How to hire a social media project manager

How to hire a social media project manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step social media project manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a social media project manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new social media project manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your social media project manager job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a social media project manager for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A social media project manager's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, social media project managers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of social media project manager salaries for various roles:

   Type of Social Media Project Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Social Media Project Manager	Advertising, promotions, and marketing managers plan programs to generate interest in products or services. They work with art directors, sales agents, and financial staff members.	$23-63
   Marketing Manager	Marketing managers are experienced employees who oversee the marketing department of the organization. They manage activities such as marketing campaigns, social media postings, company branding, and other strategic marketing activities... Show more	$34-73
   Web Manager	Web Managers are responsible for managing websites for organizations. Their duties include managing website upgrades, testing for website performance, implement a strategy to increase web traffic and subscribers, troubleshooting website issues, and responding to security breaches... Show more	$25-60

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Media Management
   • Social Media Management
   • Twitter
   • Instagram
   • Social Media Marketing
   • Client Facing
   • Social Channels
   • Social Platforms
   • SEO
   • YouTube
   • Marketing Campaigns
   • Community Management
   • Pinterest
   • Media Planning

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Perform administrative duties including ordering photography supplies, managing expenses bookkeeping, updating photography inventory and archives.
   • Integrate videos into PDF documents and on webs & LinkedIn.
   • Publish events/features on Facebook, LinkedIn, and blogging tools.
   • Assist with video development, editing, and execution for YouTube and company websites.
   • Birth beautiful monthly reports detailing client ROI using all available metric and analytic tools.
   • Listen to multiple YouTube channels to monitor video comments to appropriately route sales opportunities and remove any spam or offensive comments.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your social media project manager job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A social media project manager salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, social media project managers' average salary in florida is 54% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level social media project managers earn 63% less than senior-level social media project managers.
   • Certifications. A social media project manager with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a social media project manager's salary.

   Average social media project manager salary

   $81,039yearly

   $38.96 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level social media project manager salary

   $49,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

4. Writing a social media project manager job description

   A social media project manager job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a social media project manager job description:

   Social media project manager job description example

   THE OPPORTUNITY
   
   We are looking for a project manager to own the task calendar and drive key projects for the Unified Social Media team.
   
   Reporting to Digital Services Program Management, the Senior Project Manager will also have a dotted line to the Vice President, Social Media Strategy in the Unified Social Media team.
   
   RESPONSIBILITIES
   

   • Oversees the project task calendar and system for requesting and resourcing work:
     
     • Review and submit tickets related to our social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, TikTok) and campaigns.
     • Support requests for the Unified Social Media team and the Search and Paid Media Planning team.
     • Liaise with partners to set expectations, gather sufficient information, and set-up requests for work so projects can be delivered on time and on budget.
     • Prioritize tickets based on impact and feasibility, while managing the availability of team members and third party vendors/freelancers.
     • Provide ongoing reporting of project requests and workload.
     • Maintain a calendar of major planned projects for social media.
     • Maintain the resource availability calendar for the Unified Social Media team and the Search and Paid Media Planning team.
     • Coordinate schedules and priorities across multiple teams in regards to each project area to effectively identify and manage dependencies and overlaps that could impact project timelines and deliverables.
     • Create, maintain, and socialize a social media project request workflow document.

   
   
   

   • Manages select social media projects from the Unified Social Media team and the Search and Paid Media Planning team:
     
     • Manage multiple projects & project teams concurrently.
     • Mentor and help develop project management best practices (agile).
     • Drive business collaboration by facilitating team communications.
     • Manage project charters, ensuring projects are resourced, timelines and milestones are established and met, risks are mitigated in a timely manner, project boards are built and updated, and tasks are completed.
     • Proactively identify and manage issues as they arise, de-risking as required.
     • Challenge and intervene where there is scope creep, budget overrun, and timeline slippage.
     • Define commitments for milestones and own initiatives.

   
   
   

   • Partner with Scholastic teams who are instrumental to the experience we provide to our audiences on social media including aligning with other subject matter experts across the company
   • Support the creation of a content calendar that will be developed closely with each line of business:
     
     • Participate in planning sessions for new content ideas and campaigns.
     • Iterate on the content calendar in a responsive fashion.

   
   
   

   • Utilize and maintain our tools for content management, tagging, digital asset management, and project task calendaring.
   • Coordinate team-wide activities:
     
     • Assist the Director Social Media Content and team with administrative duties as needed.
     • Organize internal staff meetings and gatherings.
     • Manage team calendars of the wider Unified Social Media team.

   
   
   

   • Be well-versed and attuned to the business models, opportunities, and best practices of social media platforms and modern brands.

   
   
   WHO WE ARE
   
   Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books, a leading provider of core literacy curriculum and professional services, and a producer of educational and entertaining children's media. The Company creates quality books and ebooks, print and technology-based learning programs for pre-K to grade 12, classroom magazines and other products and services that support children's learning both in school and at home. With operations in 14 international offices and exports to 165 countries, Scholastic makes quality, affordable books available to all children around the world through school-based book clubs and book fairs, classroom collections, school and public libraries, retail and online. True to its mission of 100+ years to encourage the personal and intellectual growth of all children beginning with literacy, the Company has earned a reputation as a trusted partner to educators and families. Learn more at www.scholastic.com.
   
   Some benefits that we offer:
   

   • 100% vested of 401(k) Retirement Plan after 5 years employment
   • Up to 1M worth of supplemental Life Insurance
   • Tuition Reimbursement
   • Purchase Scholastic stock at a 15% discount

   
   
   Thank you for your consideration in choosing Scholastic.
   
   Qualifications
   
   HOW YOU CAN FIT - Qualifications
   

   • Lover of books and reading.
   • 3-5 years' experience as a project manager in digital or social media.
   • Preferred: Experience with various social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, TikTok) and paid social campaigns.
   • Ability to manage competing priorities, exceptional multitasking and organizational skills.
   • Must have strong and demonstrated project management skills and experience, with extensive work on complex projects.
   • Ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously using influence versus direct reporting relationships.
   • Strong written and verbal communication skills are a must.
   • Experience managing freelancers and vendors.
   • Mastery of Microsoft Office 365 Suite along with Google Sheets.
   • Experience with project and resource management software.

   
   
   Time Type:
   
   Full time
   Job Type:
   
   Regular
   
   Job Family Group:
   
   Marketing
   
   Location Region/State:
   
   New York
   EEO Statement:
   
   Scholastic is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our policy is clear: there shall be no discrimination on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, pregnancy, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, or status as a disabled veteran or Vietnam veteran. Those factors shall not influence the determination of qualifications for a job or other opportunity within the company. Further, all personnel actions (such as compensation, tuition aid, benefits, transfers, promotions, and dismissals, company-sponsored training, social and recreational programs) shall be administered without discrimination.
   
   EEO is the Law Poster
   
   EEO Scholastic Policy Statement
   
   Pay Transparency Provision

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find social media project managers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any social media project managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level social media project managers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your social media project manager job on Zippia to find and recruit social media project manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as swipe files, exit five, marketinghire, american marketing association.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting social media project managers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new social media project manager

   Once you've found the social media project manager candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new social media project manager first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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