Social Media Manager

XQ Institute is the nation’s leading organization dedicated to rethinking the high school experience so that every student graduates ready for success in life. We partner with communities, schools, and entire school systems across the country to inspire innovative ideas, turn them into action, and create more rigorous and equitable learning environments. We share effective practices with other schools and districts, allowing them to adapt new models to meet the unique needs of their students and communities.

We believe that seeing is believing. We engage people where they are, using storytelling, listening, and learning to highlight the importance and possibility of change. Our open-source tools, grounded in research and design thinking, empower communities to transform their high schools with one unifying goal: unlocking the American promise of a high-quality education for everyone.

We are seeking a Social Media Manager to design, implement, and measure XQ’s social media strategy, expand our digital presence, and manage the day-to-day operations of our social channels (currently Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Facebook).

The Role

Reporting to the Head of Growth & Marketing, you will join a highly collaborative team focused on developing and shaping our digital presence. You will play a crucial role in setting and driving social media strategies for the XQ brand, campaigns, and products.

Our ideal candidate lives and breathes social media. They understand the strengths and weaknesses on each platform, what content performs well, and how to take people from followers to engaged community members. The job requires an understanding of social media strategy, content marketing, community management, data-driven copywriting, and digital marketing.

This candidate is committed to understanding and articulating XQ’s mission and programs to our main audiences (students, educators, parents) and is excited to research and learn about education and topics that tie to XQ’s work.

In a given week, you will write social copy, develop social strategy around a product or campaign, plan out an editorial calendar, conduct interviews and research with our social followers, and use data to optimize our strategy to drive brand awareness, convert and engage our community.

Requirements

Responsibilities

• Oversee, develop, and implement social media strategies, in collaboration with a social media agency, to support XQ’s social media initiatives.
• Develop and implement an influencer marketing strategy that fosters authentic engagement with key influencers.
• Create and curate content (videos, images, etc.) that brings together educators, students, families, and communities around XQ’s mission.
• Define goals, monitor performance, and ensure social media metrics align with key marketing, product, and organizational objectives.
• Collaborate with the Marcom, Schools & Systems, and Product teams to shape our social presence and content.
• Track key trends and metrics, making data-informed decisions while monitoring wider social conversations and the competitive landscape.
• Work with the community manager and digital team to grow and nurture our online communities, sharing insights and stories to inform the organization’s work.
• Develop and execute culturally relevant, values-driven integrated marketing campaigns to boost brand growth and adoption.
• Manage paid social campaigns, providing insights and analysis on outcomes.
• Serve as an internal resource, assisting XQ staff with their social media presence.
• Identify opportunities on emerging platforms and from current trends.

Qualifications

• 3-5+ years of experience in social media marketing, content marketing, copywriting, community management, or digital content creation.
• A deep understanding of the intricacies, trends, and dynamics of various social platforms, and how to grow and engage communities.
• Strong storytelling and marketing skills with a passion for crafting compelling narratives across different mediums.
• A commitment to education and equity, with a willingness to learn and engage with the latest developments in education.
• A collaborative team player with positive energy, capable of working independently to achieve shared goals.
• Highly organized and ambitious, thriving in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Data-driven with a proven track record of making decisions based on analytics.
• Flexible and adaptable, willing to take on additional marketing tasks as needed.

XQ Mindsets

Ours is a world defined by uncertainty, a society in flux, a state of unprecedented upheavals. While we don’t anticipate any quick fixes, we can anchor ourselves to what we see emerging. That’s why we have established a set of collective XQ Mindsets to ground us.

• 100% accountability: This doesn't mean you have 100% ownership. It doesn't mean you are responsible for every last thing that needs to be done. It means choosing to take responsibility for our collective success and impact.
• Maker mindset: We build stuff. We won’t always get it right the first time—in fact, we rarely will. But by quickly making and testing our work, we can learn what works and what doesn’t.
• We are the ones we’ve been waiting for: Critique is not enough. It is on us to create the solutions—no matter where we sit in the organization. We are a well-resourced organization filled with brilliant people. No one else is coming to our rescue.
• Opportunity knocks: We are ready, willing, and able to take on anything that is thrown our way. Pivots are a natural part of our approach, so let’s embrace them so that we can experience them joyfully.
• Stand on the shoulders of giants: We honor those who came before us, who aren’t seated at our tables, and build on others’ and our own earlier work with respect and reverence.

Benefits

Compensation

The salary for this role is highly competitive and commensurate with experience. XQ offers excellent organizational benefits. The salary range for this role is: $85,000-115,000 annually.

Location

XQ is based in Oakland, CA, with offices in Washington DC and New York, NY. This role is based in Oakland, CA.

To Apply

Please apply online. In your cover letter, please address why your skills, interests, and experience align with the requirements for this role.

XQ is proud to be an equal-opportunity workplace. At XQ, promoting, celebrating, and supporting diversity is a core value. Individuals are considered without regard to race, gender, age, sexual orientation, sexual expression, religion, color, veteran status, disability, marital status, or ancestry.