Job DescriptionThe Senior Social Media Manager for Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and X - accountable for whether those channels hit their annual growth targets and for the quality, consistency, and premium feel of Tennis Channel's presence on them. Translates the Head of Social's overarching strategy into platform-specific organic and paid plans, content pillars, and campaign calendars; oversees content creative direction; leads campaign execution; produces the weekly and monthly executive reporting narrative; owns the community management program and UGC; and serves as the resident expert on platform changes and emerging trends. Operates in close partnership with the Director of Video Content on shared channel ownership across the cross-platform content calendar and tournament coverage. Provides the Head of Social with proactive strategic counsel on channel performance, risks, and recommended actions.
This role is onsite and located in Santa Monica, CA.
In this role, you will...Develop Strategy and Plans
- Translate the Head of Social's overarching social strategy into platform-specific quarterly plans for IG, FB, TikTok, and X - content pillars, posting cadence, growth tactics, and organic-plus-paid mix calibrated to each platform's audience and the 2026 growth targets.
- Own the editorial point of view across IG, FB, TikTok, and X day-to-day; partner with the Director of Video Content on shared channel ownership where formats overlap (e.g., short-form cross-publishing, IG/FB long-form pieces, tournament coverage).
- Maintain a forward-looking 90-day view: anticipate tournament tentpoles, brand campaigns, influencer pushes, and platform tests far enough in advance that the team is briefed and resourced - not reacting.
- Identify platform-building opportunities and bring them to the Head of Social with a recommended action and a resource ask, not just an idea.
Guide Content & Creative Direction
- Oversee content production and publishing across IG, FB, TikTok, and X - uphold a premium, consistent brand voice and visual standard regardless of who in the pod is producing the post.
- Approve daily editorial calls across the four owned channels; serve as the final voice on tone, framing, and brand fit before posts go live (with manager handling fact-check, score-accuracy, and grammar QA).
- Partner with the Director of Video Content on cross-functional content quality - ensure short-form, highlights, and long-form pieces meet the same brand standard whether they originate in the social pod or the video pod.
- Hold producers, editors, and coordinators to a clear content quality bar; create documentation for asset/platform creative best practices, including specific & timely feedback when output drops below it.
Lead Campaigns
- Lead social campaigns from concept to execution across IG, FB, TikTok, and X - tournament tentpoles, brand pushes, sponsor activations, and platform-specific programs.
- Own and maintain the Master Cross-Platform Content Calendar (IG, FB, TikTok, X), and partner with the Director of Video Content on the integrated view that includes YouTube and long-form.
- Build and publish the weekly Tournament Coverage Plan T-1 week ahead of each tournament - coordinator block coverage, tentpole moments, partner deliverables, and paid flags.
- Update and manage Weekly Coordinator Coverage Schedule - published Friday EOD for the following week. Names which coordinator is on AM, PM, and Overnight each day, with overnight rotation honored.
- Coordinate with PR and integrated marketing to align campaign timing, messaging, and asset hand-offs.
- Partner with the Paid Media team on day-to-day coordination: uphold the per-tournament paid strategy set by the Paid Team, surface organic posts that are strong boost candidates, and manage asset delivery to the Paid Team.
Analyze Performance & Report Results
- Author the Weekly CEO Report and Monthly Executive Report, translating engagement, reach, growth, and conversion data into an executive narrative with a clear point of view and a channel-strategy view across IG, FB, TikTok, and X (what's working, what isn't, recommended actions for the next period).
- Use analytics inputs (native platform analytics, third-party tools) and tournament reporting as the data foundation; layer in strategic interpretation and recommended actions based on KPI metrics (audience growth, engagement volume and rates, etc.) against weekly, monthly and annual pacing targets.
- Surface ROI-meaningful insights to leadership on a continuous basis - where to invest more, where to pull back, what to test next - and own the recommendation, not just the observation.
- Provide the Head of Social with proactive, real-time updates on channel health, risks, and decisions as they emerge between reporting cycles.
Manage Community Engagement & UGC
- Own community management as a named program - defined as proactive owned outreach to grow Tennis Channel's organic presence, not reactive comment moderation: identify trending and topical tennis-adjacent conversations across IG, FB, TikTok, and X (other brands' posts, athlete posts, fan threads, breaking-news threads, viral moments) and direct the team to jump in with on-brand commentary, replies, and quote-posts that put Tennis Channel in front of new audiences.
- Define the target communities and conversation types, set the voice and tone for outbound engagement, decide what counts as a high-signal opportunity to jump on, and oversee daily execution by the on-shift coordinator and the video team.
- Monitor sentiment and audience signal across the four owned channels; flag rising issues to the Head of Social before they become crises.
- Own the UGC sourcing program: define the rights-and-usage process, oversee the Trending Content Creator's UGC pipeline, and sign off on rights/usage approval before any UGC publishes.
Apply Platform Expertise & Stay Ahead of Trends
- Act as the resident expert on IG, FB, TikTok, and X - emerging formats, algorithm shifts, native feature releases, and platform-specific best practices. Translate platform changes into actionable tactics for the team within days, not weeks.
- Chair the Weekly Trending Content Meeting across social and video teams. The social pod and the video pod bring proposed content ideas (daily and tournament) built on the week's emerging trends. Evaluate each idea against the social strategy and brand voice, decide which to ship, assign ownership and timing, and route execution to the right pod.
- Oversee trend-spotting between meetings: review trends being surfaced by the broader team, decide which to lean into in real time, and route execution to the right pod.
- Run platform-feature tests on owned channels (new format, new placement, new cadence); document what works and roll learnings into the strategy.
- Brief the Head of Social monthly on the platform landscape - what's changing, what it means for the 2026 plan, and where to invest.
Lead the Team & Oversee Operations
- Manage junior team: set clear weekly priorities, run 1:1s, give direct performance feedback, name underperformance early, and own each direct report's development plan.
- Own the Weekly Coordinator Coverage Schedule: assign the team to blocks each week, balance tournament load, and rotate the Overnight block monthly so no coordinator is on overnights more than four consecutive weeks.
- Serve as a strategic partner to the Head of Social. Provide proactive counsel on channel performance, risks, and decisions - through the weekly and monthly executive reports and in real time as situations emerge.
- Partner with the Head of Social on hiring across the social pod (sourcing input, interviewing, recommendations).
Key Qualifications:- 5-7 years in social media management with at least 2 years managing direct reports
- Demonstrated track record of driving channel growth - not just running publishing operations
- Strong analytical and writing skills - must be able to compile data from multiple sources into an executive narrative weekly with a clear point of view
- Hands-on experience coordinating with paid social teams or agencies, and partnering with PR or influencer programs
- Demonstrated ability to lead live crisis response on social and to manage to deadlines under live event pressure
- Sports, live news, or entertainment social experience strongly preferred
The base salary compensation range for this role is $100,000 - $112,250. Final compensation for this role will be determined by various factors such as a candidates' relevant work experience, skills, certifications, and geographic location. Full time positions are eligible for benefits that include participation in a retirement plan, life and disability insurance, health, dental and vision plans, flexible spending accounts, sick leave, vacation time, personal time, parental leave and employee stock purchase plan.
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