Deputy Director, Social Growth (States)

Deputy Director, Social Growth (States)

📍 Remote (U.S. regionally-based) | 💼 Full-Time | 💰 $85,000 - $95,000

Reports to: VP, Social Media  |  Direct Reports: 3-4

Join COURIER Newsroom - an organization that drives journalism and empowers communities.

At COURIER Newsroom, we’re reinventing local media to inform and empower communities through impactful reporting. Our mission is rooted in civic engagement and equity—and we’re growing fast.

COURIER Newsroom is committed to building an inclusive workplace that values diverse perspectives and lived experiences. We strongly encourage women, people of color, individuals with disabilities, LGBTQ+ candidates, and those from all backgrounds to apply. As an equal opportunity employer, we strive to break down barriers and ensure every team member feels seen, heard, and supported.

Position Overview

The Deputy Director of Social & Growth is responsible for owning the growth and performance of COURIER’s state social accounts. This role serves as the central leader driving follower growth, reach, and engagement across all state newsrooms, ensuring that social strategy is not only executed, but delivers measurable results.

This person is the organization’s go-to expert on social performance, data, and growth strategy, responsible for setting goals, tracking progress, and holding the team accountable to outcomes. Working with the Deputy Director of Audience & Marketing, they will oversee day-to-day management of the state social team while ensuring every newsroom is operating with a clear, data-informed path to growth.

The ideal candidate thrives at the intersection of strategy, analytics, and team leadership, someone who can translate insights into action, identify what’s working (and what’s not), and push a distributed team to continuously improve performance.

In this role, you will partner closely with the Vice President of Social Media and cross-functional leaders to align on growth priorities, while directly managing the systems, reporting, and accountability structures that drive success.

Key Responsibilities

Own Growth & Performance

Own the growth of all state social accounts, including followers, reach, engagement, and overall platform performance.

Set clear, measurable goals across markets and platforms, and ensure consistent progress toward those targets.

Establish accountability across the team by tracking performance, identifying gaps, and driving necessary changes in strategy or execution.

Data Leadership & Strategy

Serve as the central authority on social performance data, insights, and trends across the organization.

Translate analytics into actionable recommendations that improve content performance and accelerate growth.

Identify patterns, test opportunities, and emerging platform behaviors to inform ongoing strategy.

Build and refine reporting systems that provide clear, consistent visibility into performance at both the state and network level.

Team Management & Accountability

Lead and mentor the state social team, setting clear expectations around performance, output, and growth.

Manage toward goals, ensuring each team member understands their targets and is supported in achieving them.

Create a culture of accountability, where performance is regularly reviewed and improved upon.

Provide direct, constructive feedback to help team members strengthen their strategic and executional skills.

Operational Leadership & Execution

Oversee the day-to-day workflow of the social team, ensuring efficient execution and alignment with broader strategy.

Act as the primary problem-solver for performance or execution challenges, quickly identifying solutions and removing blockers.

Ensure each newsroom has the tools, frameworks, and guidance needed to succeed.

Training & Development

Lead ongoing training on platform best practices, performance optimization, and emerging trends.

Equip the team with the skills and knowledge needed to continuously improve output and results.

Foster a culture of curiosity, experimentation, and learning.

Qualifications

3–5 years of experience managing social media teams in a news, nonprofit, or advocacy environment

Proven track record of driving measurable growth across social platforms (followers, reach, engagement)
Strong analytical skills and experience using data to inform content and distribution strategy

Experience setting goals, tracking performance, and managing teams toward clear KPIs

Demonstrated ability to lead and mentor a team with a balance of support and accountability

Strong organizational and operational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate data into clear direction and feedback

Preferred

Experience working with distributed or remote teams

Background in local news, political advocacy, or civic engagement

Deep familiarity with platform-specific growth strategies across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube

Experience building or refining reporting systems and performance dashboards

Mindset

Highly collaborative, proactive, and adaptable in a fast-paced, startup-like environment.

Excited about helping launch new state markets and building trust with local audiences.

Creative, experimental, and data-driven, with a strong sense of platform culture and trends.

Passionate about values-aligned storytelling and reaching audiences underserved by traditional media.

Courier Newsroom offers the following benefits:

Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO), 11 paid holidays a year

An Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Full suite of health benefits

Flexible working arrangements

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