Social Media & Content Lead

About The Job

Priority consideration will be given to applications received by August 9th.

Primary Responsibilities

• Manage Social Media Channels and Audience Engagement
  Develop and execute organic content strategies for the college’s primary social media platforms.
  Create, schedule, publish, and optimize content based on the audiences, conventions, and opportunities of each platform.
  Manage the day-to-day operation of CSE’s social media accounts, maintaining a consistent and distinctive college voice.
  Monitor comments, messages, mentions, and audience conversations, responding or escalating matters appropriately.
  Build engagement with prospective and current students, alumni, faculty, staff, industry partners, and other key audiences.
  Apply sound editorial judgment when addressing sensitive subjects, negative feedback, misinformation, or rapidly developing situations.
  Monitor social media trends, emerging platform features, and changing audience behaviors to identify meaningful opportunities for CSE.
  Provide live social media coverage of college events, research showcases, commencement activities, student experiences, and other strategic initiatives.
  Ensure social media content follows University requirements related to accessibility, privacy, permissions, records management, and brand standards.

• Lead Content Planning and Digital Storytelling
  Develop and maintain the college’s social media content calendar, balancing planned campaigns with timely and emerging opportunities.
  Coordinate with writers, media relations staff, designers, photographers, videographers, and other partners to plan and distribute content across appropriate channels.
  Create compelling social media copy, campaign messaging, headlines, and audience-focused content that supports college priorities.
  Translate complex scientific, engineering, academic, and institutional topics into clear and engaging social content without sacrificing accuracy.
  Support student recruitment, alumni engagement, advancement, and reputation-building initiatives through strategic digital storytelling.
  Identify opportunities to feature authentic student, faculty, staff, and alumni voices and perspectives.
  Draft short-form content for newsletters, promotional campaigns, event communications, and related digital initiatives as needed.

• Strengthen Social Media Practices and Collaboration Across CSE
  Provide guidance and consultation to departments, centers, programs, and embedded communicators on social media strategy and best practices.
  Develop strong working relationships with communicators and content contributors across CSE, recognizing their expertise and helping connect local stories to broader college priorities.
  Share platform updates, content recommendations, emerging trends, and lessons learned with partners across the college.
  Promote consistent use of University and college brand standards while allowing departments and programs to communicate authentically with their distinct audiences.
  Collaborate with the Creative & Brand Lead to encourage effective use of approved visual assets, templates, and design resources.
  Develop training materials, practical resources, and documentation that support social media excellence across CSE.
  Help coordinate cross-college campaigns and content-sharing opportunities while respecting the priorities and capacity of decentralized communicators.
  Serve as a resource during account transitions, platform changes, and other situations affecting college-affiliated social media channels.

• Measure Performance and Inform Strategy
  Track and analyze social media performance, including engagement, audience growth, reach, impressions, referrals, sentiment, and other relevant measures.
  Develop regular reports that explain performance, audience trends, and their implications for future content.
  Partner with the Digital Marketing & Analytics Lead to incorporate social media data into college-wide reporting and measurement frameworks.
  Identify high-performing content, recurring audience interests, and areas for improvement based on platform analytics and audience behavior.
  Use performance insights to test and refine content formats, publishing practices, platform strategies, and audience-engagement approaches.
  Monitor peer institutions, industry activity, and the broader communications environment to identify relevant opportunities and emerging practices.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing, journalism, public relations, English, digital media, or a related field.

• Four years of professional experience managing social media, digital content, communications, marketing, or related activities.

About The Department

The College of Science and Engineering (CSE) is ranked among the top engineering and science academic programs in the country. The college includes 12 academic departments offering a wide range of degree programs at the baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral levels. For more information about the College of Science and Engineering Office of the Dean, visit https://cse.umn.edu/.