Social Media Content Creator

Title: Social Media Content Creator
Location: Vienna, VA (Hybrid)
Pay Rate: Open W2 options
Position Type: Contract
Basic Description
The Social Media team is seeking a Social Media Content Creator for a 6-month contract to concept, capture, edit and produce organic social video content for YouTube Shorts, TikTok and Instagram Reels. This role will focus on educational content delivered in an engaging, social-first way, leveraging real-time trends and native social conventions.

The contractor will help us create quicker-turn organic content, informed by social search optimization (SSO) and answer engine optimization (AEO), to increase the organization's discoverability across social search, large language models and AI Overviews. The contractor will be responsible for the full production process, including generating content ideas, shooting and editing in alignment with brand standards, and is expected to produce 10–15 native videos per month
Responsibilities
Content Production

• Plan, shoot, edit and deliver publish-ready short-form videos (10–15 native videos per month) for YouTube Shorts, TikTok and Instagram Reels, with a focus on educational, social-first content.
• Work collaboratively with Creative and Strategy teams to develop concepts for approval, understand brand standards and align with the regulatory landscape.
• Tailor every video to the channel, including adjusting for pacing, hooks, framing, on-screen text, audio and tone.
• Create cut-downs and social-first adaptations of existing long-form video assets, rewriting the hook, pacing and payoff so each piece stands on its own.
• Capture original footage, including filming, lighting, sound, and on-camera or voiceover elements as needed, and handle editing, captions, color and sound design.
• Casting, location scouting and budgeting of native content shoots.
• Design, create and optimize YouTube thumbnails.
• Apply brand voice, visual standards and accessibility best practices (captions, alt text and audio description where applicable) to all content.

Search and Discoverability

• Build SSO- and AEO-informed videos by shaping topics, hooks, spoken language, on-screen text, titles, descriptions and captions around the real questions our audience is asking.
• Use trend, keyword and platform insights (for example, YouTube Analytics) to inform content ideas and refine what we make next.
• Stay current on platform trends, formats and algorithm changes, and bring new ideas to the team.
• Review performance data such as views, retention, shares and engagement, and apply the learnings to future content.

Collaboration and Delivery

• Partner with Social Media and Creative teams to align on topics, priorities and review feedback.
• Work within established review and approval processes, including compliance, and incorporate feedback quickly to keep content timely.
• Meet monthly volume and quality expectations while maintaining speed and brand consistency.

Required Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience producing short-form social video for brands, with a portfolio of published work for TikTok, Instagram Reels and/or YouTube Shorts.
• Demonstrated ability to handle the full production process, including shooting, lighting, audio, editing, captions and finishing.
• Proficiency with professional video editing tools (Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, or similar) and the ability to design basic graphics and thumbnails (for example, Photoshop).
• Strong understanding of platform-native best practices, formats, trends and algorithm behavior across YouTube Shorts, TikTok and Instagram.
• Ability to turn educational or informational topics into clear, engaging, entertaining short-form stories.
• Effective writing skills for hooks, scripts, on-screen text, titles and captions.
• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Film/Media or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
• Familiarity with social media management tools (for example, Sprinklr, Sprout Social or Hootsuite) to schedule, publish and monitor content across platforms.

Soft Skill Requirements

• Communication: Clearly explains creative decisions and takes direction and feedback from multiple stakeholders.
• Collaboration: Works well with social strategists, creative partners, and cross-functional leaders while respecting review processes.
• Adaptability and speed: Turns concepts into finished content quickly and adjusts to trends, priorities and feedback without sacrificing quality.
• Creativity and curiosity: Brings fresh ideas, stays on top of internet culture and keeps learning what works for each platform.
• Attention to detail: Maintains brand, accuracy and accessibility standards, which is especially important in a regulated financial services environment.

Desired Skills

• Experience cutting long-form video into high-performing short-form clips.
• On-camera hosting or voiceover experience, or comfort directing talent and subject matter experts on camera.
• Motion graphics, animation or sound design skills (for example, After Effects).
• Familiarity with AI-assisted creative and editing tools, and a clear point of view on using them responsibly.
• Experience in financial services or another regulated industry, including awareness of compliance, disclosure and accessibility requirements for social content.
• Working knowledge of SEO, SSO and AEO principles for social and video, including keyword research and optimizing titles, descriptions and captions for search and AI-driven discovery.
• Experience building thumbnails and visual templates that improve click-through rate.

Ref: #851-Rockville-S1