Social Media Manager

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Social Media Manager at Benchmade is a dynamic and creative position on our digital team. As the Social Media Manager, you’ll be responsible for driving our brand’s presence across various social platforms, engaging with our community, and curating content that showcases the craftsmanship, innovation, and values of Benchmade. You’ll work closely with the marketing and creative teams to amplify existing brand campaigns, develop social media-specific strategies and moments, build brand awareness, and foster an engaged community of existing Benchmade collectors, professionals, outdoor enthusiasts, and budding fans of the brand. You will manage partners and agencies, responsible for developing and managing scaled campaigns and programs end-to-end.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and execute a comprehensive social media strategy to drive brand awareness, engagement, and loyalty across platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, and Pinterest.
• Lead management of social media content calendar (posts, stories, videos, etc.) that aligns with Benchmade’s brand campaign calendar, voice, and mission.
• Create social media content – specifically video content for reels, shorts, & TikTok.
• Actively engage with our community, responding to comments, messages, and discussions, while cultivating positive relationships with influencers, customers, and fans.
• Collaborate with the marketing & digital teams to create social campaigns, events, and promotions that resonate with our target audience and amplify the Benchmade brand message.
• Manage end-to-end scaled Social Media campaigns, from development to execution to reporting.
• Manage agencies and partners.
• Monitor, analyze, and report on the performance of social media channels using tools like Google Analytics, Sprout Social, or similar platforms. Use insights to optimize strategies and content.
• Stay up to date with the latest trends in social media, digital marketing, and the knife/outdoor industries to keep Benchmade’s content fresh and relevant.
• Act as a brand ambassador on social media, ensuring that all interactions and content reflect the quality, values, and craftsmanship that Benchmade stands by as a brand.
• Manage influencer campaigns (both in-house and via agency partners).
• Partner with digital growth manager to leverage organic and influencer content for paid media – owned content, whitelisted, and partner ads.
• Travel 10-20% of the time to support marketing initiatives, events, trade shows, and more.
• This is a Hybrid position, working onsite at our Oregon City, OR headquarters.

QUALIFICATIONS

• 3 years of experience in social media management or digital marketing, preferably within the outdoor, lifestyle, or consumer goods industries.
• Strong understanding of social media platforms, trends, and best practices.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a keen eye for detail and a passion for storytelling.
• Proven ability to create visually appealing and engaging content (photos, videos, graphics).
• Experience with social media scheduling and analytics tools (e.g., Sprout Social, Hootsuite, Google Analytics, etc.).
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment while maintaining creativity and brand consistency.
• A passion for outdoor activities, the knife industry, and the Benchmade brand is a plus.
• Bachelor's Degree required; A degree in Marketing, Communications, or a related field is preferred.
• Excellent at building internal cross-functional relationships and partnerships with external vendors.
• A growth mindset! Flexibility to adapt to the changing landscape of digital retail and e-commerce trends.

ABOUT THE TEAM

The E-commerce & Customer Experience team at Benchmade is a fast-paced place to be. This team sets ambitious targets and moves quickly to beat goals. This team is responsible for creating best-in-class experiences for our customers, whether that be through bringing a campaign to life, a simple checkout experience on Benchmade.com, or a quick resolution to a question through chat.

The shared goal? Efficient growth at high speed! Benchmade is a place that is centered around growth and progress. We offer an environment designed to give people the tools to develop holistically – to stay active, to learn, explore, and innovate.

COMPANY CULTURE

• We Rally. No matter what each day throws at us, we work together to find solutions that exceed the problem at hand. It’s a collaborative, empowering phrase that speaks to our resilience while chasing our mission to elevate the entire knife category. Our reputation for enduring quality is evident in every knife we release. Our core values drive how we treat our employees, our customers, and our retail partners.
• Elevate Everything: We bring a specific set of skills to the table, offering up our expertise and resources to enhance the work of others. We challenge each other to be the best in order to achieve enduring value in the eyes of our customers.
• Better is Better: There is no finish line; we strive for continuous improvement in everything we do. We obsess over every detail to find ways to improve our products and our process.
• Unapologetically Accountable: We’re open and honest in how we speak and listen. We celebrate each other’s successes and collectively rally to solve every challenge. We own it!
• Courageous Innovation: There are elegant ideas awaiting discovery in everything we do. We push everyone around us to pursue those ideas openly so we can continue to dominate the category.

ABOUT BENCHMADE

With a rich history dating back over 30 years, Benchmade is the product of many dedicated employees, a never-quit demand for excellence, and the de Asis family’s vision and total commitment to culture, service, and innovation. Les de Asis incorporated as Bali-Song®, Inc. and rented a small shop in a second-story mezzanine in California. The original equipment was purchased from the owner of a manufacturing operation who was looking to retire. Utilizing the rudimentary technology available to him at the time, Les began building handmade custom Bali-Songs, and the success of these custom Balis spurred the creation of the first production Bali-Song®: The model 68. Over the next seven years, the company expanded its product offerings into fixed blades and conventional folding knives, and evolved its name from Bali-song®, Inc. to Pacific Cutlery Corp. Due to its inability to control quality, price, and delivery, Pacific Cutlery Corp. filed for bankruptcy and was dissolved.

In 1988, Les reintroduced a new company and a new version of the Model 68; This time with a drive to produce products in the US and an even stronger commitment to product availability, quality, and customer relationships. The company now needed a new name. While there was “handmade” and “factory-made,” it was “Benchmade” that described the quality of Les’