Job Descriptions / Social Media Manager
Social Media Manager Job Description Template for Agencies
A ready-to-post social media manager JD built for 2026: short-form video, creator partnerships, community at scale, and clients who want outcomes rather than follower counts.
What does a social media manager do at an agency?
An agency social media manager owns the social presence for a portfolio of client brands. They plan, brief, produce, publish, and measure content across TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and whichever platform their clients need next. They speak as the brand, respond in the comments, and set the tone for every piece of content that leaves the agency.
Unlike in-house SMMs who live inside one brand voice, agency SMMs hold multiple brand tones at once and switch between them every day. The best ones have an instinct for what works on each platform, a production mindset for short-form video, and the calm needed to handle a comment storm on a Friday night.
Job description template
Job title
Social Media Manager (Agency)
Summary
We're hiring a Social Media Manager to own organic social across a portfolio of client brands. You'll plan content, brief short-form video, manage community, and report performance in a way that ties audience growth to real business outcomes.
Responsibilities
- Own end-to-end social media strategy and execution for a portfolio of 4-6 client brands.
- Build monthly and quarterly content calendars across TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and emerging platforms.
- Concept, brief, and produce organic social content with creative and video teams.
- Manage community engagement, DMs, and brand voice across all client channels.
- Monitor trends, sounds, memes, and platform changes and translate them into briefs.
- Coordinate influencer and creator partnerships end to end, from shortlisting through reporting.
- Track performance weekly in native analytics plus tools like Sprout Social or Dash Hudson.
- Report to clients monthly with insights, recommendations, and a rolling test roadmap.
- Act as the first responder on social crises and escalate quickly with a clear recommendation.
- Contribute to new-business pitches with audits, content territories, and channel strategy.
Required qualifications
- 3+ years of hands-on social media management, at least 2 years inside an agency.
- Deep fluency on at least three platforms, including TikTok and Instagram in 2026.
- Experience owning content calendars and production cycles end to end.
- Strong copywriting instincts and a feel for brand voice across multiple clients.
- Hands-on with scheduling and listening tools (Sprout, Hootsuite, Later, Dash Hudson, Brandwatch).
- Comfort with performance data from native analytics and at least one third-party tool.
- Proven ability to grow client audiences and engagement with documented before/after examples.
Preferred qualifications
- Experience with influencer platforms (Aspire, GRIN, CreatorIQ) and creator briefs.
- On-camera talent or demonstrable ability to produce short-form video yourself.
- Background in a specific category (beauty, DTC, B2B, entertainment, sports, gaming).
- Experience running paid social alongside organic, even if not full-time.
- Active personal social presence that shows platform fluency in practice.
Salary range
United States
- Junior (1-3 yrs): $50,000 - $70,000 base
- Mid (3-5 yrs): $70,000 - $95,000 base
- Senior (5+ yrs): $95,000 - $130,000 base
Sources: Glassdoor, Built In, Salary.com (2025-2026 US medians).
Global
- UK: GBP 30,000 - 65,000
- EU: EUR 35,000 - 70,000
- Canada: CAD 55,000 - 100,000
- LATAM / remote: USD 22,000 - 60,000
Sources: Payscale, LinkedIn Salary, Remote.com benchmarks.
Top skills to look for
- Platform-native thinking (not just cross-posting)
- Brand voice adaptation across multiple clients
- Short-form video briefing and production
- Community management under pressure
- Trend spotting and rapid response
- Performance analysis beyond vanity metrics
- Creator and influencer coordination
- Calm crisis communication
Red flags
- Portfolio is static grid posts with no short-form video or creator content.
- Reports only on follower and like counts with no connection to business outcomes.
- Treats every client the same way across platforms with no audience-specific thinking.
- Cannot name a recent trend they briefed into client work in the last 90 days.
- Has never handled a comment storm, PR flare-up, or platform account issue.
Interview process structure
Stage 1: Recruiter or hiring manager screen (30 min)
Confirm platform mix, vertical experience, content production fluency, comp, and motivation. Screen out candidates who live only in scheduling tools.
Stage 2: Hiring manager deep-dive (60 min)
Walk through their portfolio and two accounts they owned. Probe for personal contribution, the briefs they wrote, and how they handled a campaign that didn't land.
Stage 3: Content exercise (90-120 min)
Give them a disguised brand brief. Ask for a 30-day content plan across two platforms, one campaign concept, and how they'd measure success. Evaluate platform fluency, hooks, and concept.
Stage 4: Client-facing panel (45-60 min)
Role-play a client worried about ROI. Evaluate commercial framing, ability to translate engagement into outcomes, and composure under pushback.
Frequently asked questions
Should a social media manager also do paid social?
In smaller agencies, yes, they often handle both. In mid-size and larger agencies, organic and paid social are usually split so specialists can go deep. If the JD covers both, make sure the salary reflects two skill sets.
How many client accounts should one social media manager own?
Typical range is 3-6 active brand accounts if they include content production, or 6-10 if the brand supplies assets and the SMM handles planning, posting, and community. Video-heavy briefs reduce capacity fast.
Do social media managers need to be on camera?
Not required, but a huge advantage on TikTok and Reels work. At minimum they need to be comfortable directing on-camera talent and writing hooks that get held in the first two seconds.
How has short-form video changed the role?
It's made social a production discipline, not a posting one. Strong SMMs now spend as much time on shoot days, editing reviews, and creator briefs as they do on captions and scheduling.
Should social media managers handle community at all hours?
No. Set clear SLAs for response times and rotate weekend coverage across the team. Agencies that expect 24/7 coverage from a single SMM burn people out within a year.
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