Social Media Officer

POSITION IDENTIFICATION

Position Title:  Social Media Officer

Organization:  Islamic Relief South Africa

Location: Republic of South Africa

Reports to:  HOD-Communications

PURPOSE OF DEPARTMENT

The role of the Communications Department is to provide strategic and operational leadership to Islamic Relief South Africa. The Department has a key role in managing and maintaining the reputation of IRSA. There is a focus on all internal and external communications and reputation management both on an individual level and within the humanitarian and development community.

The department also works in partnership with Islamic Relief South Africa departments to provide communications expertise ensuring that high quality information, material and resources is delivered and sustained to support and promote our work on advocacy, and raising awareness of the significant activities and achievements of our fundraising work.

The department liaises with key stakeholders to ensure IRSA campaigns and products are effectively promoted to its targeted audiences through integrated and creative marketing and fundraising techniques. The department seeks to raise awareness, funds and understanding of IRSA, grow influence, drive action and ultimately bring key audiences closer to our purpose.

PURPOSE OF POSITION

The purpose of a Social Media Officer is to support the Social Media Specialist in ensuring consistent, accurate, and engaging execution of an organisation’s social media presence. This role focuses on implementing the content plan by scheduling and publishing posts, managing day-to-day platform activity, and engaging with online audiences in a timely and professional manner.

In addition, the Social Media Officer assists with basic content creation, including simple graphic design and capturing field photography to support storytelling and campaign needs.

The Social Media Officer helps maintain brand consistency, ensures content is delivered according to schedule, and provides basic performance insights, all while supporting broader campaign objectives set by the social media and marketing strategy.

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

• Marketing Coordinator
• Social Media Specialist

SCOPE OF THE ROLE

• Coordinate and manage the day-to-day social media activities for the organisation across all platforms.
• Implement content plans by scheduling, publishing, and monitoring posts in line with campaign objectives.
• Support the execution of digital campaigns, including fundraising, awareness, and advocacy initiatives.
• Assist in content creation, including basic graphic design, short-form video, and field photography to support storytelling.
• Manage community engagement by responding to comments, messages, and queries in a timely and professional manner.
• Ensure brand consistency across all social media platforms, adhering to organisational guidelines and tone of voice.
• Monitor social media trends and platform updates to support content relevance and engagement.
• Capture and organise content from field activities, events, and campaigns for social media use.
• Support internal teams by promoting programme activities and campaigns through social platforms.
• Track and report on basic social media performance metrics to inform ongoing improvements.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

The job holder is accountable for fulfilling their roles and responsibilities in line with Islamic values and principles of fairness, humanity, honesty, respect and fair treatment of their colleagues and staff. The following are the main responsibilities that the role holder will be accountable for:

1. Social Media Content Execution and Management

• Schedule and publish content across all social media platforms in line with the content calendar
• Ensure all posts are accurate, engaging, and aligned with brand guidelines
• Assist in creating basic visual content, including graphics and short videos
• Support content capture through field photography and event coverage
• Maintain an organised library of social media assets (images, videos, captions)

2. Community Management and Engagement

• Monitor and respond to comments, direct messages, and queries across platforms
• Escalate sensitive or complex queries to relevant teams where necessary
• Foster positive engagement with followers, donors, and the wider community
• Monitor audience sentiment and flag any reputational risks

3. Campaign and Team Support

• Support the rollout of digital campaigns by ensuring timely and accurate posting
• Work closely with internal teams (Programmes, Fundraising, Communications) to promote initiatives
• Assist in gathering content and stories from various departments for social media use
• Provide on-the-ground support for capturing campaign and event content

4. Reporting and Optimisation

• Track basic performance metrics (engagement, reach, growth) across platforms
• Identify opportunities for improving content performance
• Stay informed on social media trends and suggest relevant ideas

GENERAL DUTIES

• Be flexible within the broad remit of the post.
• Comply with organizational policies and practices.
• Keep professional knowledge and expertise up to date.
• Attend internal and external meetings as required and contribute positively.
• Undertake any other duties commensurate with this post as reasonably requested by the Head of Communications.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

It is essential that the post holder shows a good understanding and empathy with the Islamic values and principles as well as commitment to IRW’s vision and mission.

Essential Criteria

Education/Experience:

• Recognised Diploma/Degree at a reputable institution in Digital Content Creation, Marketing OR proven equivalent experience.
• Minimum 2 years of professional experience in similar position with demonstrated experience within a fast-paced environment.
• Experience working in and NGO

Knowledge, Skills and Attributes:

• Proficiency in using social media platforms, management tools (e.g. Hootsuite), and analytics tools (e.g. Meta Business Suite).

• Strong expertise in managing paid social media ads (e.g. Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads).
• Knowledge of social media growth strategies, algorithms, and trends.
• Creative content creation, including photography, graphic design, and basic video
• editing.
• Ability to analyse social media performance and adjust strategies for continued growth
• and engagement.
• Proficiency in Community Engagement (responding to comments & messaages)

Personal Qualities

• Strong motivation for and empathy with the aims and objectives of Islamic Relief
• A genuine passion for making a difference
• Understanding of and affinity with Islamic Relief values
• Confident and positive approach to work.

Other requirements

• Willingness to travel and work outside of normal office hours when necessary – particularly during emergency campaigns.

Key Islamic Relief Qualities Required

• It is essential that the post holder shows a good understanding and sympathy with Islamic values and principles as well as commitment to IR’s vision and mission as per below:

• Excellence (Ihsan): Our actions in tackling poverty are marked by excellence in our operations and conduct which are deserving of the people we serve.

• Sincerity (Ikhlas): In responding to poverty and suffering our efforts are driven by sincerity to God and the need to fulfil our obligations to humanity

• Social Justice (Adl): Our work is founded on enabling people and institutions to fulfil the rights of the poor and vulnerable. We work to empower the dispossessed towards realising their God-given human potential and developing their capabilities and resources.
• Compassion (Rahma): We believe the protection and well-being of every life is of paramount importance and we shall join with other humanitarian actors to act as one in responding to suffering brought on by disasters, poverty and injustice.
• Custodianship (Amana): We uphold our duty of custodianship over the earth, its resources and the trust people place in us as humanitarian and development practitioners to be transparent and accountable.