SOCIAL MEDIA SPECIALIST: DURBAN

**Time Out South Africa |**Durban and surrounding metros (Durban, eThekwini Metro, KwaZulu – Natal)

Time Out South Africa is looking for a talented, energetic and digitally savvy Social Media Specialist to lead the day-to-day social media presence of Time Out Durban.

Working closely with the Durban City Editor and the broader Time Out South Africa social media and editorial team, you will help bring Durban's culture, food, nightlife, events and city life to audiences across our social platforms. You'll be responsible for creating engaging, locally relevant content that reflects the voice and positioning of Time Out Durban, while driving audience growth, engagement and website traffic.

This role requires someone who lives and breathes Durban, understands what people are talking about across the city, and can turn breaking news, events, trends and recommendations into compelling social-first content.

The ideal candidate is highly creative, organised, confident on camera, comfortable attending events, and passionate about storytelling across Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and emerging platforms.

Your key responsibilities

Social Media Content & Publishing

• Support the execution of Time Out South Africa's social media strategy for Time Out Durban.
• Create, schedule and publish daily content across Time Out Durban's social media channels, including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and emerging platforms.
• Write engaging, platform-specific captions that align with Time Out's editorial voice and brand guidelines.
• Create social-first content including Reels, Stories, TikToks, videos, photography and graphics.
• Monitor local trends, news and conversations to identify content opportunities relevant to Time Out Durban audiences.
• Assist in developing monthly and weekly content plans in collaboration with the Social Media and Editorial teams.
• Optimise content performance through best-practice use of hashtags, keywords, trends and platform features.

Community Management & Audience Growth

• Monitor and respond to comments, messages and community interactions across social channels.
• Support audience growth initiatives through engagement, collaborations and content optimisation.
• Identify and surface user-generated content opportunities to the wider editorial team.
• Assist in maintaining Time Out South Africa's online reputation by responding to community feedback in line with brand guidelines.

On-the-Ground Coverage

• Attend and co-ordinate live social media coverage of events, festivals, venue openings, activations and experiences across Durban and the eThekwini Metro.
• Capture high-quality video, photography and behind-the-scenes content for social media channels.
• Build relationships with local venues, businesses, event organisers, creators and influencers to identify stories and collaboration opportunities.

Collaboration & Commercial Support

• Work closely with Social Media, Editorial and Marketing teams to amplify editorial content and sponsored campaigns.
• Assist with social media requirements for Time Out Durban special projects, events and partnerships.
• Collaborate with designers, videographers and content creators to ensure content is engaging, informative and visually appealing.

Reporting & Insights

• Monitor content performance and audience engagement metrics.
• Assist with monthly social media reporting and insights.
• Share platform trends, audience behaviour and content recommendations with the Social Media Manager and Editorial team.
• Stay up to date with emerging social media trends, tools and best practices.

What we’re looking for

We’re looking for someone who is culturally curious, digitally fluent, socially connected, and excited by city life.

Minimum Requirement:

• Bachelor's Degree, Diploma or relevant qualification in Journalism, Communications, Marketing, Digital Media or a related field. You should have:
• 2–4 years' experience managing social media accounts, preferably within media, publishing, lifestyle, entertainment or digital content environments.
• Strong understanding of Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and emerging social media platforms.
• Experience creating short-form video content, including filming and editing for social media.
• Excellent copywriting and communication skills.
• Experience with Canva, Adobe Creative Suite, Edits, CapCut or similar content creation tools.
• Experience using social media scheduling and analytics tools.
• Ability to work independently while managing multiple deadlines and projects.

Bonus points if you

• Experience working within a newsroom, media brand or lifestyle publication.