Director of Social Media (HR Title: Social Media Specialist II)

About the Position:

This role is an on-campus, in-person position. The Director of Social Media will manage the athletics department’s social media presence and digital storytelling strategy across all official platforms under the direction of the Associate AD for Creative Strategy. This role will lead day-to-day social content planning, audience engagement, platform strategy and campaign execution while working collaboratively with creative, communications, marketing and recruiting teams. This position will help define how the department’s brand is presented digitally through innovative storytelling, trend awareness and platform-specific content execution.

Essential Functions:

• Lead social media strategy and content planning for athletics department accounts, including the flagship athletics account, men’s basketball, volleyball, football and olympic sports’ accounts.
• Drive engagement by developing and executing platform specific strategies across Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and emerging platforms.
• Analyze performance metrics and provide reporting and strategic recommendations.
• Cook up social coverage plans for games, events, recruiting initiatives and campaigns.
• Mentor student workers, interns and graduate assistants involved in social media operations.
• Identify emerging social trends, storytelling opportunities and platform updates.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree is required.
• A degree in marketing, journalism or related field is preferred.
• A minimum of two (2) years of work experience planning, publishing and creating content is required.
• Experience with a major college or professional sports brand is preferred.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Candidate must demonstrate strong interpersonal and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate broadly across the University and develop and maintain effective relationships with a wide range of constituencies.
• Must also demonstrate strong written communication skills.
• A strong customer service orientation is essential.
• 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.
• Strong project management skills and a focus on attention to detail are required.
• Candidate must have experience with and a strong working knowledge of Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop.

Physical and Environmental Demands:

Sit for long periods of time

Deadline to Apply:

July 20, 2026

Priority consideration may be given to submissions received by July 15, 2026.

EEO Statement:

SMU is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity and expression.

Benefits:

• SMU offers staff a broad, competitive array of health and related benefits.
• 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.