About Us
The Athletic is a digital sports media company that brings true sports fans closer to the athletes, teams and leagues that captivate their attention. We serve a multi-faceted audience that craves a richer connection and understanding with immersive storytelling and a like-minded community of fans. Founded in 2016 and with major operational hubs in San Francisco, Los Angeles, London and Melbourne, we empower a truly global team of more than 600 creators and cover more than 250 professional sports and collegiate teams across the United States, Canada and the UK. Our newsroom has produced thousands of in-depth reports along with more than 120 podcasts and other forms of premium content. Put simply, The Athletic is at the center of a sports fan’s universe.

About The Role
The Director of Social Media will lead a creative, editorially focused, and community-driven team dedicated to growing The Athletic’s reach and following in an extremely competitive sports media space. The Director will focus not only on driving strategy to increase readership on our platform but also activating the presence of our expert writers, personalities and more to engage with emerging platforms across the web. In the changing landscape of social media, this candidate will have had experience growing brands through video on various platforms, as well as collaborating and leading design initiatives aimed at engaging fans and new audiences across social media channels. 
The ideal candidate must possess strong leadership, communication, and influencing skills, regularly pivoting based on the brand’s evolving needs and the current sports landscape, as well as platform landscape shifts. They will also collaborate with teams across the organization, including editorial, marketing, creative development, and more, to ensure the brand is accurately represented across platforms. The Director will also be responsible for both developing and maintaining The Athletic’s voice consistently across channels.
This role will be a global director position, leading our strategy for the US, UK, and Canada. Responsibilities

• Craft and execute a compelling, visual and data-informed social strategy that grows The Athletic’s position as the clear leader in sports coverage across the board for league and team fans globally.
• Develop shareable and engaging content franchises that leverage The Athletic’s  access and brand power, especially around key tentpole moments, season launches, trending storylines and more.
• Foster a positive and interactive social media community, promoting fan discussions, contests, and user-generated content.
• Create end-to-end community engagement strategies and fully integrate social in the brand strategic marketing plans.
• Optimize performance through ongoing A/B testing, audience insights, and content iteration to maximize impact across all channels.
• Serve as the key point of contact with social media platform partners (Meta, TikTok, YouTube, etc.), securing early access to beta features and industry insights.
• Monitor social media channels for potential crisis situations and coordinate timely responses with the appropriate stakeholders.
• Study strategies of competitors, stay atop industry trends, and be an expert on new platforms, products, and methods to ensure The Athletic  stays ahead of the curve.

Requirements

• 8-10+ years of social media experience.
• 5+ years leading, managing, and inspiring teams.
• Track record for growing social media reach and following for major brands across various surfaces and content types [video, graphics and text].
• Excellent news and editorial judgement.
• Strong knowledge of global and US domestic sports such as soccer, NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and more.
• Experience utilizing data and analytics tools to measure the success of social media efforts, providing regular reports and insights for continuous improvement.
• Experience reaching new audiences on emerging platforms [WhatsApp, TikTok, etc].
• Demonstrated interest in visual storytelling.
• Strong planning and communication – ability to manage competing priorities, work in a fast-paced environment, and communicate effectively.
• Flexible work schedule based on business needs; minimal travel as needed.