Sr Mgr, Social Media Audience Growth

Position Overview

Cox Media Group (CMG) has an exciting opportunity for a Senior Manager of Social Media and Audience Growth. This role is responsible for helping shape and execute CMG’s enterprise social media strategy.

This role drives audience growth, engagement, content distribution, platform innovation, and monetization opportunities across all major social platforms. It will establish enterprise-wide social media standards, identify emerging opportunities, analyze performance trends, and partner with local stations to maximize the impact and reach of CMG journalism across social platforms.

This role will work closely with CMG Content Leaders, News Directors, Digital Leaders, Marketing Teams, Sales, and on-air talent to ensure social media supports CMG’s broader audience and content distribution strategy while building audience loyalty and expanding reach.

What Success Looks Like

• Consistent audience growth across CMG social platforms
• Increased engagement, referral traffic, and loyalty across key social platforms
• Strong and consistent execution of social best practices across the company
• Growth of platform-native, original, vertical, and video content
• Growth of sustainable social revenue and partnership opportunities
• Stronger integration of social media into daily newsroom and digital workflows
• Expanded reach and visibility of CMG journalism and journalists
• Successful adoption of emerging platforms, formats, and technologies
• Increased use of data and audience insights to drive social decision-making

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Social Media & Audience Growth

• Helps develop and execute CMG’s enterprise social media strategy
• Serves as a subject-matter expert on social platforms, audience behavior, content distribution, and emerging trends
• Establishes platform standards and best practices
• Drives audience growth, engagement, and referral traffic
• Leads innovation in vertical video, platform distribution, and emerging channels
• Identifies external partnerships and opportunities that could enhance CMG’s social strategy, audience reach, and business objectives

Social Media Strategy & Leadership

• Provides social platform expertise, audience insights, and recommendations to help shape and continuously refine CMG’s enterprise social media strategy
• Establishes platform-specific standards, best practices, and publishing guidelines
• Partners with station leadership to align social efforts with audience, content, and business objectives
• Identifies emerging platforms, technologies, and audience opportunities

Audience Growth & Engagement

• Drives measurable audience growth and engagement across social platforms
• Develops strategies that increase referral traffic and platform loyalty
• Analyzes audience behavior and engagement patterns
• Establishes performance benchmarks, key performance indicators, and growth goals
• Identifies opportunities to reach new audiences and expand the reach of CMG journalism
• Uses data and audience insights to continuously refine content and distribution strategies

Essential Duties and Responsibilities (continued)

Content Distribution & Platform Optimization

• Leads social distribution strategies for breaking news, weather, investigations, community coverage, major events, and other high-impact journalism
• Creates frameworks that help stations maximize the value and reach of content across platforms
• Develops best practices for audience engagement, including vertical video, platform-native storytelling, and social-first content
• Partners with newsroom and digital leaders to integrate social strategy into daily editorial workflows
• Ensures social content remains aligned with CMG editorial standards

Analytics, Revenue & Innovation

• Analyzes performance metrics, trends, and audience insights
• Identifies growth opportunities across social platforms
• Evaluates platform changes, emerging technologies, and distribution opportunities
• Leads testing and pilot programs for new social products and initiatives
• Shares learnings, successful strategies, and best practices across CMG markets

Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of experience in social media strategy, digital audience development, or digital content distribution, preferably within a media, news, or content organization
• Proven track record of driving measurable social media growth and high-performing content
• Strong editorial judgment and understanding of news values, journalism, and digital storytelling
• Experience creating and optimizing short-form vertical video content and platform-native content strategies
• Proven ability to use data and analytics to develop strategy, identify opportunities, and measure performance
• Demonstrated ability to work across teams, influence stakeholders, and drive adoption of enterprise initiatives
• Deep expertise in Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, including platform algorithms, audience behavior, analytics, trends, and best practices
• Strong understanding of digital audience development, content distribution, referral strategy, and platform-native storytelling
• Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, rapidly changing digital media environment

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading social media or audience strategy for a multi-market media organization
• Experience with social media analytics, monetization, audience measurement, social listening, and publishing tools
• Background in video editing and mobile-first production workflows
• Experience launching or testing new platforms, products, content formats, or audience-growth initiatives
• Understanding of SEO, referral traffic, digital analytics, and broader audience-development strategies