Head of Digital Marketing Section

Sharjah International; Sharjah; On-site; AED 350,000 - 550,000; Full time

Job summary

Sharjah International seeks a Head of Digital Marketing to steer the university's online presence, campaigns, and analytics. You will lead a multidisciplinary team in shaping strategy for websites, social media, SEO/SEM, and paid media to drive student recruitment and institutional priorities.

The role requires extensive UAE experience, senior leadership skills, and a proven ability to align digital initiatives with branding and governance across channels.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Digital Marketing or related field.
• Master’s degree or professional qualification is an advantage.
• 12-14 years UAE experience in digital marketing with leadership exposure.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement the university's digital marketing strategy and annual plans.
• Lead website management, SEO, social media, and paid campaigns to support recruitment.
• Establish KPIs, budgets, governance, and performance dashboards.
• Oversee stakeholder collaboration across Marketing, IT and Admissions.
• Manage section budget and resources; lead a multidisciplinary team.
• Ensure brand consistency and governance across channels.

Skills

Digital marketing strategy

Social media management

SEO/SEM

Website management

Analytics & reporting

Budget management

Leadership & team management

Stakeholder collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Digital Marketing or related field

Master’s degree or professional qualification (advantage)

Tools

Google Analytics

CMS

SEO tools

Paid media platforms

Job description

Head of Digital Marketing Section

CATEGORY Non Faculty Vacancies

College Departments

Department Marketing Department

Job Purpose

Lead and manage the University’s Digital Marketing Section, providing strategic direction for its digital channels,platforms, and campaigns to strengthen the University’s digital presence, audience engagement, and onlineexperience. Oversee the development and implementation of digital marketing strategies, including websitemanagement, social media, SEO/SEM, paid digital campaigns, digital content, analytics, and performanceoptimization, ensuring effective contribution to student recruitment, institutional priorities, and the University’soverall marketing objectives.

Digital Marketing Strategy and Planning

1. Develop and implement the University’s digital marketing strategy and annual plans in alignment with institutional priorities and the overall marketing strategy.

2. Translate marketing and institutional priorities into integrated digital channel strategies, campaigns, initiatives, and measurable objectives.

3. Establish digital marketing KPIs, budgets, priorities, and implementation plans, and monitor progress against a greed targets.

4. Identify emerging digital platforms, technologies, audience behaviors, and market trends, and recommend opportunities to strengthen the University’s digital presence and competitiveness.

Digital Channels and Social Media Management

5. Lead the strategic management of the University’s official digital channels, including social media and other relevant platforms, ensuring alignment with the University’s brand and communication objectives.

6. Establish channel strategies, audience priorities, content approaches, and performance objectives, ensuring an effective balance of institutional, engagement, always-on, and campaign-led content.

7. Oversee social media planning, community engagement, and audience development, ensuring appropriate and timely interaction with digital audiences.

8. Establish and maintain governance, standards, and processes for university-wide digital channel management, ensuring consistency, quality, and appropriate use of official platforms.

Website and Digital Experience

9. Lead the strategic management and continuous development of the University’s website and key digital touchpoints.

10. Oversee website structure, content, functionality, navigation, and user journeys to ensure an effective experience for prospective students and other priority audiences.

11. Collaborate with IT, content owners, and external development partners on website enhancements, technical requirements, development projects, and digital solutions.

12. Oversee website content governance, ensuring information is accurate, current, accessible and appropriately managed.

13. Drive the development and optimization of campaign landing pages and other digital experiences supporting marketing and student recruitment objectives.

Digital Campaigns, SEO and Performance Marketing

14. Lead the digital implementation of campaigns supporting student recruitment, institutional priorities and i ntegrated marketing initiatives.

15. Oversee paid digital media activities, audience targeting, channel selection, campaign budgets, and performance optimization.

16. Ensure effective implementation of SEO and SEM strategies to improve the University’s digital d iscoverability and visibility of priority programs and content.

17. Establish appropriate campaign tracking and measurement, and use performance insights to optimize digital investment and achieve agreed objectives.

18. Work closely with the Head of Marketing and Communications and relevant stakeholders to translate integrated campaign requirements into effective digital executions.

Analytics, Insights and Continuous Optimization

19. Establish and maintain a digital marketing measurement framework covering website, social media, search, and digital campaign performance.

20. Monitor digital performance, audience behavior, engagement, conversion, and return on digital investment, identifying trends, opportunities, and areas requiring improvement.

21. Develop regular dashboards and management reports presenting digital performance, insights and recommended actions.

22. Use data, audience insights, and market intelligence to inform channel strategies, content decisions, c ampaign optimization, and resource allocation.

23. Benchmark the University’s digital performance against relevant higher education institutions, market standards and emerging digital practices.

Stakeholder, Agency and Resource Management

24. Work closely with Marketing and Communications, Creative and Brand Development, Admissions, IT, colleges and other University stakeholders to ensure coordinated digital marketing activities and effective d elivery of digital requirements.

25. Provide expert digital marketing advice and recommendations to internal stakeholders and promote a coordinated University-wide approach to digital channels and platforms.

26. Manage relationships with digital marketing, media, web development and technology agencies and suppliers, ensuring clear briefs, agreed deliverables and effective performance.

27. Manage the Section’s approved budget and resources, ensuring effective allocation and utilization in accordance with priorities and expected outcomes.

Team Leadership and Section Management

28. Lead and manage the Digital Marketing Section, establishing clear objectives, priorities, responsibilities and performance expectations.

29. Build team capability across digital marketing, social media, website management, digital campaigns, S EO/SEM, analytics and digital experience.

30. Allocate resources and prioritize workloads in accordance with institutional and marketing requirements.

31. Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, accountability, data-driven decision-making and continuous i mprovement.

32. Ensure the effective implementation of Section policies, processes, standards and governance requirements.

33. Perform any other strategic or operational duties as assigned by the Line Manager, ensuring alignment with th e department’s objectives and the University’s broader institutional priorities.

Required Skills

Digital Marketing and Technical Skills

• Ability to develop and implement integrated digital marketing strategies across multiple channels.
• Advanced knowledge of social media strategy, channel management and digital audience engagement.
• Strong knowledge of website management, content management systems, user experience and digital journeys.
• Strong knowledge of SEO, SEM, paid media, performance marketing and digital campaign management.
• Proficiency in digital analytics, performance measurement, audience segmentation, and conversion optimization.
• Ability to establish digital KPIs, measurement frameworks, dashboards and performance reports.
• Understanding of emerging digital technologies, platforms, trends, and audience behaviors.

Strategic and Analytical Skills

• Ability to translate institutional and marketing priorities into measurable digital strategies and initiatives.
• Strong analytical and data-driven decision-making skills.
• Ability to interpret digital performance data and translate insights into actionable recommendations.
• Strong understanding of digital audience behavior, market trends, and competitive positioning.
• Ability to identify opportunities for continuous improvement, innovation and digital growth.

Leadership and Management Skills

• Strong leadership and team management skills, with the ability to build capability and manage multidisciplinary digital functions.
• Ability to manage budgets, resources, agencies and external suppliers effectively.
• Strong planning, prioritization, and project management skills.
• Ability to establish governance, processes and standards across digital channels.
• Strong stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Communication and Professional Skills

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to present digital strategies, performance insights and recommendations clearly to senior management and diverse stakeholders.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver results in a complex, fast-paced environment.
• Strong problem-solving, innovation and continuous improvement orientation.

Qualifications

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Digital Marketing, Marketing, Communications, Business, Digital Media,or a relevant discipline from an accredited institution.
• A Master’s Degree in a relevant discipline or a relevant professional qualification in digital marketing wouldadd an advantage.
• 12-14 years of UAE experience in digital marketing or a similar role, with at least 5 years of leadership ormanagerial experience, preferably in higher education institutions.