Social Media Specialist - Independent Contractor / Freelance assignment","@context":"http://schema.org","occupationalCategory":"Marketing & Communicat

Where passion meets opportunity

The best of your adventures is the one you have yet to sail!

Your Purpose

Bring the MSC Cruises experience to life across our global social channels.

As a freelance Social Media Specialist, you will support our Global Social Media team in developing relevant content, managing editorial calendars and building meaningful interactions with our audiences. Combining creative judgement with performance insights, you will turn brand priorities and emerging trends into content that connects with audiences across platforms and markets.

You will collaborate closely with our social media team, content creators and editor, taking ownership of agreed deliverables from initial idea through publication and performance review.

This is an external freelance opportunity under a services agreement. You must have a registered business.

Your Impact

Content and editorial planning

• Develop and manage editorial calendars across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, YouTube Shorts, Broadcast Channels, Threads and Pinterest.
• Schedule and publish approximately 20 posts per primary channel per month, coordinating always-on content, campaigns, press releases and toolkits.
• Write engaging, platform-specific captions and apply SEO and Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) principles to improve content discoverability.
• Contribute fresh concepts to every editorial plan and support creator briefs for key brand moments, including new ship launches and onboard shoots.
• Coordinate with MSC content creators and the editor to prepare content for publication.
• Manage market folders in Meta Business Suite, enabling local teams to access and publish global content.

Reactive content and innovation

• Identify content opportunities through audience behaviour, content gap analysis, search insights and historical performance.
• Monitor trending formats, sounds and cultural moments, translating relevant opportunities into timely, brand-appropriate proposals.
• Coordinate reactive content using existing brand assets and stock material, and support the finalisation of creator-produced content.
• Test new formats and creative approaches, define hypotheses and assess results.
• Monitor platform developments and recommend relevant features and content experiments.

Performance and reporting

• Analyse performance weekly across all active platforms, including search queries and engagement patterns, and translate findings into actionable recommendations.
• Deliver ad hoc analysis on specific content initiatives, including CGI, AI-generated content and partnership campaigns.
• Prepare quarterly reporting covering competitor benchmarking and labelling compliance.

Community and engagement

• Manage community interactions across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and YouTube Shorts.
• Moderate comments within 30 minutes of publication for active posts, within agreed coverage arrangements.
• Identify and engage in relevant conversations on third-party channels daily, and prepare a monthly recap of standout interactions.
• Review the CreatorIQ inbox to identify influencer mentions and select user-generated content, supporting up to 150 UGC assets per year.
• Support crisis monitoring by tracking emerging topics, recurring themes and audience reactions, escalating issues to the appropriate team.

Additional content support

• Support branding initiatives, competition asset coordination and Instagram content localisation for markets.
• Maintain and organise YouTube playlists.
• Produce blog content supporting the Pinterest SEO strategy.

Your Journey so far

• Proven experience in social media management, editorial planning and community engagement for a brand or agency.
• Strong English copywriting skills and the ability to adapt content to different platforms, audiences and brand priorities.
• A critical eye for social content, with a clear understanding of what makes an idea relevant and effective for a brand.
• Confidence interpreting performance data and using insights to improve content, engagement and discoverability.
• Hands-on familiarity with Creator Studio, Emplifi and YouTube Studio, alongside Meta Business Suite.
• Familiarity with Claude (Anthropic), a basic understanding of SEMrush, and the ability to work with CreatorIQ for influencer mentions and UGC selection.
• Strong organisation, attention to detail and ownership of deliverables, with the ability to coordinate multiple content streams and respond to time-sensitive opportunities.
• Sound judgement when moderating conversations and handling sensitive topics.
• A registered business or company able to enter into a services agreement and issue invoices.

Your Essentials

You will work with the MSC Cruises Global Social Media team as an independent service provider. Fees, duration, deliverables and working arrangements will be agreed before the assignment begins.
Depending on project, campaign and publishing requirements, service coverage may include weekends and public holidays within the Monday–Sunday, 09:00–20:00 publishing window. Specific availability and response arrangements will be agreed as part of the scope of services.

Our commitment

We are committed to building a future that values diverse perspectives, embraces the world beyond borders, and fosters an inclusive environment where every individual feels valued, respected and empowered to be their authentic selves. Our commitment extends to taking meaningful, measurable actions that have a long-term positive impact on our guests, our employees and our planet.

Ready to turn your passion into something extraordinary? Join us at MSC Cruises, where new opportunities await. Apply today to be part of a global team that is pushing boundaries and achieving something remarkable. Your journey starts here!