Senior Social Media Manager - fixed term contract

AHDB - Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board; Coventry; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

35 hours per week

33 days annual leave

Life assurance

Pension scheme

Maternity/parental leave

Volunteer day

Employee assistance

Training & development

Recognition rewards

Discounts

Job summary

AHDB is seeking a Senior Social Media Manager to lead its social media strategy within the Media Relations and External Affairs team. The role is hybrid, based at our Coventry headquarters with homeworking. The candidate will guide channels, campaigns and content to support organisational objectives and sector priorities.

You will advise directors, lead and develop the Social Media team, and use insights and analytics to maximise impact across audiences including levy payers and stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Significant senior social media or digital communications experience.
• Experience developing and evaluating social media strategies.
• Proven leadership of high-performing teams.
• Strong knowledge of social channels and trends.
• Experience advising senior stakeholders and leadership teams.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills.
• Experience using social media analytics and KPIs for decision making.
• Excellent organisational skills with multiple priorities and deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and continuous improvement of social media strategy.
• Oversee AHDB's social media channels to align with objectives and sector priorities.
• Provide strategic advice to directors, senior managers and stakeholders.
• Develop and mentor the Social Media team, setting priorities.
• Deliver campaigns driving engagement and measurable outcomes.
• Develop reporting frameworks from analytics to inform decisions.
• Maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Lead the social media response to emerging issues.

Skills

Senior social media

Social media strategy

Team leadership

Stakeholder influence

Analytics & reporting

Communication skills

Job description

We are currently recruiting for a Senior Social Media Manager to join our Media Relations and External Affairs team on a 12-month fixed-term contract commencing in January 2027. This is an exciting opportunity to lead AHDB's strategic approach to social media, ensuring our channels, campaigns and content support organisational objectives, sector priorities and wider communications activity. The role is based on a hybrid working arrangement, with time split between our Coventry headquarters and remote working from home.

In this role, you will act as AHDB's social media expert, providing strategic advice to directors, senior leaders and stakeholders while leading and developing the Social Media team. You will use audience insight, performance data and industry best practice to maximise the impact of our digital communications, helping to strengthen engagement with levy payers, stakeholders and wider audiences. We're looking for an experienced communications professional with significant social media expertise, strong leadership skills and the ability to influence at all levels of the organisation.

About AHDB

We are the independent, impartial public body that unlocks success in British agriculture. Funded by a levy from over 100,000 British producers in the beef, lamb, pork, dairy and cereals sectors, we support and champion farmers, growers and processors, often where no one else can or will.

We share the expert, evidence-based research and reports that inform on-farm decision making. We promote British produce to the UK public through domestic marketing campaigns, and we identify and open new global export opportunities to help farm businesses grow.

We help levy payers learn more, sell more and export more to remain sustainable and profitable. Together, we deliver the insights, the influence and the impact that farmers need.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development, implementation and continuous improvement of our social media strategy
• Oversee the management of AHDB's social media channels, ensuring activity supports organisational objectives and sector priorities
• Act as our lead expert on social media, providing strategic advice to directors, senior managers and stakeholders
• Lead, manage and develop members of the Social Media team, setting priorities and supporting professional development
• Deliver impactful social media campaigns and projects that drive engagement and measurable outcomes
• Develop reporting frameworks and use audience insight and performance analytics to inform decision making
• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, supporting reputation and engagement objectives
• Lead the social media response to emerging issues, misinformation and periods of heightened public interest

Essential Criteria

• Significant practical experience in a senior social media or digital communications role
• Experience developing, implementing and evaluating social media strategies
• Proven experience leading and developing high-performing teams
• Strong knowledge of social media channels, tactics, trends and best practice
• Experience advising and influencing senior stakeholders, directors and leadership teams
• Strong communication, relationship-building and stakeholder management skills
• Experience using social media analytics, KPIs and performance reporting to drive continuous improvement
• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines effectively

Benefits

• 35 hours per week, Monday-Friday
• 33 days of annual leave plus one privilege day (inclusive of bank holidays)
• Life assurance cover (4x salary)
• A market-leading defined contribution pension scheme with Legal & General
• Enhanced pay of 20 weeks for maternity, adoption and shared parental leave, subject to length of service
• A paid day each year to volunteer and make a difference in your community
• Comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme
• Excellent training and development opportunities and an agreed development plan
• Recognition awards throughout the year
• Reward Gateway membership - this gives you a huge number of online discounts and savings

We believe in rewarding our people for their hard work, so we have a great mix of benefits and opportunities to give you the recognition you deserve.

Please note that we reserve the right to close the vacancy early should we receive a significant number of suitable applications. For any queries or support with your application, you can contact us at [e-mail]

At AHDB, we are committed to developing, maintaining and supporting a culture of equality, diversity and inclusion, including flexible working opportunities. This applies to both our workforce and the practices we follow.

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