Communications and Social Media Manager
About The Job
The Communications & Social Media Manager serves as the University of Minnesota Crookston's primary communications professional and is responsible for leading internal and external communications, media relations, public relations, and social media strategy. This role develops and delivers communications that engage key audiences, support institutional priorities, and strengthen the university's reputation. The ideal candidate is an exceptional writer, strategic communicator, and relationship builder with experience managing communications across multiple channels and audiences. This individual will be responsible for ensuring consistent, engaging, and mission-driven communications that strengthen campus engagement, enhance visibility, and support the university's strategic goals. This person will work closely with the central office of University Marketing Communications, including earned and social media team members.
Key Responsibilities
Serve as the university's primary internal communications professional and coordinate institution-wide communications efforts.
Develop and manage employee and student communications, including newsletters, campus announcements, leadership messages, daily updates, and other university-wide communications.
Develop and execute communication plans for major campus initiatives, policy updates, events, organizational changes, and strategic priorities.
Ensure timely and accurate communication of information affecting employees and students.
Support executive communications including but not limited to speeches, talking points, presentations, and leadership messaging.
Cook up emergency and urgent communications related to weather closures, campus disruptions, safety incidents, and other time-sensitive situations.
Maintain consistency of messaging, voice, and brand standards across all internal communication channels.
Serve as the university's primary media contact and spokesperson liaison.
Develop and maintain relationships with local, regional, statewide, and higher education media outlets.
Research, write, and distribute press releases, media advisories, feature stories, and other public relations materials.
Cook up media interviews and prepare university representatives for media engagement opportunities.
Monitor media coverage and proactively pursue earned media opportunities that highlight university programs, student success, faculty expertise, research, and institutional achievements.
Maintain media contact databases and earned media reporting metrics.
Develop and execute social media strategies that increase awareness, engagement, audience growth, and brand affinity.
Manage the university's official social media channels including content planning, publishing, monitoring, and community management.
Create engaging written, visual, and video content tailored to platform-specific audiences and best practices.
Monitor platform trends and performance metrics to identify opportunities for audience growth, engagement, and continuous improvement.
Respond to inquiries and engage with audiences across social media platforms in a timely and professional manner.
Collaborate with marketing, admissions, athletics, academic departments, and campus partners to support recruitment, events, and institutional initiatives through social media.
Develop and implement strategic communication plans aligned with institutional priorities.
Strengthen the university's reputation through storytelling, public relations, and community engagement.
Monitor public perception and emerging issues that may impact the institution.
Support communication planning and response efforts during emergencies, sensitive situations, and crisis events.
Monitor communication performance and develop reports on engagement, audience growth, media coverage, and key outcomes.
Track earned media placements and measure public relations impact.
Utilize data and audience insights to inform communication strategy and content planning.
Ensure all communications comply with university policies, accessibility standards, copyright requirements, and brand guidelines.
Evaluate communication effectiveness and recommend improvements to internal and external communication channels.
Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Marketing or a related field.
6+ years of professional experience in communications, public relations, social media management, journalism, marketing communications, or a related field.
Exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling skills, with experience producing press releases, feature stories, newsletters, executive communications, and other organizational content.
Experience managing organizational social media accounts and developing content strategies across multiple platforms.
Experience coordinating communications initiatives and collaborating with leadership, internal stakeholders, and external partners.
Strong interpersonal, relationship-building, and project management skills.
Able to manage multiple projects, deadlines, and competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Strong understanding of social media best practices, audience engagement strategies, and content planning.
Ability to exercise sound judgment and maintain professionalism when handling sensitive or confidential information.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience in higher education.
Experience serving as a media contact or managing media relations activities.
Knowledge of AP Style and professional editorial standards.
Experience supporting executive communications, leadership messaging, or speechwriting.
Experience developing communication plans for major initiatives, organizational changes, or crisis situations.
Familiarity with accessibility standards, brand governance, and digital communication best practices.
Pay And Benefits
Pay Range: $54,000 per year - $61,000 per year ; depending on education/qualifications/experience
Time Appointment: 100% Appointment
Position Type: Faculty and P&A Staff
Please visit the Office of Human Resources website for more information regarding benefit eligibility.
About University Of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC) With a strong tradition of technology-enhanced teaching and learning, the University of Minnesota Crookston (UMC) serves as the U's major outpost in Northwest Minnesota. UMC provides both experiential, career-oriented degree programs as well as high-quality online programs, while connecting its teaching, research, and outreach to rural economic development and service to the region and beyond.