Assistant Director, Social Media Strategy 

Job Purpose
Towson University (TU) is one of the nation’s top 100 public universities. Located north of Baltimore, TU currently enrolls over 22,000 students and is the second-largest university in the prestigious University System of Maryland. Towson University values diversity and fosters a climate that is grounded in respect and inclusion to cultivate the intellectual and personal growth of the entire university community.

Towson University’s Assistant Director of Social Media Strategy executes and optimizes a comprehensive social media plan that delivers dynamic content and enhances audience engagement across multiple social platforms. The assistant director effectively communicates with a clear and consistent voice, oversees all account administration, shares relevant, audience-centric posts, responds appropriately to user comments or questions, and utilizes social listening to remain engaged in online conversations as they happen. With a focus on data-driven decision-making, this keen strategist works to analyze, evaluate and refine strategies based on results. A vital member of TU’s Division of University Marketing and Communications, this leader helps manage strategies for both organic and paid content, acts as a subject-matter expert within a team of marketers and communications professionals, and actively participates in developing all crisis communications distributed on social media with senior leadership. Additionally, the assistant director serves as a leader of the social strategy for the entire university community, helping to instruct and inform divisions and departments on proper account creation and management, establish and administer social best practices for TU and consult on all social media efforts across campus.

Description

• Develop all social media plans for TU. Lead the day-to-day administration and management of Towson University’s official social media channels including, but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, and TikTok. Provide support for YouTube and Flickr. Monitor all data and engagement across channels to quantify results, report on trends, and anticipate changes to optimize and refine strategies.  
• Create and share original, audience-centric posts with a focus on audience engagement. Use scheduling tools including Salesforce Social Studio to plan a content calendar with consideration for organic, paid, and user-generated content. Attend content meetings with communications strategists to stay abreast of stories being developed and all university news. Collaborate with marketing managers and agency-of-record to seamlessly integrate targeted marketing campaigns into appropriate paid content for prospective students.  
• Utilize all available social listening tools to monitor and, if appropriate, respond to conversations and posts involving the university or any university community members across channels. Answer any private messages received promptly and inform the communications team of developing online conversations to evaluate audience sentiment and address specific individual issues or concerns proactively.
• Serve as a key member of TU’s crisis communications team, taking a lead role and responsibility for developing appropriate and timely responses on social media channels. Collaborate with communications, TU police, Office of Inclusion and Institutional Equity, university counsel, and other internal departments as needed to create accurate, thoughtful, and official social responses. Establish digital tools necessary to quickly respond to and support ongoing communication and updates during crises.
• Recruit and supervise a social media intern/ambassador, providing substantial duties and experiences to support the social media effort and provide an in-depth learning experience for the student.
• Develop social media best practices guidelines for TU to be followed across all divisions and departments. Serve as a consultant to other social media managers at the university to help ensure brand and message consistency. Advise on social account creation, web content that drives to social channels, and any other TU initiatives that include a social component.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree
• Three years of professional work experience
• Mastery of social media administration tools including, but not limited to, Facebook Business Manager, Google Analytics, and Salesforce Social Studio
• Demonstrated experience developing content across many different social platforms
• Knowledge of current social media best practices and emerging social platforms
• Strong analytical skills and ability to interpret data and trends
• A clear understanding of audiences, audience segmentation, and marketing/communications principles
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, especially with a clear and approachable tone
• Ability to think creatively and problem-solve independently
• Proven leadership of social strategy
• Collaborative, team-oriented

Preferred:

• Experience in higher education or with a larger organization that has multiple social accounts
• Experience working in crisis communications

A Criminal Background Investigation is required for the hired candidate, and the results may affect employment.

Salary and Benefits 
Competitive salary and full University benefits that include 22 days of annual leave, up to 14 holidays, personal and sick days; excellent health, life, and retirement plans; and tuition remission. To learn more about our benefits, click here.

If you are motivated, innovative, and team-oriented, we would love to hear from you.
For consideration, please submit a cover letter and resume with your online application.

This position will be open for a minimum of 14 days.

The safety of our students, faculty, staff, and neighbors has been our top priority and the focus of every one of our decisions since the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The University System of Maryland (USM) has recently determined that mandating a COVID vaccine for all faculty, staff, and students at all schools in the USM is both a reasonable and necessary means of protecting our health and safety. As a prospective hire at TU, proof of your full COVID19 vaccination must be demonstrated before you begin employment with the University.

Apply
To view and apply to current job openings please visit www.towson.edu/jobs.

Office of Human Resources
8000 York Road
Towson, Maryland
21252-0001

Towson University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and has a strong institutional commitment to diversity. Women, minorities, persons with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process due to a physical or mental disability, please send an email to: adarequest@towson.edu.

Towson University is a smoke-free campus.