Senior Social Media Editor

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

As a Senior Social Media Editor, you will be the bridge between our world-class newsroom and the readers, listeners, and viewers who love what The Athletic has to offer. A successful Senior Social Media Editor will be able to jump seamlessly between conversations with editorial, programming, audio, and video teams, and connect the dots between each to help us craft a valuable content experience on social media for Athletic subscribers and non-subscribers.

The ability to understand cross-department goals and achieve buy-in through influence is critical in setting the roadmap for coverage plans on daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly timelines. You will lead the charge across many team workflows and work to scale content wherever subscribers and potential subscribers may be.

This role is 100% remote for candidates currently residing in the US or Canada. Willingness to work flexible hours, including both morning (9:00 am – 5:00 pm ET) and late evening (5:00 pm – 1:00 am ET) shifts, with flexibility around key sports events.

Responsibilities

• Execute social strategy functions, including curating social content and distributing articles, podcasts, live blogs, and videos across relevant platforms. Focus on ongoing feed curation, driving traffic back to the site and enhancing audience engagement.
• Lead the execution of editorial social strategy for the US social desk and across team workflows—facilitating content brainstorms, fostering cross-departmental collaboration, and planning for key events.
• Create compelling copy and visual assets to amplify top sports content across social platforms.
• Support the development and implementation of reactive social strategies based on breaking news, major moments, and live game coverage.
• Manage live sports coverage across platforms, focusing on trending and high-priority moments.
• Assist in driving audience growth through innovative, social-first campaigns on both existing and emerging platforms.
• Contribute to gathering insights and tracking social performance, analyzing successes and opportunities to continuously improve strategies.
• Cultivate strong working relationships with cross-functional teams, including Audience, Editorial, Programming, Design, Engineering, Marketing, Commercial, Audio, and Video, positioning yourself as a key resource for collaborative needs.
• Collaborate with the UK social team and The New York Times to elevate content and maintain consistency and accuracy across all social media accounts.
• Adapt quickly in a fast-paced news environment, synthesizing information from multiple departments to craft immediate, mid-term, and long-term strategies.

Requirements

• 3-5 years of experience in social media, sports, or newsroom environments.
• Strong writing skills with a sharp eye for detail, grammar, and punctuation.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• In-depth knowledge of major US sports, with an understanding of globally popular sports (e.g., men’s and women’s international soccer, Premier League, F1, tennis, golf, Olympics).
• Collaborative team player with a proactive approach to cross-functional work.
• Leadership experience is a plus, with direct line management experience preferred but not required.
• Familiarity with social media best practices and tools.
• Proven fluency across a variety of platforms and tools, including Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, Threads, WhatsApp Channels, Bluesky, web/app CMS, podcasts, and ChartBeat.

The annual base salary range for this role is $80,000.00 – $85,000.00 USD. The total compensation offered for this position may vary based on factors such as education, experience, skills, and location. It may also include non-cash rewards and benefits. The base salary range is subject to change and may be modified in the future.

The Athletic offers unique perks and benefits to all full-time employees based on their country of residence. Our comprehensive US benefits package includes:

• Highly competitive, employer-contributed medical, dental, vision, basic life and disability insurance plans.
• Savings accounts for medical, wellness, and childcare expenses.
• 401k retirement savings plan and employer match.
• Paid time off including paid sick leave, 12 paid holidays, 15 days of accrued vacation to start, and up to 20 weeks of Paid Parental Leave.

The Athletic Media Company is an equal opportunity employer and enthusiastically encourages people from all backgrounds and experiences to apply. The Athletic will consider all applicants without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical and/or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

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