Social Media Editor

Rocky Mountain PBS; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Rocky Mountain PBS is seeking a Social Media Editor to help Coloradans discover, understand, and engage with our journalism and documentaries. You will manage daily publishing, edit vertical video and captions, and coordinate with newsroom and Marketing to link social content to rmpbs.org and newsletters.

The role blends editorial judgment with audience analysis, requires collaboration across RMPB brands, and a commitment to accuracy, public service, and community engagement while driving

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years in social media editing, digital journalism, or related fields.
• Portfolio demonstrating strong writing, editing, and short-form storytelling.
• Working knowledge of AP style and digital journalism ethics.
• Experience managing multiple social accounts and using editing tools and a CMS.
• Ability to translate audience data into practical improvements.
• Strong collaboration and community-engagement skills.

Responsibilities

• Publish and manage RMPBS social accounts across platforms.
• Maintain editorial calendar balancing journalism and documentaries.
• Coordinate with newsroom and Marketing on coverage and asset delivery.
• Create vertical video, captions, thumbnails, and social copy.
• Coach journalists on social storytelling and field coordination.
• Ensure accessibility through captions and transcripts.
• Monitor comments and apply moderation guidelines.
• Provide monthly audience insights and test formats.

Skills

Social media editing

Digital journalism

Multimedia production

Audience engagement

AP style

Tools

Video editing

Photo editing

CMS

Publishing tools

Project management

Job description

The Social Media Editor helps Coloradans discover, understand, and engage with Rocky Mountain PBS journalism and documentaries. The editor creates compelling content for social platforms, manages daily publishing, and builds lasting audience relationships grounded in accuracy, curiosity, and public service.

This hands-on role combines editorial judgment, visual storytelling, community engagement, and audience analysis. Working with journalists, producers, and Marketing, the editor connects social content with rmpbs.org and newsletters, helping casual viewers become returning audiences. The primary assignment is Rocky Mountain PBS, with coordinated collaboration across RMPM brands and teams.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Social Publishing and Content Planning

• Manage assigned RMPBS social accounts, including Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, and LinkedIn, as priorities and audience needs evolve.
• Maintain an editorial calendar that balances timely journalism, documentaries, evergreen stories, and planned releases. Coordinate approvals, asset delivery, and coverage with newsroom and Marketing colleagues.
• Recommend platform priorities and test emerging formats based on audience value, available capacity, and editorial standards.

Video and Visual Storytelling

• Create and edit vertical video, explainers, graphics, captions, thumbnails, and social copy. Adapt reporting for each platform while preserving context, attribution, and accuracy.
• Script, record, and edit on-camera segments and narration as assigned; coach journalists on effective social storytelling and coordinate field capture when needed.
• Build accessibility into production through accurate captions, readable graphics, descriptive text, and appropriate transcripts.

Website and Newsletter Publishing

• Upload, format, and quality-check journalism in the website content management system. Coordinate homepage and news-page placement with newsroom editors.
• Produce and publish editorial newsletters, including story selection, subject lines, links, and testing. Improve discoverability through clear headlines, descriptions, metadata, and relevant search terms.
• Plan social releases with producers and Marketing, connecting audiences to full stories, documentaries, newsletter subscriptions, and other relevant RMPBS experiences.

Community Engagement and Collaboration

• Monitor comments and messages during assigned coverage periods; respond thoughtfully, invite constructive discussion, and apply approved moderation guidelines consistently.
• Bring community questions, story ideas, and feedback into editorial planning, including perspectives from communities underrepresented in coverage.
• Escalate threats, harassment, sensitive complaints, and potential misinformation promptly through designated editorial and safety channels.
• Coordinate content sharing across RMPM teams while respecting each brand’s audience and voice. Communicate deadlines, capacity constraints, and blockers early.

Audience Insights and Improvement

• Use platform analytics, website analytics, and newsletter reporting to track meaningful reach, viewing retention, engagement quality, referral traffic, and subscriber growth.
• Share a concise monthly audience readout with recommendations. Test formats, headlines, thumbnails, and publishing times, and document what the team learns.
• Set achievable audience goals with the supervisor and assess results against baselines, editorial quality, and community value. Use metrics to inform editorial judgment without allowing engagement targets to override accuracy or public trust.

Editorial Standards and Account Stewardship

• Apply RMPM editorial policies and applicable PBS standards. Verify facts and third-party material, secure needed permissions, protect sensitive sources, and correct errors promptly across affected channels.
• Maintain clear separation between independent journalism and fundraising, underwriting, or promotional messages; coordinate review and labeling when these intersect.
• Use AI-assisted tools only as permitted by organizational policy and editorial leadership, with human verification and appropriate disclosure. Protect confidential information and never present fabricated quotes, sources, or events as journalism.
• Follow account-security and access procedures, maintain organized assets and publishing documentation, and coordinate coverage handoffs. Perform other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications of Position

• At least 3 (three) years of relevant experience in social media editing, digital journalism, multimedia production, or audience engagement, or an equivalent combination of experience and training.
• A portfolio demonstrating strong writing, editing, and short-form visual storytelling, with sound news judgment and the ability to explain the applicant’s contribution.
• Working knowledge of AP style, verification, attribution, corrections, and digital journalism ethics; ability to preserve context when adapting complex stories.
• Experience managing multiple social accounts and using video or photo editing tools, a content management system, and publishing or project-management tools.
• Ability to interpret audience data, translate findings into practical improvements, and meet deadlines while managing competing priorities.
• Strong collaboration and community-engagement skills, including respectful communication across different backgrounds and perspectives; commitment to public media’s mission.

Additional Qualifications of Position preferred

• Experience in a newsroom, public media, or a mission-driven media organization; familiarity with Colorado communities and issues.
• Experience producing newsletters, improving search discovery, or using analytics and audience-development tools.
• Experience presenting on camera, recording narration, or coaching others; Spanish-language or other multilingual storytelling skills.

Work Environment and Physical Demands

Work is primarily computer-based in office and studio settings, with occasional field production and event coverage. The work arrangement is determined under RMPM policy. Some evening or weekend coverage may be scheduled for breaking news, events, or releases; coverage expectations and handoffs are coordinated with the supervisor.

Essential functions include using digital publishing and editing tools, communicating with colleagues and community members, and operating portable recording equipment as assigned.

Reasonable accommodations are available to qualified applicants and employees to support participation in the hiring process and performance of essential functions.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Rocky Mountain Public Media embraces diversity and equal opportunity and is committed to a team that represents varied backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and business need, without discrimination based on any status protected by applicable law.

This description outlines the general nature and level of work and is not an exhaustive list of responsibilities. Duties may change with organizational needs. This description does not create a contract of employment.