Director, Social Media Strategy and Engagement - University Strategic Communications

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UT San Antonio) is a nationally recognized, top-tier public research university serving approximately 42,000 students in 320 academic programs. This full-time position accepts applications through 11:59 PM CDT on 11/08/2026.

About the role

The Director of Social Media Strategy and Engagement is a strategic, senior leadership position for the recently merged UT San Antonio. The team member in this newly created position will set the comprehensive vision for social media brand promotion, audience engagement and reputation management through curation of the flagship (official) @UTSA channels. A successful candidate proactively understands and applies social media trends while forecasting new channels and engagement strategies to expand the flagship presence and deliver business outcomes. Additionally, the candidate understands how to ethically apply AI models for social listening strategies, multimedia content and/or an effective workflow. The position serves as a cross-functional, strategic advisor to senior executives and demonstrates exceptional judgment, discretion and the ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, dynamic environment. This leader is responsible for guiding and developing a high-performing team and contributes to designing and implementing strategies to bolster and/or protect the institution’s reputation through social presence, creative storytelling, executive visibility and digital platform management. Reporting to the Senior Executive Director of University Strategic Communications, the individual will be responsible for building internal and external relationships to include cross-divisional teams, peers, direct reports and student-workers.

Responsibilities

• Leads the university’s flagship institutional social media strategy and engagement efforts while serving as a central strategic advisor to colleagues across the university on digital engagement, reputation management and emerging social media trends.
• Establishes systems, processes and standards informed by competitive data and insights, including AI, that ensures the flagship social presence is managed with the highest level of care.
• Evaluates emerging platforms, technologies and digital engagement strategies to support storytelling, innovation, audience growth and generative engine optimization.
• Recommends new approaches to enhance visibility, engagement and brand affinity across digital channels.
• Oversees the design, development, publication and distribution of multimedia content for the flagship social media channels to ensure consistency, quality, accessibility and alignment with institutional voice.
• Develops strategies to advance executive visibility and institutional thought leadership across digital channels.
• Monitors and analyzes social media conversations, emerging issues, news cycles and public discourse that may impact the university’s reputation or operations.
• Synthesizes these discussions and competitive trends into real-time, actionable insights to support issues management, crisis communications and executive decision-making.
• Leads flagship social media communications during emergencies, operational disruptions and other reputational matters.
• Oversees social media analytics, measurement and reporting efforts to evaluate channel performance, audience engagement and institutional impact.
• Develops executive-level reports and presentations that communicate outcomes, trends, reputational insights and strategic recommendations.
• Empowers a multi-person social media team, including full-time staff members and student workers by delivering coaching and feedback, clarity and opportunities for professional development.
• Develops and oversees enterprise social media standards, governance and best practices.
• Leads the university’s Social Media Collective.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in a related field.
• Seven (7) years of related work experience, including at least five (5) years of full-time experience in social media strategy and engagement.
• A minimum of three (3) years of experience in supervising a full-time social media or digital media team.
• Ability to maintain the security and integrity of UT San Antonio and its infrastructure per Texas EO-GA-48.

Skills

• Mastery of social media trends and audience behavior.
• Strategic leadership in social media, with the ability to translate insights into action.
• Demonstrated success in strategic communications and reputation management using social media.
• Strong people leadership skills, including team management and mentoring.
• Robust analytics, decision-making, forecasting and strategic thinking skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communications with executives.
• Broad understanding of how AI impacts social media.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe Creative Suite.
• Ability to support crisis communications and issues management.

Working Conditions

Office environment. Ability to travel to and from meetings, training sessions, or other business-related events. Workdays, areas, and work hours may vary depending on the department's needs. Jobs are sedentary; if walking and standing are required, only occasionally. Ability to exert up to 10 pounds of force to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects. This position will work both on campus and remotely in Texas. Travel and parking expenses are the employee’s responsibility.