Social Media Manager

Hotel Chocolat; Royston; Hybrid; GBP 38,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player seeks a dynamic Social Media Manager to lead their social strategy. This role offers the chance to shape engaging content across popular platforms like Instagram and TikTok, while fostering brand growth and community engagement. With a hybrid working model, you'll enjoy the flexibility of remote work alongside the excitement of in-office collaboration. Join a passionate team dedicated to creating delightful chocolate experiences and drive impactful marketing initiatives that resonate with audiences. If you thrive in a creative environment and have a passion for social media, this opportunity is perfect for you.

Benefits

50% discount on products

70% discount for stays at Rabot Estate

Flexible working hours

Ad-hoc travel opportunities

Qualifications

• Proven experience in executing social media strategies with measurable impact.
• Strong communication skills and ability to analyze social media performance.

Responsibilities

• Lead the social media strategy and manage content across multiple platforms.
• Collaborate with teams to align social media efforts with marketing goals.

Skills

Social Media Strategy

Content Creation

Community Management

Data Analysis

Communication Skills

Team Leadership

Tools

Social Media Analytics Tools

Scheduling Software

Job description

As we continue our mission to make people and nature happy through chocolate, we’re looking for a Social Media Manager to join our Marketing team on a permanent basis.

Salary paying up to £45,000 per annum.

Ready to take the reins of a brand everyone loves to talk about—especially on social? At Hotel Chocolat, we’re looking for a Social Media Manager to lead the charge in shaping and executing a bold, engaging social strategy across our established channels—Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and X—while also expanding into new spaces like Pinterest and YouTube. You’ll have full creative autonomy, working closely with stakeholders across the business to craft compelling content campaigns that spark conversation, build brand engagement, and drive real results.

We are at a pivotal stage in our growth journey. As the brand continues to expand, social media is playing an increasingly integral role in our UK marketing strategy, so there’s never been a better time to make your mark.

Here at Hotel Chocolat, we've adopted a hybrid working pattern where appropriate. For this role it means working 3 days a week on site, with the other 2 days spent working remotely, from home or wherever you like! The on-site location for this role is our Head Office ‘Mint House’ in Royston, Hertfordshire, our home since 1994; just off the A505, ten minutes’ walk from Royston Train station and commutable from London Kings Cross.

Ad-hoc travel to our Design studio in London will also be required.

As well as a competitive salary and company benefits, you’ll receive 50% discount on all products, and a delicious 70% discount for you and your guests when you stay at our Rabot Estate hideaway on the paradise island of Saint Lucia.

What You’ll Be Doing….

• Own the social and content strategy, plan and execution through existing, evolving and new social and content channels.
• Lead a Social Media and Content Exec, supporting and growing them through having clear goals, personal development plan and the right level of day-to-day support.
• Write creative briefs for the content & social agency or in house team to develop assets for brand story-telling and seasonal campaigns, in line with our strategic social pillars.
• Responsible for Social Media production and content creator spend, forecasting periodic spend, making decisions on spend allocation and analysing return on investment via the Media Mix Modelling tool.
• Collaborate with marketing and other business areas to identify tactical social opportunities, and then plan, create, and implement them.
• Work closely with the Campaign and Media teams to align owned social strategy with Paid.
• Lead on social reporting and listening using the Social Listening tool ensuring you are rigorously tracking the performance of all social content and using insights derived from social listening to feedback to Campaign, Product Marketing and Creative teams.
• Be proactive in identifying new and emerging platforms and formats on social and encourage first use where appropriate.
• Lead the overall content strategy and develop a multichannel content plan, working closely with channels (especially Campaign, Product Marketing, CRM, Paid Media, PR and Digital) to ensure content that is created is amplified and activated to deliver comms goals and traffic KPIs on the website (specifically leading the content calendar for the HC blog/content hub).
• Responsible for the use of Content Creators and Influencers on TikTok, working closely with the PR and Influencer Manager. Identify and liaise with relevant talent (possibly via an agency), negotiating rates for content, and ensuring the relevant agreements are in place. Co-create content with these parties and ensure a plan is agreed to maximise content coverage and KPIs.
• Own the social and content budget including setting annual budgets/plans, quarterly forecasting and raising Po’s.
• Responsible for TikTok Shop strategy, trading and product listing maintenance. Working closely with the Omni-Channel Trading Team to agree the ranging.
• Work closely with Digital Project Delivery Manager to keep abreast of updates that affect the integration or product mapping.

Who You are…

Essential

• Experience in defining and executing a social strategy and plan from end to end with proven results and impact on brand consideration and commercial KPIs.
• A proven track record of driving brand growth and engagement through social channels including Tik Tok and You Tube, through growing and managing a community.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Ability to dig into the data behind social media channels and define key metrics and KPIs using insight to drive action.
• Experience using social media analytics tools and scheduling/management software
• Passion for Hotel Chocolat’s products, brand, and customers.
• Leading a team with goals, personal development and growth.

Desirable

• Known for your storytelling, creativity and innovative thinking.
• Be in-the-know when it comes to emerging social trends, platforms and technologies.
• A passion for writing and delivering short form copy for social posts.
• Confident in managing multiple stakeholders.
• Confident in working with external talent e.g. creators
• Content creation and editing experience.

Who We Are…

We’re one of the UK’s favourite premium chocolate brands, with a range of products spanning luxury gifts, alcohol and our pioneering drinking chocolate system, the Velvetiser.

A cacao pod takes years to grow – it can’t be rushed if it’s going to be just right for our products. The same can be said for Hotel Chocolat, which originally started as a mint production company before we realised it was luxury chocolate that we were really passionate about.

Now, we’re market leaders in the industry. What began as an online-only business grew to 140 stores across the UK, and we’re still growing… Today, we’re multi-category, multi-channel, and multi-territory, and our customers, colleagues, cacao farmers and suppliers all benefit from the success we make together.

To learn more about us and read about our People Pledge – our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion – click here: hotelchocolat.com/uk/engaged-ethics/our-people.html