Director, Social Media

Description

The Director of Social Media is a strategic and collaborative communications leader responsible for overseeing, optimizing, and evolving Pace University's enterprise social media ecosystem across institutional, school, and college channels. Reporting to the Senior Director of Communications, this role leads the University's overarching social media strategy, governance, digital storytelling, audience engagement, and platform growth efforts across major and emerging platforms.

This position is responsible for guiding a centralized and integrated social media operation that supports institutional priorities, enrollment and recruitment initiatives, academic reputation-building, and community engagement. The Director of Social Media oversees a team of social media professionals and student content creators, ensuring content across the University is aligned in voice, tone, visual identity, and strategic purpose while remaining platform-native, audience-focused, and optimized for engagement. Working closely with the Web, Editorial Content, Internal Communications, Media Relations, and Creative teams, as well as school and college communicators, this role develops integrated social media strategies that elevate Pace University's visibility, strengthen its reputation, and amplify its impact across digital channels.

Position Duties

• Lead the development, oversight, optimization, and long-term evolution of Pace University's enterprise social media ecosystem across institutional, school, and college channels, ensuring alignment with university priorities, brand standards, enrollment initiatives, and academic reputation-building goals.
• Oversee the day-to-day social media strategy, publishing approach, audience engagement, and content direction for Pace University's primary institutional social media accounts, including Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, and emerging platforms.
• Supervise and mentor the Associate Director of Social Media and Social Media Content Manager, providing leadership, strategic direction, editorial oversight, and professional development support.
• Guide the development of platform-native storytelling strategies, including short-form vertical video, photography, graphics, trend-responsive content, live event coverage, and community-focused digital storytelling optimized for social audiences.
• Oversee and guide a centralized ecosystem of student content creators and contributors, ensuring content quality, creativity, platform optimization, and alignment with institutional messaging and standards.
• Develop and execute integrated social media campaigns that support university-wide initiatives, academic storytelling, admissions and enrollment marketing, thought leadership, events, and executive visibility.
• Collaborate closely with the Web, Editorial Content, Internal Communications, Media Relations, and Creative teams to coordinate messaging, align campaign strategies, and amplify institutional storytelling across digital channels.
• Partner with school, college, and departmental communicators to provide strategic guidance on social media best practices, governance, audience engagement, content optimization, and platform strategy while maintaining consistency across university-affiliated channels.
• Monitor emerging social media trends, audience behaviors, platform updates, and evolving digital storytelling formats to identify opportunities for innovation, audience growth, and increased engagement.
• Oversee social listening, community engagement, and issue monitoring efforts, including the identification and escalation of reputational concerns, sensitive conversations, and emerging issues impacting the University.
• Analyze platform performance, audience insights, engagement metrics, and content effectiveness to inform optimization strategies, campaign development, and future content planning.
• Collaborate with the Creative team and external vendors on photography, videography, motion graphics, and campaign asset development for digital distribution.
• Support governance and best practices for university-affiliated social media accounts, including accessibility, visual identity, voice and tone standards, platform optimization, and content consistency.
• Manage social media management, analytics, listening, and reporting platforms, including Meltwater and other digital content creation and publishing tools.
• Provide leadership and strategic communications support during high-profile university events, major announcements, and emerging or crisis-related situations requiring coordinated digital response.
• Performs other such duties as may be assigned from time to time.

Position Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in communications, marketing, digital media, journalism, public relations, or related field required; master's degree preferred.
• At least seven years of professional experience in social media, digital communications, marketing, public relations, or related fields, including experience leading social media strategy for a complex organization or brand.
• Demonstrated experience developing and managing enterprise social media strategies across multiple platforms, including Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, and emerging channels.
• Strong understanding of audience behavior, platform trends, digital storytelling, community engagement, and content optimization strategies.
• Experience leading integrated social media campaigns that support brand awareness, audience engagement, enrollment, thought leadership, and reputation-building goals.
• Strong visual storytelling instincts and a demonstrated understanding of video-first content strategies, including short-form vertical video and platform-native content creation.
• Experience managing, mentoring, and developing communications or social media professionals and content creators.
• Working knowledge of social media analytics, listening, and management platforms, including Meltwater or similar tools.
• Exceptional communication, writing, editing, presentation, and relationship-building skills.
• Experience working collaboratively across multiple stakeholders and departments within a matrixed organization.
• Strong project management, organizational, and strategic planning skills with the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines.
• Experience monitoring and responding to reputational issues, emerging conversations, and crisis communications situations in digital environments.
• Familiarity with accessibility standards, digital governance, and social media best practices.
• Higher education experience preferred.

Work Hours

Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. with additional hours as needed. Intercampus travel is required. Occasional evening and weekend work required.