Social Media Specialist III

USA (On-site)

$95K/yr – $125K/yrMid LevelFull time

Posted 9 days ago

Job Summary

Own and drive NASAJPL’s social storytelling by leading content strategy, planning, and publishing, while translating complex science for broad audiences and guiding multi-team collaboration across platforms.

  • Lead content planning, creation, and publication with cross-team alignment.
  • Turn data into actionable recommendations for audience growth and content formats.

Job Description

Responsibilities

  • Helps lead content strategy, planning, creation, publishing, and ongoing account stewardship for NASAJPL across major social platforms.
  • Leads day-to-day community management for NASAJPL by monitoring conversations, responding to audience questions and comments, identifying opportunities for meaningful engagement, and escalating sensitive or technical issues as appropriate.
  • Maintains a forward-looking view of the NASAJPL content pipeline, identifies gaps and opportunities, and advances work with appropriate independence while keeping collaborators informed.
  • Works closely with NASA Goddard colleagues to develop and publish coordinated content for NASAUniverse, aligning on editorial priorities, responsibilities, and timing.
  • Translates complex scientific and technical information into accurate, accessible content without losing the substance or significance of the work, connecting JPL missions, science, engineering, people, and institutional stories with public audiences.
  • Creates and edits platform-ready assets, including Instagram carousels, short-form video and Reels, graphics, captions, thumbnails, and other visual content, while maintaining NASA and JPL brand standards.
  • Tracks platform trends, emerging formats, audience behavior, and cultural moments; evaluates which opportunities fit NASA's voice, goals, and public-service responsibilities.
  • Monitors account and content performance, identifies meaningful patterns, and turns data into specific recommendations for content strategy, formats, timing, and audience development.
  • Develops clear reports and presentations that communicate performance, audience insights, lessons learned, and recommended next steps to colleagues and leadership.
  • Responds calmly and flexibly to breaking news, mission events, approval requirements, and changing organizational priorities while protecting accuracy and public trust.

Requirements

  • Typically requires a Bachelor's degree in Communications, Journalism, Marketing, Design, Film or Media Production, Science, Engineering, or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience with a minimum of 6 years of related work experience or a Masters in a similar discipline with a minimum of 4 years of related work experience or a PhD in a similar discipline with a minimum of 2 years of related work experience.
  • Portfolio demonstrating strong social media storytelling and hands-on creation of platform-native visual content, including graphics, carousels, and short-form video.
  • Strong editorial judgment and demonstrated ability to translate complex or technical information into clear, accurate, and engaging content for general audiences.
  • Strong visual judgment and proficiency with relevant design and video-editing tools used to produce polished social content.
  • Experience using native platform analytics or social media management and measurement tools to evaluate performance and recommend changes.
  • Ability to communicate data and insights clearly in written summaries, visual presentations, and verbal briefings.
  • Demonstrated initiative and ability to lead work from concept through publication while seeking input, surfacing risks, and adapting to feedback.
  • Excellent collaboration and relationship-building skills, including the ability to work across teams, organizations, and areas of expertise in a changing environment.
  • Demonstrated interest in NASA, JPL, space exploration, science, engineering, or related technical subjects, with an eagerness to deepen that knowledge.
  • Minimum of 3 years of professional experience in social media strategy, content creation, digital communications, or a related field.

Preferred

  • Experience managing or serving as a primary contributor to a high-profile institutional, science, technology, aerospace, government, or mission-driven social account.
  • Existing knowledge of NASA and JPL missions, history, science, engineering, or the broader space community.
  • Advanced design, illustration, photography, motion graphics, or video production skills, with a strong understanding of branding and visual systems.
  • Experience building measurement frameworks, dashboards, recurring reports, or presentations that connect social performance with actionable editorial insights.
  • Experience with social media management and analytics platforms such as Sprinklr, along with native analytics for Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
  • Experience supporting live events, mission milestones, breaking news, or other high-visibility moments on social media.
  • Working knowledge of federal government communications, accessibility, records, approval, or public-affairs requirements.

Benefits

  • JPL has a catalog of benefits and perks that span from the traditional to the unique.
  • This includes a variety of health, dental, vision, wellbeing, and retirement plans, paid time off, learning, rideshare, childcare, flexible schedule, parental leave and many more. Our focus is on work-life balance, and living healthy, fulfilling lives as we Dare Mighty Things Together. For benefits eligible positions, benefits are effective the first day of the month coincident with or immediately following the employee’s start date.
  • For further benefits information click Benefits and Perks
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory logo

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Formed in 1936, the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech.) JPL joined NASA as an FFRDC when the agency was founded in 1958. JPL helped open the Space Age by developing America's first Earth-orbiting science satellite, creating the first successful interplanetary spacecraft, and sending robotic missions to the solar system. Today, JPL continues its world-leading innovation, implementing programs in planetary exploration, Earth science, space-based astronomy and technology development while applying its capabilities to technical and scientific problems of national significance. We have big aspirations, driven by our values. We aim to be: Bold, Inclusive, Trusted. We turn ideas for science investigation into the reality of groundbreaking space missions, partnering with our strategic business teams to guide JPL into the future. We Dare Mighty Things Together.

Founded in 1936
Pasadena, California, USA
9.1K employees

Salaries

Posted range

$95K/yr – $125K/yr

Taken straight from the job posting.

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Traffic Source Mix
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Paid
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Social Media Specialist III

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory · USA · On-site