Social Media Manager (Part-Time, ~0.3 FTE)
Salary: Competitive, pro-rated to FTE
Hours: 3 half-days per week, in person & flexible (including evenings/weekends during key events)
Reports to: Events Director and/or Head of Marketing
Location: Oxford, UK
ABOUT THE ROLE
IRL Oxford is seeking an exceptional Social Media Manager to lead our digital storytelling, content creation, and audience engagement across TikTok, Instagram, Reels/Shorts, Facebook, and emerging platforms. This is a high-impact role central to achieving our mission: bringing Oxford together through events, culture, creativity, and shared real-life experiences.
This role is designed for someone who lives and breathes contemporary social media:
You understand hooks, pacing, retention, transitions, analytics, creative strategy, and platform-native storytelling. You know how to match content style to audience psychology—not chasing virality for its own sake, but achieving tangible outcomes: ticket sales, sign-ups, attendance, local engagement, community growth, interest from partners/sponsors, and long-term audience loyalty.
You will work closely with the Events Director to strategically align content with our event calendar, community festivals, partnerships, on-site activations, brand identity, and the overall IRL Oxford voice. You’ll plan ahead for major events, respond in real time to opportunities, and create meaningful, culturally resonant content that feels distinctly IRL Oxford.
This is a role for someone who wants creative freedom, strategic influence, and the ability to shape one of Oxford’s most exciting cultural brands.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Social Media Strategy & Brand Identity
- Develop and execute a multi-platform social media strategy aligned with IRL Oxford’s mission, tone, and brand values.
- Maintain a consistent brand identity across channels—warm, local, community-forward, culturally aware.
- Build content that speaks to our key demographics (Oxford locals, students, families, creatives, young professionals).
- Ensure all content ladders up to specific organisational goals: event attendance, website actions, mailing list growth, vendor engagement, or community participation.
2. Content Creation & Execution (Hands-On)
- Plan, script, appear in, film, edit, and publish high-quality content for TikTok, Instagram Reels, Stories, carousels, and YouTube Shorts.
- Design visual assets (posts, graphics, posters for socials, recaps, multi-slide explainers).
- Deliver content that incorporates:
- Strong hooks (0–2 seconds)
- Retention tactics and pacing
- Native transitions
- Dynamic formats and storytelling structures
- Platform-specific best practices
- Attend live events to capture real-time content, behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, street reactions, community moments, and festival atmosphere.
- Maintain a consistent publishing rhythm with both evergreen and reactive content.
- This role is fully responsible for filming and capturing all picture and video content at events, on-site, and across all IRL Oxford activities, including directing, shooting, and managing all raw footage
3. Audience Understanding, Growth & Community Engagement
- Develop insights on what resonates with our audience and why—then adapt strategy accordingly.
- Engage directly with followers through comments, replies, DMs, polls, Q&As, and Stories.
- Foster a sense of belonging and two-way communication; build a community, not just a following.
- Identify cross-promotional opportunities with local partners, vendors, performers, and brands.
4. Performance Tracking & Analytical Insight
- Monitor platform analytics, retention curves, watch time, click-through rates, and conversion actions.
- Use data to inform strategy, content types, posting times, and audience segmentation.
- Prepare periodic performance summaries for the Events Director (and Marketing Lead once appointed).
- Identify what’s working, what’s not, and where the next opportunity lies.
5. Direct Integration with Event Planning & the Events Director
You will work in lockstep with the Events Director on:
- Event build-up campaigns (countdowns, teasers, announcements).
- Sponsor and partner obligations (social deliverables, brand placements, messaging).
- Real-time festival cycles (capturing content on-site, logistics permitting).
- Turning event moments into compelling digital storytelling.
- Ensuring every major project—Christmas Market, summer festivals, seasonal programmes, venue partnerships—has a coherent and effective digital strategy behind it.
You will also be involved early in planning cycles so content strategy informs event strategy and vice versa. This means utilising on a daily basis the company’s internal workflow software and creating a clean and clear default social media schedule for every type of event that we host.
6. Campaign Development for Key Objectives
Create targeted content strategies that deliver on specific organisational goals such as:
- Driving ticket sales (e.g., NYE events, festivals, ceilidhs, dance nights, etc).
- Growing mailing list or website account sign-ups.
- Building awareness of new community projects.
- Recruiting festival vendors, volunteers, sponsors, or creative partners.
- Supporting local businesses or event partners via collaborative content.
Every campaign should have measurable outcomes tied to your content and execution.
7. Cross-Platform Management & Scheduling
- Build content calendars that align with the events calendar, festival timelines, and seasonal moments.
- Schedule posts natively or through approved tools (Meta Business Suite, TikTok scheduler, etc.).
- Ensure content is optimised for each platform and formatted appropriately.
8. Brand Development, Trends & Creative Direction
- Stay on top of social trends—but use them strategically, not superficially.
- Propose original ideas, formats, and storytelling approaches.
- Keep a strong creative POV: what IRL Oxford should sound like, feel like, and represent online.
ONGOING & EMERGING RESPONSIBILITIES
IRL Oxford is a fast-moving, ever-expanding organisation. New projects, festivals, platforms, and opportunities arise frequently.
Additional duties not itemised here will naturally become part of the role.
You must be comfortable adapting as the landscape changes—from launching new digital initiatives to supporting unexpected event campaigns to experimenting with new formats or channels.
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE
Required
- Significant experience managing social media channels for brands, organisations, festivals, events, cultural projects, influencers, or marketing agencies.
- Demonstrated mastery of TikTok, Instagram, Reels, Shorts, and visual storytelling.
- Proven ability to generate content that achieves outcomes: conversions, attendance, sign-ups, engagement—not vanity metrics.
- Strong portfolio showcasing editing skills, creative direction, transitions, pacing, and storytelling.
- Ability to film and edit quickly, including on-the-ground at live events.
- Strong understanding of hooks, audience psychology, retention strategies, and platform-native language.
- Excellent written and verbal communication.
- Willingness to appear in our photographic and video content.
- Highly self-directed, reliable, and organised with a strong sense of ownership.
Preferred
- Experience in events, festivals, the arts, culture, hospitality, or community-driven projects.
- Experience creating content featuring large crowds, atmosphere, and live experiences.
- Familiarity with Oxford’s local culture, student life, independent businesses, and community networks.
- Ability to work occasional evenings/weekends during key events or festivals.
- Understanding of how social media supports broader organisational strategy (sponsorship, community engagement, brand partnerships).
Job Type: Part-time
Pay: £27,000.00-£28,000.00 per year
Benefits:
Work Location: In person
