Social Media & Marketing Lead

Second Chance Animal Rescue (SCAR) is looking for an exceptional Social Media & Marketing Lead to take ownership of our voice, our stories and our presence in our community.

We are looking for someone who doesn't just know how to post on social media. We want a creative and strategic marketing specialist who understands how to build a brand, grow an audience, and create campaigns that gives reason for our audience to become empowered to drive real-world change.

Someone who sees the humanity behind every story and knows how to bring it to life.

Someone who understands that a great campaign can help find an animal a home, bring in vital donations, connect a family with support, promote accessible veterinary care or introduce thousands of people to a cause they never knew they cared about.

At SCAR, the work you do will matter. Every day.

From promoting animals desperately needing homes, to driving fundraising campaigns, growing our community reach, supporting vulnerable pet owners and sharing the stories behind our life-changing programs, this role has the opportunity to make a genuine difference for both people and pets.

We are looking for an innovative and flexible individual who is ready to lead.

The Social Media & Marketing Lead will lead the development and delivery of SCAR's social media and oveall marketing, communications and public-facing campaigns.

You will play a key role in strengthening SCAR's brand and reputation, growing our audience and supporter base, increasing awareness of our services and programs, driving donations and fundraising, promoting animals available for adoption and rehoming, and helping ensure more people and pets can access the support they need.

This is a hands-on role for someone who can think strategically, analytically and critically, and is committed to driving results through engagement. You will be equally comfortable developing a big-picture marketing strategy, creating a campaign from scratch, jumping behind a camera to capture powerful content, writing compelling copy or responding quickly when an urgent story needs to be told. We want someone who will chase the story, who will seek out opportunities, ask the right questions, build the right connections and do what it takes to uncover the stories worth telling.

You will have the opportunity to take ownership of SCAR's marketing and help shape how one of Victoria's most impactful animal welfare organisations connects with its community.

• Leading SCAR's social media, overall marketing and communications presence

• Building and protecting a strong, consistent and recognisable SCAR brand

• Developing innovative end-to-end strategies to grow reach, engagement and supporter loyalty

• Creating powerful content that drives action, whether that means donations, adoptions, bookings, fundraising or community support. You’ll need to be confident using Canva, Adobe Creative Suite and Google Workspace to bring ideas to life, manage content and work efficiently across campaigns

• Supporting fundraising appeals and campaigns that generate vital income for animal welfare and community programs

• Promoting SCAR Vet Clinic services and helping more pet owners access affordable veterinary care

• Raising awareness of programs including the Safe House for Pets, Pet Food Pantry and other services that help keep people and pets together

• Promoting partnerships, sponsorships, events and major organisational initiatives

• Identifying new opportunities, trends and creative ideas to help SCAR stand out in a crowded digital landscape

• Develop and manage engaging social media strategies and content calendars for SCAR's shelter and vet clinic platforms

• Plan, create and publish content across Facebook, Instagram and other relevant platforms including LinkedIn, TikTok and YouTube

• Write compelling stories that encourage engagement, sharing, donations, adoptions and community action

• Create high-quality written, visual and video content for social media, websites, EDMs, campaigns, events and other digital and physical communications

• Capture and source photography and video content and confidently film and edit short-form videos, Reels and Stories

• Develop and lead campaign content plans, timelines and communication schedules from concept through to delivery, with strong time management and the ability to consistently meet deadlines and keep projects on track.

• Develop and distribute SCAR's regular EDMs and newsletters, as well as campaign-specific email communications

• Create and promote fundraising, adoption, awareness and service-based campaigns

• Develop promotional campaigns and communication plans for SCAR events and create supporting graphics and promotional materials

• Promote campaigns and events across social media, EDMs, websites and other appropriate channels

• Identify emerging trends, content opportunities and innovative ways to increase SCAR's reach and engagement with exisiting and new audiences

• Work closely with teams across the organisation (internal and external stakeholders) to identify stories, opportunities and outcomes worth sharing with the community

You are not simply looking for another marketing job. You are looking for a role where your creativity, ideas and expertise can have a genuine impact.

You are a strategic thinker and a hands-on creator. You understand what makes people stop scrolling, care, engage and take action.

You know how to turn an idea into a campaign and a story into something people want to share.

You will bring:

• Demonstrated experience in social media, digital marketing, communications, content creation and graphic design

• A strong understanding of how to build and grow a brand across multiple platforms

• Exceptional copywriting and storytelling skills

• Experience creating engaging social media content that cuts through a crowded online environment

• Confidence creating photography and video content and editing short-form video

• A strong understanding of audience engagement, social media trends and digital marketing opportunities

• The ability to think strategically while remaining highly practical and hands-on

• The confidence to bring forward fresh ideas and take ownership of your work

• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple campaigns and priorities

• The ability to identify storytelling, campaign and content opportunities before they are obvious to everyone else

• The flexibility to respond to urgent animal welfare stories, fundraising needs, community issues and changing organisational priorities

• A high standard of accuracy, professionalism and responsible communication

• A compassionate approach to animal and human welfare and the ability to tell difficult and emotional stories with sensitivity

• An outcome-focused mindset and an understanding that great marketing is about more than likes and followers... it is about creating meaningful results

This is an opportunity to work for an organisation where your work can genuinely change lives.

At SCAR, everything we do is about creating second chances. We save lives, change lives and help people and their pets stay together when they need us most. Every campaign you create, every story you tell and every connection you build can directly contribute to that mission.

If you are an experienced marketing and social media professional who wants the freedom to create, lead, innovate and make a genuine impact for people and pets, we would love to hear from you.

Second Chance Animal Rescue Inc. (SCAR) is an animal rescue organisation based in Craigieburn, Victoria. We operate an animal shelter, community veterinary clinic and a range of pet outreach programs supporting vulnerable animals and the people who love them.

Our work includes animal rescue and rehoming, accessible veterinary care, the Safe House for Pets Program, Pet Food Pantry and other programs designed to support pets and their families when they need us most.

At SCAR, we believe that helping animals often means helping people too.

Join us and use your marketing expertise to create real change, one story, one campaign, one animal and one community at a time.