The Narrative Refinery is a boutique social media strategy and content production agency based in Ontario, Canada. The agency is currently hiring a Social Media Content Editor for a project-based contract role. This position is time-sensitive, creative, and built for someone who understands the unique demands of social-first content.
The role runs from July 20 through early August. It covers content editing for four clients while the agency owner is on-site at a major international sporting event. Getting hired here requires more than a polished resume.
What The Narrative Refinery Actually Does
The agency works with small, design-conscious brands. Its focus is sharp social media strategy paired with high-quality content production. Clients care deeply about aesthetics, consistency, and brand voice.
This is not a mass-market content factory. The Narrative Refinery operates with a boutique mindset, which means every piece of content must feel intentional. Editors who thrive here understand that social content has its own language.
The agency owner handles client relationships and creative direction. When she travels, she needs an editor who can operate independently without constant check-ins. That context matters when you apply.
What the Social Media Content Editor Role Involves
Photographers deliver raw assets. Your job is to transform that raw footage and photography into polished, on-brand, postable content. That includes both graphics and short-form video ready to be captioned and scheduled.
You will manage content for four clients simultaneously. Shot lists and brand materials are handed over before the project begins. The expectation is that you study those materials and produce assets that fit seamlessly into each brand's existing visual identity.
An onboarding call in early July will walk you through the brands, briefs, file systems, and full scope. After that, you are expected to move independently and deliver on time.
Skills The Narrative Refinery Looks For
This role demands a very specific combination of skills. General graphic design experience alone will not get you hired. The agency explicitly wants someone with social-first content expertise.
Here is what you need to demonstrate:
- Social-first editing skills: You understand the difference between a brochure layout and a Reel. You know how to format for vertical video, safe zones, and platform-specific ratios.
- Graphic design proficiency: You can create polished static graphics that match a brand's existing look without needing a designer to hold your hand.
- Short-form video editing: Reels, TikToks, and Stories-style edits should be second nature to you.
- Brand fluency: You can study a brand's past content and immediately understand its tone, typography, color palette, and pacing.
- Fast turnarounds: You work efficiently without sacrificing quality under deadline pressure.
- Multi-brand juggling: You can switch between four distinct brand identities in a single workday without letting quality slip.
- Reliable communication: You flag issues early, respond promptly, and keep the agency owner informed even when she is in a different timezone.
Proactivity is listed as a core personality trait, not just a soft skill. The agency wants someone who takes a brief and runs with it, not someone who waits for step-by-step direction.
The Hiring Process at The Narrative Refinery
The application process at The Narrative Refinery is straightforward but competitive. A portfolio or work samples are required to even be considered. Applications without relevant examples are unlikely to move forward.
The agency prioritizes applications that include social-first examples that reflect the kind of editing this role calls for. That means your portfolio must show Reels, Stories graphics, short-form video edits, or multi-brand content work.
Here is how the process likely unfolds:
- Application review: The agency owner reviews submissions and filters based on portfolio relevance.
- Initial outreach: Shortlisted candidates may receive a message or brief questionnaire to assess communication style and availability.
- Interview or discovery call: A conversation to evaluate your understanding of social content, your workflow, and how you handle independent work.
- Onboarding call in early July: Selected candidates move into a paid onboarding phase before the project window begins.
The timeline is tight. Moving quickly and submitting a complete application from the start is essential.
How to Build a Portfolio That Gets Noticed
Your portfolio is your application. The Narrative Refinery's job posting makes this clear. Generic design work or print-focused samples will not reflect the skills this role requires.
Focus your portfolio on these areas:
- Reels or short-form video edits you produced from raw footage
- Instagram or TikTok graphics showing brand consistency across multiple posts
- Before-and-after examples showing how you transformed raw assets into polished content
- Work across different brand identities, showing you can adapt your style
- Any multi-client or agency work that demonstrates juggling several brands at once
If your current portfolio skews toward branding, print, or web design, build new samples before applying. Create mock social content for real or fictional brands. Show you understand the format.
Interview Tips for This Role
If The Narrative Refinery invites you to a call, the conversation will likely focus on how you work independently, not just what tools you use. Prepare to speak concretely about your process.
Key things to address during an interview:
- How you study a brand's visual identity before producing new content
- How you manage multiple deadlines and client styles at the same time
- How you communicate with clients or supervisors when you are unsure about a direction
- Your turnaround speed on typical social content deliverables
- Your experience with social platform specs and content formats
Avoid vague answers. The agency owner needs to trust someone she cannot supervise in real time. Specific examples from past work will carry more weight than general claims about your skills.
Mention your communication habits directly. If you are someone who sends a daily update or flags problems before they escalate, say that clearly. Reliability during a remote, time-pressured project is a major hiring factor here.
How to Stand Out as an Applicant
Many applicants will have design skills. Fewer will demonstrate true social-first thinking from the very first touchpoint. The way you present your application is itself a signal.
Write your cover message the way you would write a caption: clear, direct, and purposeful. Do not bury the lead. Lead with your most relevant experience and link to your strongest social content examples immediately.
Tailor your portfolio link or PDF to show social work first. If you have experience working with boutique lifestyle, fashion, design, or consumer brands, highlight that. The Narrative Refinery's clients are design-conscious, so visual taste matters.
Showing that you understand the agency's specific situation, covering four clients while the owner is on-site at a sporting event, signals that you read the posting carefully. Agencies notice when candidates demonstrate genuine comprehension of the role's context.
Finally, make your availability crystal clear. This is a time-sensitive contract with a defined window. Confirming you are available from late July through early August removes a major friction point for the hiring decision.
Apply for the Social Media Content Editor Role
This contract starts as part-time and project-based, but the agency owner has indicated real potential for it to grow into an ongoing role. For editors who want consistent remote social content work with a design-driven boutique agency, that growth path is worth pursuing.
Submit your application with a strong, social-first portfolio directly through the listing: Apply for the Social Media Content Editor position at The Narrative Refinery on Remote OK.
