Contractor, Digital Organizing and Content Strategy

About Courier Newsroom

Join the COURIER Newsroom Network - a values-driven media organization that informs and empowers communities through honest, quality local and national journalism.

At Courier Newsroom, we empower individuals and communities through local reporting that helps people understand and affect the issues impacting their lives. We believe that by investing in the work of local journalists across the country we can positively impact civic participation and build a healthier democracy from the ground up. Through original reporting and human-focused storytelling, we highlight the issues and forces that shape our lives while calling attention to the impacts of policy-making and political action at the local level. We are a rapidly growing team with new ideas on how to change the landscape of this world.

Our mission is rooted in civic engagement and equity—and we’re growing fast.

COURIER Newsroom is committed to building an inclusive workplace that values diverse perspectives and lived experiences. We strongly encourage women, people of color, individuals with disabilities, LGBTQ+ candidates, and those from all backgrounds to apply. As an equal opportunity employer, we strive to break down barriers and ensure every team member feels seen, heard, and supported.

Scope of Work

COURIER is looking for a contractor to help bring a new pilot program to life that leverages the passion and enthusiasm of a niche cultural community into one that drives forward civic action. This role will work closely with a content creator/specialist to build an editorial calendar and own the publishing strategy for a three-month pilot media program, balancing lifestyle content with public awareness and actionable opportunities. The Contractor, Digital Organizing and Content Strategy will identify relationships with external partners to inform the editorial calendar and calls to action, with the aim of cultivating a deeper understanding of the program’s audiences and what drives them to build community.

Throughout the process, this role will leverage their platform expertise to analyze audience trends in order to make data-informed recommendations on how COURIER should proceed after the pilot has elapsed.

The ideal candidate understands the power of delivering good information to Americans across the country. The contractor will report to the Chief of Staff.

Deliverables

• Build a strategic content and publishing calendar for three months to drive a narrative, spread awareness build community, encourage action and geared toward rapid for growth
• Develop the presence for a new brand on two platforms, while experimenting and building guidelines around best practices that can be used after the pilot program
• Join and be actively involved in Facebook groups, subreddits, and other social platforms to build an on-ramp to shape a community and organize users around issues and campaigns. This learning will be channeled into the recommendations shared with COURIER.
• Identify and onboard relationships with allied outlets and organizations within the niche cultural community/ online ecosystem.
• Draft social media post copy that reflects the brand’s voice while editing received content for platform optimization
• Track and analyze content engagement and retention metrics and provide insights to inform future social media strategy
• Provide regular updates and reports on post performance & optimize content for each social platform based on the findings. This will total 3 monthly reports, biweekly informal updates, and support for the final recommendations.
• Openness to travel to events and/or content opportunities for and within the niche cultural community on select, limited occasions

Ideal Contractor Candidate Profile

• 3–5 years of experience in digital organizing, particularly building community, shaping public awareness, and engaging audiences in action online and off
• Ability to build and maintain a brand voice and create high-performing social media content that is reflective and consistent with the brand identity
• Demonstrated experience in key social media platforms (TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube), algorithms, performance metrics, and best practices is required
• Excellent partnership and communication skills
• Skilled project manager able to take ideas from pitch to publish on a deadline
• Creative mindset with a track record of generating innovative ideas
• Experience with Canva, Adobe Creative Suite, Descript, CapCut, Final Cut Pro, or similar
• Deep interest in democracy, civic media, and reaching underserved or values-driven audiences
• Strong background in political content creation or values-driven journalism
• Exceptional candidates will have direct personal and/or professional experience in equestrian sports and/or horse cultural communities

Rate

$33/hr - $55/hr

Equal Opportunity Employer

Courier Newsroom is an equal opportunity employer. Women, people of color, those with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ community are strongly urged to apply. Applicants shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, marital status, or medical conditions.

Key skills/competency

• Digital Organizing
• Content Strategy
• Social Media Management
• Community Building
• Content Creation
• Audience Analysis
• Project Management
• Partnership Development
• Brand Voice
• Civic Engagement