YouTube Specialist

We are seeking a hands-on, platform-savvy YouTube Specialist (Contractor) to support the day-to-day management and optimization of a YouTube channel. This is a keyboard-first execution role: approximately 30-35% focused on channel governance and moderation, and 65-70% on content operations including uploads, metadata optimization, and performance-driven updates.

The ideal candidate has a deep, working knowledge of the YouTube platform and understands how organic YouTube performance, SEO, and AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) interact to drive discoverability and engagement. This person will execute on strategic direction while also serving as the process gatekeeper for requests from internal stakeholders, ensuring all inbound changes follow established workflows before being actioned.

While prior YouTube channel management experience is preferred, we also welcome applications from recent Marketing, Communications, Digital Media, or related graduates who have a strong understanding of YouTube, social media platforms, and digital content optimization. Candidates with hands-on experience managing personal, academic, internship, or creator YouTube channels and a willingness to learn are encouraged to apply.

This role works closely with cross-functional teams to ensure the YouTube presence is accurate, optimized, and aligned with organizational objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Monitor and moderate YouTube comments, applying community guidelines and organizational standards to flag, hide, or respond to content as appropriate.
• Review and action spam, inappropriate content, and policy violations in a timely manner.
• Maintain channel-level settings, playlists, featured sections, and end screen/card configurations to ensure a consistent viewer experience.
• Audit existing video metadata and channel structure on a recurring basis, identifying gaps or errors that affect discoverability and channel integrity.
• Act as the process gatekeeper for inbound channel change requests from internal stakeholders, ensuring requests have followed the proper intake and approval workflow before updates are executed, and flagging requests that are incomplete or out of process.

• Upload and publish videos following established workflows, ensuring correct formatting, privacy settings, thumbnails, chapters, and metadata are applied at the time of upload.
• Collaborate with content and SEO teams on video titles, descriptions, and tags, contributing YouTube platform expertise and applying organic SEO and AEO principles to support discoverability, click-through rate, and visibility in AI-generated search experiences.
• Support keyword and topic research using YouTube-native and third-party tools (e.g., TubeBuddy, VidIQ, Google Trends) to inform metadata strategy.
• Evaluate existing video performance and make data-backed recommendations for metadata refreshes, title testing, and thumbnail updates.
• Maintain and organize playlists and video categorization to support both viewer navigation and algorithmic discoverability.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to align YouTube optimization efforts with broader organic search and content strategies.
• Add and quality-assure closed captions and subtitles for accuracy, accessibility compliance, and SEO value.
• Stay current on YouTube algorithm updates, platform feature releases, and evolving SEO/AEO best practices, proactively sharing insights that can improve channel performance.
• Contribute to competitive channel audits and content gap analyses as needed.

Qualifications & Experience

• 2-3+ years of hands-on YouTube channel management experience, including uploads, metadata management, and moderation.
• Deep working knowledge of the YouTube platform, including YouTube Studio, the algorithm, Community Guidelines, and monetization/policy considerations.
• Strong understanding of organic YouTube SEO principles, including keyword research, title and description optimization, tagging strategy, chapter timestamps, and thumbnail best practices.
• Familiarity with AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and how YouTube content surfaces in AI-driven search experiences.
• Experience with YouTube optimization tools such as TubeBuddy, VidIQ, or equivalent.
• High attention to detail and a critical eye for quality, with the ability to prioritize high-impact updates.
• Strong written communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple workstreams and prioritize effectively in a fast-paced environment.

• Experience with closed caption editing and accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG, FCC).
• Familiarity with broader SEO concepts and how YouTube content integrates with organic search.
• Proficiency in YouTube Analytics, with the ability to interpret performance data and connect insights to optimization opportunities.
• Experience using project management tools such as Monday.com, Asana, Workfront, or similar platforms.
• Experience supporting content operations for large organizations, agencies, or enterprise environments.

What Makes This Role Unique

This is an execution-focused role rather than a strategy ownership position. The ideal candidate is someone who is highly experienced in YouTube Studio and enjoys the day-to-day work of uploading, moderating, optimizing, and maintaining channel operations. Strategic direction will be provided by internal stakeholders; success in this role comes from translating that direction into accurate, efficient execution while ensuring operational excellence and adherence to established processes.

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