Social Media Manager (Chicago)

Social Media & Influencer Community Manager

Location: Chicago, IL (Hybrid: 3 days in office, 2 days work from home 7:00-4:00pm CST)

Why Evolution?

Evolution is a globally recognized leader in the industrial power tools market, with over 30 years of innovation and a presence in more than 27 countries. Operating across the UK, US, France, and China, the company has built a strong reputation in the steel and fabrication industry through its proprietary dry-cutting technology now expanded into versatile multipurpose tools capable of cutting steel, aluminum, and wood. With rapidly growing North American distribution across key industrial and retail partners including MSC, Airgas, Grainger, Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Menards, Evolution is scaling quickly and is on a clear trajectory to become one of the most iconic brands in the global power tools space.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Head of Marketing, North America we are currently seeking a Social Media & Influencer Community Manager that will be responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive social media, influencer, and affiliate marketing strategy that drives awareness, credibility, and commercial impact for Evolution across North America. This role works closely with Global Marketing, to collaborate on execution, share best practices, reusable content, insights, and learnings across territories. A core expectation of the role is to help ensure that strong content developed in one region is identified, translated, localized, and amplified in others where it can deliver value. Identify effective content creators for North America and work with Group Affiliate Manager to influence how Global partnerships are activated, ensuring content is used effectively to maximize reach and impact

Responsibilities

Social Media & Community Management

• Develop top- and mid-funnel strategies for social platforms and influencer/affiliate programs (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube)
• Build and execute social media plans using competitive research, audience insights, and performance data
• Working with Creative manager to generate, edit, publish, and manage platform-appropriate content (text, image, short- and long-form video), leveraging AI-assisted tools where appropriate
• Optimize and manage branded social channels across the US and Canada, with potential expansion into Mexico-specific platforms
• Collaborate and coordinate with marketing teams, both NAM and Global to create and manage editorial calendars aligned to campaigns, launches, and business priorities
• Monitor, moderate, and engage with social communities to uphold brand voice and foster meaningful interaction

Influencer & Affiliate Strategy, Activation & Credibility

• Execute influencer and affiliate campaigns that support launches, campaigns, and always-on brand activity
• Influence the activation of strategic partnerships identified by marketing leadership, ensuring content is effectively utilized, amplified, and aligned to channel strategy
• Work with Global and regional teams to identify influencer and affiliate content that can be reused or adapted across territories
• Support product seeding, content briefing, and UGC tracking using appropriate platforms and tools
• Champion content that demonstrates real case usage, independent reviews/testing, and head-to-head comparisons to drive awareness and trust

Global Collaboration & Shared Content Development

• Work in close partnership with Global Marketing teams to share best practices, performance insights, and high-performing content
• Collaborate across territories to translate and localize influencer, affiliate, and social content that can perform effectively in multiple markets
• Contribute to building and maintaining a shared database of credible influencers and affiliates, with a focus on authentic demonstration, independent validation, and technical credibility
• Provide feedback to Global teams on content effectiveness, gaps, and regional needs

AI Utilization & Management

• Actively use AI tools to support content ideation, captioning, localization, optimization, and reporting
• Apply strong human judgment to validate AI-assisted outputs for accuracy, tone, and brand alignment
• Test and recommend AI tools that improve influencer discovery, content performance, and workflow efficiency
• Establish best practices and guardrails for responsible AI use across social and influencer activity
• Analytics, Reporting & Optimization
• Deliver monthly and quarterly reporting on social, influencer, and affiliate performance against defined KPIs
• Use insights to optimize content mix, creator selection, channel strategy, and activation plans
• Identify trends, emerging creators, and content opportunities that can be scaled or shared globally

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Ensure social, influencer, and affiliate activity aligns with broader campaign narratives and launch priorities
• Share learnings internally and with Global partners to continuously raise performance standards

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Business, or related field (preferred)
• 3–5 years of experience in social media, influencer, or affiliate marketing
• Proven experience activating influencer or affiliate content across social platforms
• Strong understanding of content credibility, creator fit, and performance measurement
• Experience using AI-powered tools for content creation, localization, analytics, or influencer discovery
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable managing multiple initiatives simultaneously

Compensation: $85,000 - $110,000 annually, based on experience and qualifications.