Director of Social Media

Director of Social Media Strategic Communications and Marketing At Illinois, our story is one of discovery, innovation, community, and momentum. As one of the world's leading public research universities, we are home to groundbreaking discoveries, transformative educational experiences, and a global community of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and supporters. The Director of Social Media plays a critical role in shaping how these stories are shared with audiences around the world. This position leads the university's flagship social media presence, develops strategies that advance institutional priorities, strengthens the Illinois brand, and creates meaningful engagement across a rapidly evolving digital landscape. We are seeking a strategic, creative, and collaborative leader who can balance big‑picture vision with day‑to‑day execution. The ideal candidate will guide content strategy, leverage audience insights and analytics, foster partnerships across campus, and identify new opportunities to elevate the university's reputation through social media. Whether highlighting groundbreaking research, celebrating student achievement, supporting major initiatives, or engaging alumni and supporters, the Director of Social Media will help tell the Illinois story in ways that inspire, inform, and connect audiences around the globe. Job Summary Responsible for leading and executing strategic content aligning with university goals and priorities to key stakeholders through our social media platforms. Provides day‑to‑day management of the campus social media platforms, the social media team, and campuswide guidance for social and digital media policies and processes. Duties & Responsibilities Social Media Strategy and Operations Lead and coordinate daily management and monitoring of campus social media platforms (X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube). Manage the social media team, ensuring alignment with campus strategic priorities and best practices, and encouraging continued growth and development. Lead video content creation for university channels in collaboration with the social video team, while also developing new video initiatives that enhance storytelling and engagement. Collaborate with the Office of Enrollment Management team for admissions‑based content. Develop and manage practices and strategies to expand/increase social media growth and engagement, while meeting the needs of the university audiences and aligning with campus strategic priorities. Create multimedia social media content for internal and external audiences aligned with our university content campaigns. Collaborate on maintaining social and digital content management tools and programs. Make accurate and timely decisions about what information is of importance to the various Illinois stakeholders and translate critical messages into the format and style appropriate to various social media channels. Lead and strategize on how to use data analytics and statistics to measure impact of messaging on campus social media platforms and adjust overall strategy in response when relevant. Research and identify social trends and make strategic decisions to implement them on campus social media platforms. Develop new, interesting and strategic ways to use digital platforms. Assist in the strategy and execution of social media advertising campaigns for StratCom and campus units and initiatives. Oversee a program for student interns and campus social media ambassadors to ensure consistent quality, strategic alignment, content production, and professional growth. Policy and Practice Leadership Lead the growth and utilization of social media brand guidelines for campus, and work with communications professionals across the university to build more consistent and comprehensive messaging aligned with the campus strategic plan, branding guidelines and social media policies. Manage and monitor the process to establish verified social media accounts for the university, including ensuring official social media accounts are compliant with standards. Lead and create campuswide social initiatives, systems, training, meetings, and events to foster a cohesive social media ecosystem. Act as the StratCom liaison for questions, workshop and presentation requests, etc. from campus units for social and digital media. Lead the development and implementation of branded social media training and tools for campuswide social media teams. Crisis and Critical Institutional Communications Monitor campus social media platforms for potential issues/risks to reputation, community safety or other critical university missions and lead and advise the Associate Chancellor and Assistant Chancellor of Digital Strategy and Development on appropriate mitigation actions and strategies. Lead and manage social media listening tools to understand and analyze brand perception, crises areas, and more. Serve as the primary campus social media contact for the crisis communication team, coordinating responses and monitoring efforts across campus units and ensuring a unified and strategic communication approach. Oversee the creation of post‑crisis social media reports and analyses, identifying areas for improvement and integrating lessons learned into future crisis communications plans. Minimum Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, radio/television broadcasting, web/digital media, or a related field. Three (3) years (36 months) of professional work experience in public relations, journalism, social media communications, newspaper reporting, radio/television broadcasting with emphasis on production, or web/digital media. Demonstrated experience with data analysis and/or tracking in digital environments. Preferred Qualifications Three years of experience with managing and creating content for social media platforms in a professional environment. Demonstrated experience in higher education. Experience with data analysis and engagement tracking in digital environments. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Outstanding knowledge in social media tools and best practices, including Twitter/X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok. Excellent knowledge of social media and web‑based analytic tools to provide data‑based decision support around content generation and distribution strategies. Ability to work collaboratively and effectively in team‑based, dynamic environment that involves diverse groups of developers, writers, marketers, designers, and videographers. Ability to work under tight deadline pressure. Ability to be self‑motivated, work independently, exercise good judgement, and prioritize tasks. Ability to effectively engage in professional interactions with top University administrators. Ability to respond quickly in the case of fast‑breaking developments, which may involve research away from the office. Ability to exercise excellent judgment and discretion, especially in the handling of confidential and/or sensitive issues and information. Ability to write creatively, powerfully, and accurately for different audiences while delivering consistent messages. Knowledge of the relative strengths and weaknesses of various popular social media platforms, as well as an understanding of the general demographics of the users of these platforms. A broad, general knowledge of higher education. Appointment Information This is a 100% full‑time Civil Service 5006 – Public Information Associate position, appointed on a 12‑month basis. The expected start date is as soon as possible after the closing date. Salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience while also considering internal equity. The budgeted salary for the position is $75,000 – $90,000. Benefits Health, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance Retirement Plan Paid Time Off Tuition waivers for employees and dependents Equal Opportunity Employer Statement The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit the required employment notices and posters to view our non‑discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, and employment eligibility review through E‑Verify. Applicants with Disabilities Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to apply and may request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (2008) to complete the application and/or interview process. Accommodations may also be requested on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions, or religion. Requests may be submitted through the reasonable accommodation portal or by contacting the Office for Access & Equity at View phone number on click.appcast.io, option#1, or View email address on click.appcast.io. Additional Information Requisition ID: 1037148 Job Category: Professional and Administrative Apply at: #J-18808-Ljbffr