About Urban Institute:

At the Urban Institute, we believe in the power of evidence to improve lives and strengthen communities. As a nonprofit focusing on social and economic policy, our researchers and policy entrepreneurs open minds, shape decisions, and identify transformative solutions to the most pressing issues of our time.

Our Mission

To open minds, shape decisions, and offer solutions through economic and social policy research.

Our Values

Collaboration, Equity, Inclusivity, Independence, and Integrity

For more information on the Urban Institute, please visit https://www.urban.org.

The Opportunity:

Central to Urban’s mission is fostering a truly inclusive community that ensures ongoing relevance to a changing world. The Urban Institute has built a cutting-edge in-house communications team that translates research for broad audiences through creative content and innovative engagement. To support these efforts, Urban’s brand and audience engagement team is hiring a senior manager to lead its analytics and advertising program.

As the Manager of Social Media, you will work in conjunction with your marketing communications team members to support organizational goals and to ultimately manage and take lead responsibility for the development, implementation, and analyzing of Urban Institute’s social media strategy and execution, with a keen eye on elevating Urban’s brand and its published work. The manager is responsible for the social media copywriting and storytelling that will engage and captivate key audiences.

Reporting directly to the Marketing Communications Director, you will proactively manage Urban’s social media air traffic control calendar and produce, edit and publish daily content that builds meaningful connections and encourages engagement with Urban’s brand and published work. Additionally, the manager is responsible for posting via Urban’s designated social platforms and will serve as the voice of social media expertise at Urban.

Beyond these responsibilities, the manager serves as an important figure within the organization. You will act as an influencer, educator, and translator, forging partnerships with internal stakeholders to clearly articulate social media strategy and best practices and educate various teams across the organization, including communications, research, web development, technology, data, policy impact, development, and senior leadership, on pertinent audience insights and data analytics.

What You’ll Do:

Serve as the primary contact for all social media needs.

Social Media Strategy

• Execute a social media strategy that extends the reach of Urban’s brand and published work
• Clearly communicate social media strategy to internal and external audiences
• Regularly maintain the social media air traffic control calendar to ensure that all team members understand what’s scheduled on the social calendar and what’s to come
• Participate in long range and immediate social media planning and collaborate with other communications team members

Copywriting and Content Production

• Write, proofread and publish engaging written and visual content for Urban’s social platforms
• Work with Urban projects and initiatives to understand goals and create series of posts that achieve storytelling and engagement
• Work with Urban’s design team to produce still and motion visual content for social media consumption
• Suggest and implement new features to develop brand awareness
• Plan and execute digital campaigns to build community online

Platform Management

• Monitor social media conversations and brand mentions, escalate any potential threats to supervisor
• Ability to manage and communicate during crises and potential brand threats
• Monitor SEO and web traffic metrics
• Stay up-to-date with current technologies and trends in social media, design tools and applications

Analytics Management

• Regularly execute and analyze reports and communicate performance metrics via a weekly social media dashboard
• Advise Director and Senior Director on strategies and plans to ensure successful audience engagement
• Respond in timely manager to requests from the communications project pipeline
• Research current benchmark trends and audience preferences

Stakeholder Engagement

• Periodically prepare and present social media strategy and best practices to key internal and external audiences
• Remain up-to-date with the field of social media and best practices and ensure that Urban’s brand is associated with new platforms that align with organizational objectives
• Identify trends in customer interactions
• Engage audiences through the smart use of hashtags
• Ensure that key documents, like the social media guidelines for Urban employees, are kept up to date

Who You Are:

The successful candidate will bring:

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, business, or related field, or equivalent work/education experience
• Proven work experience as a social media manager
• Hands on experience in content management
• 5-8 years in marketing and communications managing and implementing social media strategy, copywriting, and conducting analysis
• Experience engaging internal and external stakeholders on the importance of social media and how to use it effectively
• Excellent written and verbal skills
• Experience creating social media dashboards and reports
• Experience using social media management platforms like Sprout
• Experience using Adobe Photoshop or Canva to be able to incorporate graphics into social media content
• Experience using Animoto, Adobe Creative Suite, Canva or other software tools to produce social media video
• Attention to detail
• An ability to multi-task and pivot based on team and project needs

What You’ll Experience:

No matter your role with Urban, you will contribute to meaningful work that makes a difference for people and communities across the country. And whether you call the Washington, DC area or elsewhere home, you can expect to be part of a welcoming and hybrid workplace. We are committed to cultivating a community and working in a manner defined by collaboration, equity, inclusivity, independence, and integrity.

Urban’s greatest asset is our people.

The target salary range for this position is Min $65,000 – Max $95,000. Salary offered is commensurate with experience and considers internal equity. Candidates from diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply. Salaries are just one component of Urban Institute’s total compensation package. Urban is committed to supporting our staff’s physical, emotional, and financial well-being through a robust benefits package for yourself, eligible dependents, and domestic partners.

It includes generous paid time off, including nine federal holidays, medical (including prescription), dental and vision insurance, and transit benefits. Urban is unique in that we offer 403(b) retirement plan participation immediately after you’re hired and a generous employer contribution after six months of service and 500 hours, with immediate vesting. You’ll also have access to a health advocate, personal finance coaching, an Employee Assistance Program, and educational assistance for undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by the people assigned. This posting is not an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and requirements. Urban management reserves the right to amend and change duties, responsibilities, and requirements to meet business and organizational needs as necessary.

The Urban Institute is an equal-opportunity employer and is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. All qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender or gender identity, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, veteran status, pregnancy or family responsibilities, matriculation, disability, political affiliation, or any other protected status under applicable law. The Urban Institute is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer Minorities/Women/Disabilities/Veterans.

We are committed to equal employment opportunity and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and/or mental disabilities. If you have a physical and/or mental disability and are interested in applying for employment and need special accommodations to use our website to apply for a position, please contact Human Resources at humanresources@urban.org. Reasonable accommodation requests are considered on a case-by-case basis.

The Urban Institute has formally recognized the Urban Institute Employees’ Union, which is part of the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU). Urban management and the Union work together in good faith and are motivated by a shared commitment to this institution. This position is included in the Union-represented collective bargaining unit, and specific employment terms and conditions are subject to collective bargaining negotiations.

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