Social Media Manager and Strategist (Freelancer)

About Near

Near is an award-winning, socially-led creative agency specializing in social media marketing, influencer strategy, and standout content creation. Built on a "people-first" approach, Near connects top-tier brands with audiences by combining strategic content planning with real human stories and key opinion leaders (KOLs). From social-first campaign strategies to full-funnel execution, Near helps brands cut through marketing noise with cultural relevance, clear strategy, and creative ideas that move audiences and drive measurable results.

Visit Near's website to learn more: https://nearcreatives.co/our-team

About This Role

• Job Title: Social Media Manager and Strategist
• Contract Type: Freelancer (deliverables-based engagement)
• Reports To: Social Media Lead

Role Overview

As a Social Media Manager & Strategist, you will bridge data-driven strategy with hands-on execution across assigned client channels. You are responsible for translating business goals into integrated paid, owned, and earned plans—defining content pillars, channel roles, KPI frameworks, and creative direction while leading recurring ideation sessions. Simultaneously, you operationalize these plans by managing content calendars, publishing fully optimized posts on time, maintaining workflow documentation, and coordinating seamlessly with Accounts and Creative teams. 

Key Responsibilities

Strategy, Campaign Development & Creative Direction

• Build integrated social strategies, defining target audiences, positioning, platform roles, content pillars, channel mix, and posting cadences.
• Build campaign playbooks detailing messaging architecture, content formats, UGC/creator opportunities, and distribution logic.
• Co-lead regular brainstorms to generate platform-native content concepts, leveraging trending sounds, hooks, and visual formats.
• Draft creative briefs (scripts, shotlists, visual references) that align with channel specs (TikTok-first, Reels-first, etc.) and guide production teams.
• Establish KPI frameworks tailored to each funnel stage, partnering with account teams to translate vanity metrics into actionable business recommendations.

Publishing, Community & Workflow Operations

• Schedule and publish high-accuracy posts across Meta, TikTok, and other platforms, ensuring precise captions, tagging, link hygiene, thumbnails, and timing.
• Maintain project management tools (Asana) by tracking status, dependencies, approval flows, asset naming conventions, and launch timelines.
• Perform periodic community monitoring (comments/DMs) per brand guidelines, flagging sentiment shifts, FAQs, or brand risks early.

Paid Social Oversight & Analytics

• Define boosting and paid social strategies, including target audiences, budget logic, creative testing plans, and pixel/UTM tracking setups.
• Monitor weekly ad performance metrics (CPM, CTR, CPC, CPA, ROAS) to recommend creative swaps, budget reallocations, and audience adjustments.
• Compile monthly performance decks blending qualitative context, qualitative metrics, and strategic recommendations for upcoming content cycles.

Qualifications & Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Multimedia Arts, or a related field (or equivalent experience), with at least 2 years in social media strategy, management, or content operations (agency experience strongly preferred).
• Demonstrated experience developing multi-platform strategies (Meta + TikTok required; YouTube, LinkedIn, or X a plus), establishing clear channel roles and content frameworks.
• Proven ability to translate trends and performance data into actionable creative briefs that improve output quality.
• High attention to detail with a proven ability to manage content calendars and execute accurate posting workflows using platform publishing tools (Meta Business Suite, native TikTok tools).
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to pull raw data exports, spot performance trends, and present clear narratives to clients.
• Working knowledge of paid social basics (understanding boosted posts, targeting logic, and reading baseline Ads Manager outputs).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with e-commerce/lead-gen metrics (CPA/ROAS), structured creative testing programs, and influencer/UGC strategy and briefing.
• Hands-on experience with reporting tools (Looker Studio, Emplifi, Supermetrics), Ads Manager platforms, and platform certifications (Meta Blueprint, TikTok Academy).
• Light creative editing skills (Canva, basic video trimming, caption formatting) and familiarity with social listening tools
• Background in an agency environment managing multiple client accounts and collaborating smoothly across Accounts, Creative, and Production teams