Social Media Specialist Jobs in Denver, CO

Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance (DZCA) is a leader in animal care, wildlife conservation, and education. We are passionate about our commitment to excellence in support of our mission of Inspiring Communities to Save Wildlife for Future Generations.

DZCA honors our animals, staff, and guests by conducting ourselves at the highest level of integrity through our Core Actions - Inspire Awe: Safety, Care, Connect, and by embracing our Core Values of: Welcoming, Curious, United, Courageous, and Transformative in all that we do.

The Digital Content & Social Media Manager advances Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance’s mission and goals by leading our digital storytelling. The position will shape and deliver engaging social media, video, photography, and editorial content that strengthens our brand, connects with audiences, and brings our mission to life across digital platforms.

Our team is made up of passionate and diverse professionals dedicated to providing excellent care for our animals while creating meaningful experiences for our guests. If you're excited to contribute your skills in a collaborative and innovative environment, Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance is the place for you!

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Lead and evolve DZCA’s organic social media and digital content strategy, developing content plans, channel strategies, editorial priorities, and performance goals that strengthen audience engagement, reach, and brand visibility.
• Oversee the creation and delivery of compelling digital content across social media, video, photography, blogs, newsletters, and other editorial channels while ensuring a consistent and engaging brand voice.
• Lead day-to-day digital content operations and team performance, including supervising the Digital Content Coordinator, overseeing community management, and making editorial and channel prioritization decisions.
• Partner across Marketing, Communications, Creative, and organizational teams to bring campaigns and stories to life, identify emerging trends and opportunities, evaluate performance, and continually strengthen DZCA’s digital presence.

Creative & Editorial Leadership

• Set the creative and editorial direction for DZCA’s digital storytelling, ensuring content is distinctive, audience-focused, platform-native, and aligned with the organization’s brand and mission.
• Lead the development of compelling, original content across social media, short-form video, photography, blogs, newsletters, and digital stories, providing hands-on creative and editorial direction as needed.
• Champion innovative storytelling approaches that strengthen DZCA’s digital presence while authentically showcasing the breadth of the organization’s work, impact, and experiences.

Audience Growth, Analytics & Optimization

• Monitor and evaluate channel, audience and content performance using quantitative and qualitative data to identify meaningful trends in performance and provide recommendations to the Director of Marketing and other stakeholders.
• Translate analytics and audience behavior into actionable recommendations that improve content strategy, creative development and channel performance.
• Regularly test content formats, publishing strategies, creative approaches and emerging platform features to identify opportunities for increased reach, engagement and audience growth.

Team Leadership & Operations

• Lead, mentor, and develop the Digital Content Assistant Manager, providing clear priorities, ongoing coaching, creative direction, and opportunities for increased ownership and professional growth.
• Manage team workflow, production priorities, and responsibilities to ensure resources are focused on high-impact organizational and digital content priorities.
• Establish effective standards and workflows for social publishing, community management, digital asset management, and content production while empowering independent execution.

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Serve as DZCA’s internal subject-matter expert on organic social media, digital storytelling and emerging digital content practices, and advise organizational partners on how digital content can best support business and audience objectives.
• Build strong relationships with executive leadership, animal care, conservation, education, guest experience, philanthropy and other teams to identify compelling stories and improve access to content opportunities.
• Collaborate with Marketing and Creative teams to develop integrated campaign strategies and ensure digital content effectively supports paid, owned, shared and earned communications efforts.

Community, Issues & Reputation Management

• Lead DZCA’s social media community management strategy, establishing standards for voice, engagement, response protocols, and escalation across digital channels.
• Monitor audience conversations, sentiment, and emerging issues, ensuring timely and consistent engagement while identifying potential reputational or sensitive concerns.
• Partner with Communications leadership on sensitive and crisis communications, exercising sound judgment to appropriately respond to or escalate issues involving animal wellbeing, safety, legal considerations, or organizational reputation.

Content Production & Asset Management

• Participate directly in content creation when strategic importance, complexity, timeliness or production needs warrant Manager involvement.
• Ensure the Digital Content Assistant Manager maintains content and asset management systems consistent with established workflows.
• Additional duties as assigned.

Technical / Professional Requirements & Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Digital Media, Public Relations, Journalism or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of relevant education and professional experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive professional experience in social media, digital content, content marketing, communications or related work.
• Excellent organization, communication, and prioritization skills with the ability to independently manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency with social publishing and listening tools, digital asset management systems, Microsoft Office, and relevant creative tools such as Adobe Creative Cloud preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Demonstrated experience leading social media and digital content strategy for a brand or organization across multiple platforms, including creating digital-first content and using audience insights and analytics to optimize performance.
• Strong leadership and cross-functional collaboration skills, with experience advising stakeholders, exercising sound judgment, and leading, coaching, or developing team members; direct supervisory experience strongly preferred.
• Strong knowledge of social media platforms, audience behavior, digital trends, and community management, with experience in a nonprofit, cultural attraction, mission-driven organization, tourism, entertainment, or related field preferred.
• Other assistance, as designated by manager, to support the overall goals of the department and organization. DZCA retains the right to add or change duties and/or responsibilities at any time.
• Acts as a good steward of the DZCA's resources.
• This position will interact with managers at all levels and staff members across the organization, in addition to members of external organizations.
• The nature of this position requires safeguarding against the release of confidential and proprietary information of DZCA.

Position Conditions:

• Ability to pass a background check and pre-employment drug and alcohol screen.
• To support our operations, candidates must be at least 21 years of age with a valid driver's license and a clean driving record.
• Schedule Availability: Regular weekday schedule with occasional early mornings, evenings, weekends and on-call responsibilities based on animal, event, media or organizational needs.
• Constantly operates a computer and other office equipment.
• Frequently remains in a stationary position, sitting or standing for up to 6 hours per day.
• Frequently moves about inside offices and across campus settings
• Occasionally moves and lifts materials or equipment weighing up to 25 pounds

Compensation:

The salary range for this position is $68,070 to $85,088 annually

A Truly Wild Workplace with Competitive Benefits

Join our team and enjoy a wide variety of great benefits, including:

• Comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage
• 403(b) Retirement Account with employer match
• Generous paid time off: vacation, sick leave, personal days, and holidays
• A Family DZCA Membership with discounted tickets to special events
• Concession and retail discounts, plus free parking
• And so much more!

Application Process and Timelines

Application Deadline: September 30, 2026. Review of applications will begin immediately. DZCA reserves the right to close the position before this date.

Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected status or any other characteristic protected by law.

www.denverzoo.org (http://www.denverzoo.org/)

Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights (https://www.eeoc.gov/poster) notice from the Department of Labor.