Salary Range:

Salary commensurate with experience and qualifications

About SMU

SMU's more than 12,000 diverse, high-achieving students come from all 50 states and over 80 countries to take advantage of the University's small classes, meaningful research opportunities, leadership development, community service, international study and innovative programs.

SMU serves approximately 7,000 undergraduates and 5,000 graduate students through eight degree-granting schools: Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences , Cox School of Business , Lyle School of Engineering , Meadows School of the Arts , Simmons School of Education and Human Development , Dedman School of Law , Perkins School of Theology and Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies .

SMU is data driven, and its powerful supercomputing ecosystem - paired with entrepreneurial drive - creates an unrivaled environment for the University to deliver research excellence.

Now in its second century of achievement, SMU is recognized for the ways it supports students, faculty and alumni as they become ethical, enterprising leaders in their professions and communities. SMU's relationship with Dallas - the dynamic center of one of the nation's fastest-growing regions - offers unique learning, research, social and career opportunities that provide a launch pad for global impact.

SMU is nonsectarian in its teaching and committed to academic freedom and open inquiry.

About the Department:

Development and External Affairs (DEA) supports SMU by securing funding for University priorities; by promoting meaningful involvement in the life and work of the University; by heightening international, national, state and local awareness of SMU; and by supporting the enrollment of a diverse and able student body.

DEA comprises the offices of Office of the Senior Vice President, Annual Giving and Alumni Relations, Development Services, Program Services and Donor Relations, Marketing and Communications, Principal and Major Gifts, and School and Project Development.

About the Position:

This role is an on-campus, in-person position.

We're looking for an accomplished digital and social media manager who can internalize SMU's brand voice, adapt to
ever-evolving trends and be accountable for content creation, social listening, analytics, social and digital community
management as they build the organic and paid social media strategy for alumni-centric platforms within SMU's Annual
Giving and Alumni Relations (AGAR) department in partnership with SMU's flagship presence. Our ideal candidate is an
engaging storyteller who understands how to create content tailored to different platforms for alumni audiences at scale
and use the technical insights they glean to develop strategy that further engages our 130,000 alumni to deepen their
SMU journey.

This position reports to the Director of Direct Marketing, supporting SMU's AGAR team in alignment with Development
and External Affairs' goals and the University's strategic plan.

Essential Functions:

• Strategy Development and Content Creation: Work collaboratively with Annual Giving & Alumni Relations (AGAR), central SMU marketing and other stakeholders to develop and execute integrated, best-in-class web and social strategies that align with the department's goals of increasing alumni engagement, driving event attendance and promoting giving. Regularly concept, create, source & manage integrated content on social channels (i.e., Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) and other platforms (i.e., websites, digital ads, etc.) that reflects the culture and accomplishments of SMU today as well as its alumni in alignment with AGAR's' strategic plan and vision. This includes video shooting, editing and publishing/scheduling content using Adobe tools. Work with DEA's marketing and communications team and other vendors to ensure all outbound content meets University style
  and standards. Collaborate with team members on content to acquire appropriate assets, generate proofs and
  submit for approval. Follow emerging trends and best practices in strategy development.
• Lead charge on executing paid social strategies for campaigns that produce measurable results. Work with students, interns, staff and others to expand content creation to reach the volume needed for creatively engaging 130,000 alumni. Employ tools (i.e., Sprout Social, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, and Google Analytics) to further guide efficient strategy and execution at scale.
• Campaign Management: Build & manage comprehensive digital marketing calendars and campaigns for AGAR that
  align with alumni and University priorities. Leverage both organic and paid strategies to maximize reach & impact.
  Constantly evaluate & develop new strategies and campaigns, adjusting plans based on reported data & industry
  best practices. Perform regular data quality checks & maintain data integrity for each campaign. Communicate with
  Records teams to support engagement tracking efforts.
• Analytics and Reporting: Track key performance metrics and provide regular reports on the effectiveness of social media efforts. Regularly incorporate data-driven insights on campaign performance into actionable feedback for key AGAR stakeholders to help drive effectiveness, provide real-time strategy adjustments and optimize campaign efforts to meet defined ROI goals.
• Community Management: Monitor and actively engage with our alumni community across AG social media platforms, responding to comments, messages and inquiries in a timely and professional manner. Glean insights to build strategy for upcoming posts and share that knowledge with the department to influence subsequent alumni engagement efforts. Work closely with SMU's in-house media relations team to quickly address and resolve any issues. Manage social ambassadors, including those charged with supporting SMU Giving Day, to amplify content across channels.
• Web management: Oversee general maintenance, annual updates, data quality checks and enhancements of alumni websites and registration pages using Sitecore. Serve as the department's technical liaison to provide support for web communications and updates, as needed. Ensure consistent messaging, tone, and visual branding across AGAR websites as well as social media channels. Serve as content and brand support for other alumni websites, including online events and volunteer engagement platforms.
• Other duties as assigned as an integral team member within the Annual Giving and Alumni Relations department. This may include attending events to support alumni, parent, student and donor engagement and fundraising, providing reports to board members, leading meetings to help team members develop best practices, etc.

Education and Experience:

Bachelor's degree is required, preferably in Digital Media or Communications, public relations, marketing or related field

A minimum of three years of work experience is required.

Experience developing and implementing organic and paid social strategies to effectively engage audiences professionally is also required, as is experience shooting and editing photos and video.

Experience extrapolating and incorporating analytics insights preferred. A mix of creative and project management experience desired.

Experience conducting coordinated, multi-channel campaigns using a variety of activations, highly preferred. Experience with website maintenance desired.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Candidate must demonstrate strong interpersonal and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate broadly across the University and develop cross-departmental relationships. Must also demonstrate strong written communication skills.

Candidate must possess strong problem-solving skills with the ability to identify and analyze problems, as well as devise solutions. Must also have strong organizational, planning and time management skills. The ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities in a highly deadline-driven environment.

Candidate must demonstrate an understanding of the differences between platforms and tailoring content strategies accordingly. Strong project management skills and a strong focus on attention to detail are essential.

Candidate must possess a strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite. Must also have experience with Adobe Creative Suite (primarily Photoshop, Premiere, and After Effects). A strong working knowledge of and/or experience with HTML, Sitecore, Salesforce Marketing Cloud or Digital Engagement Cloud, CMS, and/or Monday.com (or other project management software) preferred. Experience with graphic design desired.

Certification or training in Google analytics, SEO, Youtube, Adwords, Sprout Social is a plus.

Physical and Environmental Demands:

• Sit for long periods of time
• Bend, stand
• Walk for distances
• Handle objects (dexterity)

Deadline to Apply:

July 19, 2024

Priority consideration may be give to submissions received by July 12, 2024.

EEO Statement:

SMU will not discriminate in any program or activity on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity and expression. The Executive Director for Access and Equity/Title IX Coordinator is designated to handle inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies and may be reached at the Perkins Administration Building, Room 204, 6425 Boaz Lane, Dallas, TX 75205, 214-768-3601, accessequity@smu.edu .

Benefits:

SMU offers staff a broad, competitive array of health and related benefit s. In addition to traditional benefits such as health, dental, and vision plans, SMU offers a wide range of wellness programs to help attract, support, and retain our employees whose work continues to make SMU an outstanding education and research institution.

SMU is committed to providing an array of retirement programs that benefit and protect you and your family throughout your working years at SMU and, if you meet SMU's retirement eligibility criteria, during your retirement years after you leave SMU.

The value of learning at SMU isn't just about preparing our students for the future. Employees have access to a wide variety of professional and personal development opportunities , including tuition benefits .