📌 Core Information
🔹 Job Title: Social Media Manager (12-month FTC)
🔹 Company: Hastings Direct
🔹 Location: London / Hybrid - 37
🔹 Job Type: Full-Time
🔹 Category: Marketing
🔹 Date Posted: 2025-05-29
🔹 Experience Level: 5-10 years
🔹 Remote Status: Hybrid (1 day per week on-site)
🚀 Job Overview
Key aspects of this role include:
- Developing and executing a social media strategy to drive brand awareness, consideration, and customer engagement.
- Collaborating with internal teams and external agencies to create and analyze social media campaigns.
- Proving the value of organic social media and driving growth in this channel.
- Working with a broad range of social tools and analyzing campaign impact.
- Engaging with the community to drive awareness, conversation, and affinity to Hastings Direct.
ASSUMPTION: This role is a 12-month fixed-term contract with the potential to become full-time if the channel proves successful.
📋 Key Responsibilities
✅ Develop social media plans, campaigns, activations, and tactics to drive brand and product awareness, consideration, and customer engagement.
✅ Work with social tools for content planning, listening, and analyzing campaign impact.
✅ Brief and oversee the production of social assets with external production teams.
✅ Collaborate with creative, product, and internal teams to drive brand stories.
✅ Develop ways to engage the community to drive awareness, conversation, and affinity to Hastings Direct.
ASSUMPTION: The role may involve working with external agencies and internal teams to ensure consistent branding and messaging across all social media platforms.
🎯 Required Qualifications
Education: Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
Experience: Significant experience in social media management, with evidence of growing and developing social media channels from the ground up.
Required Skills:
- Exceptional data storyteller with strong presentation skills.
- A creative thinker who can come up with original ideas to elevate Hastings Direct digitally.
- A natural communicator – confident in presenting social campaigns and activities to different parts of the business and managing key stakeholders.
- Strong stakeholder engagement skills and well versed in working cross-functionally.
Preferred Skills:
- Financial services experience is preferred but not essential.
ASSUMPTION: Strong analytical skills and a data-driven mindset are essential for measuring and optimizing social media performance.
💰 Compensation & Benefits
Salary Range: £5,000 (car allowance) + competitive salary (exact figure not provided, but industry standard for a mid-level marketing role in London is around £40,000 - £55,000 per annum)
Benefits:
- Flexible working – hybrid working approach.
- Competitive bonus scheme – annual 4Cs performance bonus.
- Private medical insurance (PMI) – for Band 4 colleagues.
- Life assurance cover – 4x salary.
- Income protection – at no extra cost.
- Matched pension contributions – up to 10%.
- Discounts, cashback, free independent mortgage advice, and free access to financial wellbeing support.
- Mental wellbeing programme – including thrive mental health app, colleague assistance programme, mental health first aiders, support groups, and dedicated team.
- 27 days annual leave + bank holidays, with the option to buy or sell one week.
- Health care cash back plans, dental plans, discounted health assessments, cycle to work and tech schemes, discounted and free onsite facilities, social events throughout the year, and more.
Working Hours: Full-time (37.5 hours per week)
ASSUMPTION: The salary range provided is an estimate based on industry standards for a mid-level marketing role in London. The exact figure may vary depending on the candidate's experience and skills.
📌 Applicant Insights
🔍 Company Context
Industry: Insurance
Company Size: 1,001-5,000 employees
Founded: Not specified (Hastings Direct was founded in 1997)
Company Description:
- Hastings Direct is a fast-growing, agile, digitally-focused general insurance provider.
- The company offers refreshingly straightforward products and services to UK car, bike, van, and home insurance customers.
- Hastings Direct has over 2.7 million customers and over 3,400 colleagues.
Company Specialties:
- Car Insurance
- Motorbike Insurance
- Home Insurance
- Van Insurance
- Pet Insurance
- Multi-Car Insurance
- Multi-Bike Insurance
Company Website: https://www.hastingsdirectcareers.com/
ASSUMPTION: Hastings Direct is a well-established insurance provider with a strong focus on digital marketing and customer retention.
📊 Role Analysis
Career Level: Mid-level Marketing role
Reporting Structure: The role reports directly to the Brand and Marketing team.
Work Arrangement: Hybrid (one day per week on-site)
Growth Opportunities:
- Proving the value of organic social media and driving growth in this channel may lead to a full-time opportunity.
- Expanding the role's responsibilities based on performance and the company's growth.
ASSUMPTION: This role offers opportunities for professional growth and development within the marketing team.
🌍 Location & Work Environment
Office Type: Hybrid (one day per week on-site)
Office Location(s): Bexhill, Leicester, or London
Geographic Context:
- The role can be based in Bexhill, Leicester, or London, offering flexibility for candidates across the UK.
- The company's headquarters are in East Sussex, with additional offices in Leicester and London.
Work Schedule: Full-time (37.5 hours per week) with flexible working arrangements
ASSUMPTION: The hybrid work arrangement allows for a better work-life balance and caters to candidates who prefer a mix of remote and on-site work.
💼 Interview & Application Insights
Typical Process:
- Recruiter screening call
- 1st stage interview with hiring leader
- 2nd stage interview with hiring leader's leader
Key Assessment Areas:
- Social media strategy development and execution
- Campaign analysis and optimization
- Stakeholder engagement and communication
- Cultural fit and alignment with company values
Application Tips:
- Highlight relevant social media management experience and achievements in your resume.
- Prepare examples of successful social media campaigns you've worked on and the results you've achieved.
- Tailor your cover letter to demonstrate your understanding of Hastings Direct's brand and values.
ATS Keywords: Social media management, organic growth, campaign development, stakeholder engagement, data storytelling, creative thinking
ASSUMPTION: The interview process may involve assessments of the candidate's technical skills, strategic thinking, and cultural fit.
🛠️ Tools & Technologies
- Social media management platforms (e.g., Hootsuite, Buffer, Sprout Social)
- Social listening tools (e.g., Brand24, Hootsuite Insights, Sprout Social)
- Analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, Twitter Analytics)
- Project management tools (e.g., Asana, Trello, Monday.com)
ASSUMPTION: The role may require experience with specific social media management and analytics tools, as well as proficiency in project management software.
👔 Cultural Fit Considerations
Company Values:
- Customer-centric: Hastings Direct puts customers at the heart of everything they do.
- Agile: The company embraces change and adapts quickly to new opportunities and challenges.
- Collaborative: Hastings Direct fosters a culture of teamwork and collaboration across departments and locations.
Work Style:
- Data-driven: The company makes decisions based on data and insights.
- Creative: Hastings Direct encourages innovation and original thinking.
- Fast-paced: The company operates in a dynamic and fast-changing industry, requiring employees to be proactive and responsive.
Self-Assessment Questions:
- Do you have experience developing and executing social media strategies that drive brand awareness and customer engagement?
- Are you comfortable working in a hybrid environment, with one day per week on-site?
- Do you thrive in a fast-paced, data-driven, and collaborative work environment?
ASSUMPTION: Candidates should assess their fit with Hastings Direct's company values and work style to ensure a successful and enjoyable work experience.
⚠️ Potential Challenges
- The role is a 12-month fixed-term contract, which may not offer long-term job security.
- The role requires working with external agencies and internal teams, which may present communication and collaboration challenges.
- The role may involve working with legacy systems and processes, requiring patience and adaptability.
- The role may require occasional travel between Bexhill, Leicester, and London offices.
ASSUMPTION: Candidates should carefully consider these potential challenges and assess their ability to navigate them successfully.
📈 Similar Roles Comparison
- This role focuses on organic social media growth, while other similar roles may prioritize paid advertising or content creation.
- Hastings Direct is a well-established insurance provider, while other companies in the industry may be startups or smaller, offering different growth opportunities and work environments.
- This role is a 12-month fixed-term contract, while similar roles in other companies may be permanent or offer different contract lengths.
ASSUMPTION: Candidates should research similar roles in the industry to understand the unique aspects of this opportunity and make an informed decision about their application.
📝 Sample Projects
- Developing and executing a social media campaign to increase brand awareness among a specific target audience (e.g., young drivers or homeowners).
- Analyzing social media performance data to identify trends, optimize campaigns, and drive growth in engagement and followers.
- Collaborating with internal teams and external agencies to create and launch a social media content series that aligns with Hastings Direct's brand values and resonates with customers.
ASSUMPTION: These sample projects illustrate the types of tasks and responsibilities the role may involve, providing candidates with a better understanding of the day-to-day work.
❓ Key Questions to Ask During Interview
- What are the key priorities for this role in the first 30, 60, and 90 days?
- How does this role collaborate with other marketing teams and departments within Hastings Direct?
- What are the most significant challenges facing the social media team, and how can this role help address them?
- What opportunities exist for professional growth and development within the marketing team?
- How does Hastings Direct support work-life balance for employees working in a hybrid arrangement?
ASSUMPTION: Asking these questions demonstrates the candidate's interest in the role and their commitment to understanding the work environment and expectations.
📌 Next Steps for Applicants
To apply for this position:
- Submit your application through this link: https://hastingsdirect.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/external_careers/job/London--Hybrid/Social-Media-Manager_60011917-1
- Tailor your resume to highlight relevant social media management experience and achievements.
- Prepare examples of successful social media campaigns you've worked on and the results you've achieved.
- Tailor your cover letter to demonstrate your understanding of Hastings Direct's brand and values.
- Follow up with the recruiter one week after submitting your application to inquire about the status of your application.
⚠️ This job description contains AI-assisted information. Details should be verified directly with the employer before making decisions.
