at University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois, United States
Job Description
Director of Social Media
Strategic Communications and Marketing
At Illinois, our story is one of discovery, innovation, community, and momentum. As one of the world's leading public research universities, we are home to groundbreaking discoveries, transformative educational experiences, and a global community of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and supporters. The Director of Social Media plays a critical role in shaping how these stories are shared with audiences around the world. This position leads the university's flagship social media presence, develops strategies that advance institutional priorities, strengthens the Illinois brand, and creates meaningful engagement across a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
We are seeking a strategic, creative, and collaborative leader who can balance big-picture vision with day-to-day execution. The ideal candidate will guide content strategy, leverage audience insights and analytics, foster partnerships across campus, and identify new opportunities to elevate the university's reputation through social media. Whether highlighting groundbreaking research, celebrating student achievement, supporting major initiatives, or engaging alumni and supporters, the Director of Social Media will help tell the Illinois story in ways that inspire, inform, and connect audiences around the globe.
Job SummaryResponsible for leading and executing strategic content aligning with university goals and priorities to key stakeholders through our social media platforms. Provides day-to-day management of the campus social media platforms, the social media team, and campuswide guidance for social and digital media policies and processes.
Duties & Responsibilities
Social Media Strategy and Operations
* Lead and coordinate daily management and monitoring of campus social media platforms (X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube).
* Manage the social media team, ensuring alignment with campus strategic priorities and best practices, and encouraging continued growth and development.
* Lead video content creation for university channels in collaboration with the social video team, while also developing new video initiatives that enhance storytelling and engagement.
* Collaborate with the Office of Enrollment Management team for admissions-based content.
* Develop and manage practices and strategies to expand/increase social media growth and engagement, while meeting the needs of the university audiences and aligning with campus strategic priorities.
* Create multimedia social media content for internal and external audiences aligned with our university content campaigns.
* Collaborate on maintaining social and digital content management tools and programs.
* Make accurate and timely decisions about what information is of importance to the various Illinois stakeholders and translate critical messages into the format and style appropriate to various social media channels.
* Lead and strategize on how to use data analytics and statistics to measure impact of messaging on campus social media platforms and adjust overall strategy in response when relevant.
* Research and identify social trends and make strategic decisions to implement them on campus social media platforms. Develop new, interesting and strategic ways to use digital platforms.
* Assist in the strategy and execution of social media advertising campaigns for StratCom and campus units and initiatives.
* Oversee a program for student interns and campus social media ambassadors to ensure consistent quality, strategic alignment, content production, and professional growth.
Policy and Practice Leadership
*Lead the growth and utilization of social media brand guidelines for campus, and work with communications professionals across the university to build more consistent and comprehensive messaging aligned with the campus strategic plan, branding guidelines and social media policies.
*Manage and monitor the process to establish verified social media accounts for the university, including ensuring official social media accounts are compliant with standards.
*Lead and create campuswide social initiatives, systems, training, meetings, and events to foster a cohesive social media ecosystem.
*Act as the StratCom liaison for questions, workshop and presentation requests, etc. from campus units for social and digital media.
*Lead the development and implementation of branded social media training and tools for campuswide social media teams.
Crisis and Critical Institutional Communications
*Monitor campus social media platforms for potential issues/risks to reputation, community safety or other critical university missions and lead and advise the Associate Chancellor and Assistant Chancellor of Digital Strategy and Development on appropriate mitigation actions and strategies.
*Lead and manage social media listening tools to understand and analyze brand... For full info follow application link.
