Junior social media editor

Junior Social Media Editor (eCommerce), The Independent
6-month FTC
Reports to:
Senior social media editor (eCommerce)
About us
The Independent is an online news publisher that was established in 1986 as a national newspaper independent of party political affiliations or proprietorial influence. In 2016, The Independent became a fully digital publisher, moving away from print in pursuit of sustainability, and to safeguard its values and journalism for the future.
The Independent has always thrived through innovation and change. It was the first British newspaper to add a Saturday magazine; the first to give photography the same prestige as a news copy; the first to challenge the Westminster lobby system of closed briefings; the first broadsheet to move to the more compact ‘tabloid’ format; the first to launch a concise quality compact paper; and the first – and only – major newspaper to pull off a successful transformation to fully digital publishing.
Through The Independent, Independent TV, eCommerce, indy100, subscriptions and other ‘reader revenues’, The Independent plans to continue the work of many decades, bringing much-needed independent journalism to over 100 million unique global visitors a month, make its voice ever louder and more insistent the world over.
The Independent is truly global; it is the number one newspaper publisher in the UK and in the top 10 in the United States. We have teams across the globe, from Delhi, Moscow and the Middle East, through to London, New York and Los Angeles.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
We champion diversity in our teams and in our reporting. As a growing and global brand, we must have a workforce that’s more representative of our readers, viewers, clients and partners, and a workplace that creates a sense of belonging for everyone.
We are committed to hiring and developing a diverse workforce regardless of background, and we support our people to thrive in their careers here.
The Independent is an equal opportunities employer, if you require any reasonable adjustments to complete your application, please do not hesitate to advise us accordingly.
About you
You will be passionate writer or editor with a strong interest in social media. As a junior social media editor, you will work with our small eCommerce social media team to create content for our various social media accounts across all social platforms, covering everything from fashion and beauty to home, tech and travel. You will work closely with our editorial teams to ensure that our social media is fun, creative and high quality, and that it aligns with The Independent as a brand.
The team
The eCommerce team is one of the fastest-growing teams in our company and is composed of Editorial, Audience and Commercial divisions. The latter, where this role sits, is made up of commercial specialists tasked with growing performance revenue through affiliates and eCommerce partnerships on The Independent and Evening Standard. These range anywhere from marketing financial products to generating holiday bookings or sales from our product recommendations platforms, IndyBest and ESBest. Our goal is to grow our eCommerce business by improving and optimising the current strategy, diversifying revenue, and securing successful long term eCommerce partnerships.
Job purpose
The Independent is looking for a Junior Social Media Editor to work on our social media team to create posts for all our eCommerce social media accounts, covering everything from home and garden to tech, travel and fashion.
This is an entry-level role, and enthusiasm and passion for social media are more important than experience.
The successful candidate will be comfortable using all social media platforms (whether in a personal or professional capacity), have a strong digital news sense, and exhibit a creative flair when working with social media.
They will be adept at creating imaginative and informative social media posts, and demonstrate an ability to recognise stories that work on social media and resonate with The Independent’s audience. They will have an interest in eCommerce and an understanding of how this works alongside a social media strategy.
We are looking for someone who will be unflustered working in a fast-paced environment. Energy and enthusiasm are key in this fast-paced role; we’re looking for someone who’s excited to step up to the challenge.
Key responsibilities and accountabilities
Design and create posts for eCommerce social media accounts, including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter and Pinterest
Work with a small team to implement social media strategy
Create videos to be used across various platforms
Engage with our audience through our social media
Edit social posts produced by journalists
Assist in monitoring social media performance
Skills
First-rate production skills and an ability to create high-quality posts
Be comfortable in front of a camera and show enthusiasm for creating video
Experience working across all social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter and Pinterest
A passion for social media across all platforms
Organised and unflappable
A basic understanding of social media strategy
A knowledge of The Independent brand, and an interest in how social media fits into the title’s vision
Our values – you will deliver across all our values.
Inclusive: We champion diversity in our teams and in our reporting. Working as a team, we put transparency and effective communication at the heart of everything we do.
Innovative: From the very beginning, The Independent has been breaking the mould. We take risks and are always looking to try new ideas in pursuit of excellence.
Independent: Nobody tells us what to think; we make up our own minds and aren’t afraid to do things differently. Like our readers, we value honesty and integrity above outside influences.