Director of Social Media

Lake Forest, IL

The Director of Social Media will oversee creation and implementation of the club’s social media strategy. Develop and assist in managing the digital voice and personality of the Chicago Bears by generating new ideas and content opportunities that deepen relationships with the existing fanbase and grow our fandom among the next generation of Bears fans. Utilize social channels to create platform-specific conversations that engage fans, drive online traffic to O&O digital properties, raise awareness of club events and marketing initiatives, and integrate sponsors in a way that maximizes reach and revenue.

The Chicago Bears strive to advance our mission of winning championships by conducting ourselves with humility, integrity, and a strong work ethic. We want you to help us achieve our goals and to be part of the one of most storied franchises in all of sport. We offer our employees professional development, competitive salaries, excellent health and retirement benefits, and an environment where our talent and contributions are valued by the club and the community.

Responsibilities:

Strategy:

Create and maintain the club’s social media strategy based on business priorities and long-term planning. This includes the continual review of the plan and adjusting priorities as needed due to the ever-changing social landscape.
Maintain awareness of emerging platforms, new platform functionality, audience demographics and make appropriate recommendations
Develop data-capture strategies to maximize engagement and reach, staying on top of traffic trends
Collaborate with performance marketing to develop paid social strategy that will help drive goals of the club and sponsors
Manage and track Social Media department’s budget, expenses and revenue
Communicate social strategy to internal departments; manage expectations and oversee the execution of content across each social platform for both organizational priorities, marketing efforts and sponsor messages
Develop opportunities for social monetization and assist the organization in executing a strategy for social media monetization
Create new opportunities to maximize players as influencers – assist in defining guidelines for athlete-marketing to drive internal goals
Monitor current standards and industry trends to ensure club is allocating resources most effectively, drawing inspiration from all areas, sports or otherwise

Execution:

Oversee and guide the posting of written content, photos, graphics, video, and links on all Chicago Bears social channels
Develop a unique posting strategy and voice for each of the major social platforms
Produce reports and analysis of content performance on social channels that will guide social media strategies and content
Work with content department and producers on promotional strategy and execution that will drive consumption
Ideate to create assets that showcase club-exclusive, behind-the-scenes content, marketing content (sweepstakes, contests, etc.), and sponsor messaging and initiatives
Serve as the point person to facilitate sponsorship/advertising campaign requests
Manage prioritization and execution of 1:1 response tactics and engage
Work with the Brand Creative department to update branding imagery regularly, depending on content cycles
Internal/External Customer Service:
Work with football operations and players to develop a level of trust to ensure everyone surrounding the team is comfortable with club’s social presence
Work with internal departments to proactively respond to fan concerns/complaints in a timely manner
Serve as a resource for players/coaches seeking to become more involved with the club via social media
Aid football personnel seeking to have personal accounts verified or removing impostor accounts

Managerial:

Supervise, support, and manage expectations for all social media staff with a focus on formal and informal performance feedback
Assign and delegate responsibilities for social media staff
Regularly conduct performance reviews. Play active role in professional development of staff.
Actively participate in leadership development opportunities provided by the club
Perform other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in Social Media, Journalism, Public Relations, Marketing, or related field
Minimum of 6 years managing public-facing social media channels for a brand or sports team with metrics demonstrating how your efforts have moved the needle. Must be able to provide examples of previous work.
Previous experience directly managing people and processes as well as building content strategies that grow and engage communities
Strong understanding of social media best practices and platforms, including (but not limited to): Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube
Critical thinker and communicator who works well with cross-functional teams; can present copy best practices and defend messaging choices
Strong attention to detail, grammar, and proofreading skills
Knowledge of social media listening and scheduling tools (Ex. TweetDeck, Spredfast, CrowdTangle, Conviva, etc.)
Experience compiling and analyzing social media KPIs and metrics to impact strategy, sponsor opportunities and business decisions
Possess professional communication skills, including written and oral correspondence
Possess strong time management, organizational and problem-solving skills
Must be able to effectively work in a fast-paced environment and demonstrate the ability to juggle multiple tasks and projects while keeping key constituents updated
Must be dependable, willing to take initiative and able to adapt to a variety of situations
Ability to work non-traditional hours in non-traditional settings including nights, weekends, and holidays
Able and willing to travel as needed (road games, events, etc.)
Working knowledge of Photoshop, DSLR camera and principles of photography and graphic design are a plus
Demonstrated ability to make independent decisions and exercise sound judgment

This list of position functions is not all-inclusive and may be supplemented or modified.