Purpose

• Is to “change people’s lives for the better through wellness”;
• We deliver social wellness experiences that enable people to meet their personal wellness goals, through holistic physical, mental nutritional and social wellbeing.
• As Social Media & Content Manager, you are responsible for shaping and amplifying Virgin Active South Africa's digital presence, community and cultural relevance.
• You will lead the development and execution of a world-class social and content strategy that inspires wellness, strengthens member advocacy, drives brand consideration and supports business growth.
• You are the custodian of Virgin Active's digital voice, ensuring every piece of content reflects our purpose, brand values and commitment to delivering exceptional member experiences.
• This role sits at the intersection of Brand, Partnerships & Events, Growth, Product and Sales teams, translating business objectives into engaging content, meaningful conversations and measurable outcomes.

Requirements

• Relevant tertiary qualification in Marketing, Communications, Media or related field.
• 7+ years' experience leading social media, content and community strategies for leading consumer brands.
• Proven track record of growing engaged digital communities and delivering measurable business impact.
• Experience managing influencer, ambassador and partnership programmes at scale.
• Strong understanding of content strategy, social media platforms, creator ecosystems, social media tools, analytics, community management and digital trends.
• Experience managing agencies, production partners and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Exceptional storytelling, copywriting and content planning capabilities.
• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to connect social performance to business outcomes.
• Advanced knowledge of social analytics, reporting and social listening tools.
• Experience within fitness, wellness, lifestyle, hospitality or consumer brands.
• Experience operating within regional or global brand environments.

Skills & Competencies

Core Interpersonal Skills:

• Emotional Intelligence- proven ability to anticipate the needs of others before they are voiced
• Active Listening- Able to genuinely hear concerns with the ability to defuse tense situations and ensuring members and staff feel heard and valued
• Cultural Awareness and Fluency- understand international norms, etiquette and diverse backgrounds to provide a welcoming environment for our international and VIP members
• Empathy – be able to understand, or and be aware of, someone else’s feelings especially during stressful situations, such as travel delays or billing disputes

Operational & leadership Skills Required:

• Attention to Detail, noticing the small things
• Resilience and Composure, be able to remain calm and optimistic under extreme pressure, during peak or periods or system failures
• Problem solving and conflict resolution – be able to turn challenges into opportunities by thinking and acting quickly to resolve issues before they impact a member’s experience
• Adaptability: be flexible to handle unpredictable shifts in processers, resource changes, last minute VIP guest arrivals, or sudden changes in event plans.
• Relatability – the capacity to connect with diverse stakeholders across all backgrounds
• Situational Awareness – constantly monitoring the environment to identify members who need support or help
• Curiosity- the ability to seek out and transform standard transactions into personalised stories and memorable experiences
• Time Management – the ability to efficiently meet stringent deadlines while maintaining a relaxed and unhurried demeanour for guests.
• Digital Fluency – must be proficient in new age technology and systems

Responsibilities

Social and content strategy

• Develop and lead Virgin Active's integrated social media and content strategy across all platforms.
• Ensure social and content initiatives directly support lead generation, acquisition, retention, engagement and brand equity objectives.
• Own the social content roadmap and editorial strategy, aligned to the annual marketing calendar and key business priorities.
• Continuously identify emerging trends, platforms and audience behaviours to keep Virgin Active culturally relevant and category-leading.
• Apply best practices and high standards across all social channels.

Community growth & member advocacy

• Build, grow and nurture highly engaged digital communities that deepen member connection and brand loyalty.
• Develop strategies that encourage high-volume member participation, advocacy and user-generated content.
• Lead social listening initiatives to identify opportunities, risks and emerging member trends or needs.
• Ensure Virgin Active actively participates in conversations - through proactive community management - rather than simply broadcasting content.
• Champion a community-first approach that strengthens belonging and drives positive brand sentiment.

Content excellence & storytelling

• Lead the creation of compelling, insight-led content that inspires, educates and motivates audiences on their wellness journey.
• Oversee the end-to-end content production process across internal teams, agencies and external partners.
• Ensure all content delivers against strategic objectives while maintaining exceptional creative standards.
• Create distinctive storytelling frameworks that showcase members, trainers, ambassadors, product innovation and club experiences.
• Drive consistency of brand voice and visual identity across all channels.

Influencer, ambassador and partnership strategy

• Lead the Friends of Virgin Active ambassador programme, ensuring it delivers measurable brand and commercial value.
• Develop and manage relationships with influencers, creators, athletes and wellness partners.
• Integrate sports sponsorships, Kauai collaborations and strategic partnerships into content and community strategies.
• Identify new partnership opportunities that enhance relevance, reach and credibility.
• Measure and optimise the effectiveness of all influencer and partnership investments.

Digital innovation and platform partnerships

• Develop and maintain strategic relationships with key digital platform partners, including Meta, TikTok, Google and emerging platforms.
• Identify, beta test and implement new social media capabilities, products and innovations that enhance Virgin Active's digital presence, member engagement and competitive advantage.

Product and innovation marketing

• Partner closely with Marketing, Product and Sales teams to bring new offerings, innovations and member benefits to life through content.
• Translate product features into compelling member stories and experiences.
• Ensure social channels become a key platform for education, discovery and adoption of new products and services.

Commercial impact and performance

• Collaborate with Brand, Growth, Product and Sales teams to maximise the effectiveness of paid social activity.
• Ensure content strategies contribute to leads generation, member acquisition, retention and lifetime value objectives.
• Use audience insights, data and experimentation to optimise performance and improve ROI.
• Balance brand-building initiatives with measurable business outcomes.

Reporting, analytics and optimisation

• Establish and monitor meaningful KPIs across engagement, community growth, advocacy, acquisition and retention.
• Deliver regular reporting and strategic recommendations to senior stakeholders.
• Use social listening, market intelligence and competitive benchmarking to identify opportunities for growth.
• Build a culture of testing, learning and continuous optimisation.

Leadership and stakeholder management

• Lead and inspire agencies, freelancers, creators and content partners to deliver best-in-class execution.
• Collaborate effectively across Marketing, Product, Operations, Growth, Partnerships and Global Virgin Active teams.
• Act as Virgin Active's internal subject matter expert on social media, content and digital communities.

Budget management

• Own the annual social media and content budget, ensuring effective planning, forecasting, cost management and reporting.
• Evaluate and optimise investment across content, creators, agencies, partnerships, technology and paid amplification to maximise commercial impact and ROI

Centre

• Virgin Active HQ