes situations
• Self-Management- You can set and follow through on goals and commitments independently
• Balancing stakeholders – You understands who key stakeholders are, can engage, balance, and leverage them effectively
• Drives results – You can produce remarkable results
• External awareness – You have deep knowledge of current events and understands how they impact the organization
• Project management – You can manage projects independently

Education and Work Experience

• Experience in managing a national brand with affiliate organizations.
• 5+ years of marketing and/or communications-related experience in social media, email marketing, and content creation, with majority focus on Social Media Marketing as primary role. 
• 3+ Years of marketing and/or communications related experience in social media, email marketing, and content creation required.
• Strong writing skills to develop and edit social content.
• Strong photo and video management, selection, and editing skills required; working knowledge of designing simple animations for social media using Canva, Adobe Creative Cloud, Procreate or equivalent tool is a plus.
• Knowledge or experience with social media relates to marketing and brand development.
• Understand ways to use artificial intelligence to increase efficiency and content consistency. 
• Competency using basic Content Management Systems for websites and/or blogs, like WordPress.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office - Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams; and project management tools (Asana) a plus.
• Experience with video production for YouTube and social media a plus. 
• Experience working in nonprofits and/or industries focused on work with youth, education, or outdoor sector is a plus. 

Location and Physical Requirements

• Permanent work authorization in the United States is required to apply for this position. 
• This is a remote, exempt, full time position.
• Up to 5% of work time may be spent travelling. Occasional in-person attendance at meetings and collaboration sessions may be required
• Ability to work at a desk and on a computer for most of the day. Some repetitive motions, such as typing on a keyboard, may be part of the daily tasks.
• While the role is generally not physically demanding, the ability to lift and carry light objects may be required occasionally, such as moving files or materials within the office. Strong visual acuity is essential for reading and analyzing images and data on a computer screen.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary Range $65,000-$75,000
• OBUSA offers competitive benefits package, including health/dental/vision insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, and life insurance, plus retirement plan with an employer match. 
• OBUSA offers PTO, plus 10 federal holidays and paid time off for the last week of the year. 

In the interest of transparency and pay equity across our team, a candidate new in the role can expect to be offered in the lower third of the range.  

To Apply

• Address cover letter to: AJ Wojtalik, Director of Customer Experience
• Application deadline is Nov 21, 2024

Please reach out to vkerr@outwardbound.org if there is any accommodation you might need when applying or if asked to be interviewed. 

Outward Bound USA (OBUSA) is an equal opportunity employer and values the inclusion and collaboration among employees of diverse backgrounds and experiences. OBUSA prohibits discrimination against, and harassment of, any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, gender, pregnancy, genetic information, ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation, marital status, familial status, military or veteran status, qualified individuals with a disability on the basis of the disability, or any other category which may be protected under applicable state or federal law. Outward Bound USA also promotes respect for all people and will not tolerate harassment based on any of these characteristics nor on differences based on gender identity or expression.

As we strive to reflect the communities we serve; people of color are strongly encouraged to apply.