Creative Social Media & Content Strategist

The Specialist, Social Media & Content will help define how Sarku Japan shows up, sounds and builds community across social. This is a hands-on social strategist and content creator role: you will help shape the social strategy and brand voice, own the content calendar, create and publish platform-native content, manage our community management partner and use performance data to continuously improve what we do. We are looking for someone who is culturally curious, creatively resourceful and analytically minded - comfortable moving from an idea to a phone or camera to an edited post quickly, and equally comfortable explaining why the content worked and what we should do next. Social should bring Sarku Japan's brand to life: fresh food grilled to order, the energy and craft of the teppan grill, approachable Japanese-inspired flavor, generous value and nearly 40 years of expertise in a way that feels modern, distinctive and genuinely worth following. Key Responsibilities: Own day-to-day management of Sarku Japan's organic social channels, including Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, X/Threads and emerging platforms as relevant. Help develop and execute the social strategy, defining the role of each platform, content pillars, cadence, audience approach, brand voice and success measures; own the social calendar across always-on storytelling, campaigns, menu launches, promotions, grand openings and reactive moments. Be a hands-on content creator: concept, script, shoot, photograph, edit, write copy and publish social-first content, with a particular focus on short-form video and craveable food storytelling. Create relevant social content - making the fresh, grilled-to-order experience, teppan craft, sizzling sensory cues, signature Chicken Teriyaki and approachable Japanese-inspired flavor feel distinctive and relevant in-feed. Create platform-native content rather than one-size-fits-all posts; understand how storytelling, pacing, hooks, formats and community behaviors differ by channel, and stay close to culture, trends, creators, memes and emerging formats without chasing trends that do not fit the brand. Develop and protect Sarku Japan's social voice and personality, ensuring copy and engagement feel confident, inviting, energetic and approachable rather than generic, forced or overly trend-driven. Manage the community management agency, including briefs, response guardrails, escalation processes, sentiment monitoring and quality control; ensure guests receive timely, on-brand responses. Build an active community through proactive engagement, user-generated content, social listening and surprise-and-delight opportunities; monitor brand mentions, competitor activity and cultural conversations and surface guest feedback, opportunities or reputation issues. Partner closely with Brand, Creative, Digital, PR, Field Marketing, New Restaurant Openings and Operations to translate the marketing calendar into social-first ideas and capture content in restaurants and local markets. Collaborate with creators, influencers and agency partners as needed, helping develop briefs, evaluate content for brand fit and identify organic content or partnerships with potential to earn attention. Measure and report social performance, including reach, views, engagement, audience growth, content performance and sentiment; connect activity to broader traffic, sales, loyalty or campaign outcomes when measurable, and turn results into clear test-and-learn recommendations. Maintain organized workflows, content libraries, calendars, usage permissions and reporting so the team can move quickly without sacrificing brand consistency or execution quality. Qualifications 3+ years of hands-on social media, content or community management experience for a consumer-facing brand or agency; restaurant, QSR, fast casual, retail, hospitality or food experience strongly preferred. A strong portfolio or work samples demonstrating social-first content creation, especially short-form video, photography, editing, copywriting and platform-native storytelling. Demonstrated ability to take content from idea through execution - including shooting on a phone and/or camera, editing quickly and publishing polished work in fast-moving environments. Deep understanding of Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube and emerging social platforms, including trends, audience behavior, native formats and best practices. Strong copywriting and editorial instincts with the ability to develop and consistently execute a distinctive brand voice. Comfort using content creation and editing tools such as CapCut and/or Adobe Premiere Pro; working knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite, Canva or similar tools is a plus. Experience with social scheduling, listening, community management and analytics tools such as Sprout Social, Sprinklr, Khoros or similar platforms, with the analytical ability to turn performance data into better creative decisions. Highly collaborative, organized and comfortable working across internal teams, field partners, agencies, creators and other external partners in a fast-moving environment. Comfortable spending time in restaurants and traveling to capture content, support launches and understand the guest experience firsthand; flexibility to support select evenings, weekends or real-time cultural moments when needed. EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY Sarku Japan strongly supports equal employment opportunity for all applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, veteran status, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law. Founded in 1987, Sarku Japan began with four entrepreneurs who saw an opportunity to introduce Japanese teppanyaki cooking to the United States. Starting with a single location in the Liberty Tree Mall in Boston, Massachusetts, they built the company through hard work, shared responsibility, and a commitment to continuous improvement. From the beginning, the vision was simple: serve fresh, made-to-order meals cooked directly in front of customers while delivering an experience that stood apart from traditional food court dining. Through energy, showmanship, and quality, Sarku Japan quickly built a loyal customer following. The early years required determination, long hours, and an unwavering belief in the brand. As the company grew throughout the Northeast, Florida, Texas, and eventually across the country, the founders stayed committed to the philosophy of Kaizen — continuous improvement. That mindset continues to shape how we operate today, from refining recipes and operations to investing in our people and guest experience. Today, Sarku Japan has grown into a nationally recognized brand with locations across the United States, including shopping centers, street-front restaurants, and military bases. While we have grown significantly since 1987, our commitment to quality, teamwork, innovation, and growth remains at the center of everything we do. #J-18808-Ljbffr