Social Media Manager

About this role

About the California Academy of Sciences

The California Academy of Sciences is a globally renowned scientific and cultural institution located in the heart of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Home to a world-class planetarium, aquarium, research center, and natural history museum—all under one living roof—our mission is to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration.

Our extensive collections span plants, animals, fossils, and cultural artifacts from across the globe and throughout history. We are a diverse team of leading biodiversity scientists, educators, storytellers, designers, and communicators who work collaboratively to advance knowledge and inspire action through science and storytelling.

When you join the California Academy of Sciences, you become part of a mission-driven community that values curiosity, collaboration, and innovation. Whether you're working behind the scenes in research or engaging the public on the museum floor, your work will help connect people to the natural world and empower them to protect it.

Organizational Culture
Join a team dedicated to the Academy’s mission, vision, and values, and committed to executing a new strategic plan that will strengthen the organization's financial foundations, cultivate a vibrant internal culture, and foster disciplined, mission-driven growth that will secure the Academy’s future..

We hope you are inspired by what we do and are excited to contribute to our mission. The mission of the California Academy of Sciences is to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration. The Academy is looking for candidates who do great work, and we know they may come from a number of different backgrounds and experiences. We encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet every qualification for the position.

This position is based in San Francisco, California. The specific onsite/hybrid schedule for this position is listed below.

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

The Social Media Manager is a key contributor within the Marcomm Division, responsible for the strategy, creation, and day-to-day execution of content across all of the California Academy of Sciences' social media channels. This role owns the Academy's organic social presence developing content that is culturally fluent, visitation focused, mission-aligned, and built for the audiences we most want to reach while serving as an active collaborator on paid social campaigns in partnership with agency partners and internal stakeholders.

Reporting to the Associate Director, Brand Marketing, this role brings a strong creative and analytical sensibility to a 3MM+ social community across Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and emerging platforms. The Social Media Manager is a skilled content creator, community manager, and strategic thinker who stays ahead of platform trends and uses data to continuously improve performance.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Organic Social Media Strategy & Content

• Develop and execute a cohesive, channel-specific organic social media strategy aligned with the Academy's brand positioning, campaign calendar, and institutional priorities.

• Create, write, and produce original content across all owned social channels including Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, balancing brand storytelling, on-site visitation, science communication, and audience engagement.

• Develop and manage the Academy's social content calendar, ensuring consistent publishing cadence and strategic alignment across campaigns, exhibits, events, and mission-driven moments.

• Partner with internal teams/staff to source content, surface stories, and identify real-time opportunities for social engagement.

• Manage and moderate the Academy's social community: respond to comments, messages, and mentions in a timely, brand-appropriate way; escalate issues as needed.

• Oversee online reputation management, monitoring brand sentiment and coordinating responses to customer feedback across social channels on Sprout.

• Maintain and evolve the Academy's social media brand guidelines, ensuring visual and tonal consistency across all channels.

Paid Social Media Collaboration

• Partner with the Associate Director, Brand Marketing, agency partners, and internal stakeholders to support the execution of paid social campaigns.

• Provide organic content insights, audience data, and platform expertise to inform paid social strategy across campaigns.

• Coordinate asset delivery and creative input for paid social placements, ensuring consistency between organic and paid social…