Social Media Manager

Occidental College; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Occidental College is seeking a Social Media Manager to oversee digital storytelling and social media strategy across institutional channels, including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn. You will develop platform-specific campaigns, manage content production, and analyze performance to advance marketing objectives.

The role includes leading a team of student employees, coordinating newsletters, and guiding campus partners on best practices while aligning with the College’s brand

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing, public relations, journalism, or digital media.
• Five years of progressively responsible experience in marketing and communications, including three years in social media and email marketing.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Google Drive/Forms, Adobe Acrobat, web editing, social media apps, email marketing platforms.
• Expertise managing social media platforms including Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Instagram.
• Ability to develop and manage email marketing campaigns with campaign strategy, content, tracking, and A/B testing.
• Excellent writing skills for social media content and strong data-driven decision making.

Responsibilities

• Creates and manages content for the College’s social media platforms, including platform-specific copy, video production, content editing, and channel optimization.
• Utilizes analytics to drive decisions and prepares quarterly reports on social media performance for the vice president.
• Supervises student employees, assigns projects, and reviews timesheets and deliverables.
• Plans and executes internal newsletters for faculty, staff, and student audiences to communicate campus news and opportunities.
• Leads paid social media advertising campaigns with strategy, budgeting, targeting, and optimization.
• Leads video production projects from concept through distribution, coordinating vendors and publishing strategies.

Skills

Social media strategy

Content creation

Video production

Analytics

Team leadership

Email marketing

Communication

Education

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

Tools

Facebook/Instagram/TikTok platform tools

Microsoft Office

Google Workspace

Adobe Acrobat

Email marketing platforms (e.g., Mailchimp)

Job description

Title: Social Media Manager

Department: Marketing and Promotion

Duration:Indefinite

Employment Status: Exempt, Full-Time

Job Summary

Reporting to the Director, Marketing Strategy and Operations, the Social Media Manager is responsible for the College’s digital storytelling and social media strategy across institutional channels, including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, and other emerging platforms. The Manager advances the College’s marketing and communications objectives through strategic content development that engages prospective students, deepens connections within the campus community, promotes institutional priorities, and elevates the College’s brand. The Manager identifies storytelling opportunities and translates institutional priorities into platform-specific campaigns and content. The Manager develops and executes the content published across institutional social media channels, administering content ideation, planning, production, copywriting, photography, videography, editing, publishing, and performance analysis. The Manager serves as the College’s social media advisor for campus partners on best practices, content strategy, and effective channel use while ensuring alignment with institutional brand goals. The Manager oversees the department's team of student employees supporting Marketing and Communications initiatives, providing direction, training, project management, and professional development opportunities while ensuring high-quality creative output across departmental needs.

Job Duties

• 50% - Creates and manages content for the College’s social media platforms, including platform-specific copywriting, video production, content editing, and channel optimization. Oversee student-created content and coordinates photography and visual asset requests with internal and external vendors to support brand and marketing objectives. - (Essential)
• 10% - Utilize analytics to drive decision making and improve marketing effectiveness in respective channels. Prepare quarterly reports on social media performance to the vice president. - (Essential)
• 10% - Supervises student employees by assigning and overseeing department-specific projects aligned with institutional brand standards and departmental goals, including review and approval of timesheets and work deliverables. - (Essential)
• 10% - Oversee the planning, development, and execution of internal newsletters (On Campus, Oxy Essentials, Oswald's Weekly Watch) for faculty, staff, and student audiences, ensuring consistent and effective communication of campus news, initiatives, and opportunities. - (Essential)
• 5% - Serve as the College’s social media advisor for campus partners on best practices, content strategy, and effective channel use while ensuring alignment with institutional brand goals, including leading campus Social Media Communicators Group through quarterly meetings. - (Marginal)
• 5% - Leads internally managed paid social media advertising efforts, including campaign strategy, budget management, audience targeting, and performance optimization across platforms. - (Marginal)
• 5% - Lead video production projects as producer from concept through distribution, including identifying and managing external vendors, outlining project scope and timelines, scripting, and providing editorial direction. Reviews and approves all video cuts and develops platform-specific publishing strategies, including audience targeting, timing, and channel optimization. - (Marginal)
• 5% - Oversee Canva Enterprise licenses and act as primary liaison with ITS for this technology subscription. - (Marginal)

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing, public relations, journalism, digital media, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Five years of progressively responsible experience in marketing and communications, including three years of experience in social media and e‑mail marketing.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Google Drives/Folders/Forms, Adobe Acrobat, web editing, social media applications, email marketing platforms, and other productivity programs applicable to position responsibilities.
• Expertise managing social media platforms including Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Instagram, including technical knowledge, content strategy, content development, and channel optimization.
• Ability to develop and manage email marketing campaigns, including campaign strategy, content development, tracking/measurement, A/B testing, and use of email automation platforms.
• Excellent writing skills, with particular focus and experience in developing content for social media channels using appropriate conventions and voice for each platform.
• Ability to utilize data and analysis to inform decisions and improve results.
  Ability to manage video production from concept through completion.
• Ability to lead teams and work collaboratively across organizational lines, functions, disciplines, and levels.
• Demonstrated ability to be detail-oriented and thorough; skilled at anticipating and preventing potential problems and handling a wide variety of tasks with efficiency and accuracy.
• Strong commitment to a quality work product.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate verbally, in writing, and electronically.
• Effective interpersonal skills as evidenced in the ability to collaborate with a variety of constituencies. Ability to establish, maintain, and nurture strong relationships.
• Demonstrated commitment to justice, equity, inclusion & diversity.
• Demonstrated skill in adapting to and performing work effectively in a high-volume, high-accountability, confidential environment with multiple and changing priorities.
• Effective organizational, logistical, time management, and planning skills with the ability to manage and prioritize multiple tasks/projects simultaneously.
• Ability to self-motivate and work independently.
• Ability to provide effective leadership and training.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, good judgment in identifying issues and recommending solutions, and the ability to develop innovative marketing solutions.
• Knowledge of contemporary leadership and management methods to ensure employee success and achievement, and demonstration of related and applicable skills as evidenced by the ability to effectively direct, assess and evaluate performance of direct reports.
• Ability to effectively design, define, describe and document job functions, responsibilities, tasks, and required qualifications associated with supervised positions, and the demonstrated skills in assessing candidates’ experience, knowledge, skills and abilities when hiring for vacant positions, ensuring the best choice of candidate.
• Ability to provide employee development, training and opportunities for direct reports to demonstrate performance achievement and success; recognizing performance of both above standards and needs improvement and respond accordingly.
• Skilled at communicating feedback verbally, in writing and electronically; and documenting performance via introductory and annual performance appraisals.
• Skilled in developing and determining corrective employment/performance/behavioral strategies, as needed.
• Demonstrated ability to design and execute performance improvement plans, conducting disciplinary action and/or determining the appropriateness of employment continuation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in higher education communications, digital marketing, social media strategy, content creation, and managing digital communications platforms.

EXPECTED HIRING RANGE: $70,304/yr-$75,000/yr

If you are offered this position at Occidental College, your final base salary compensation will be determined based on factors such as skills, education, experience, and/or geographic location. In addition to those factors, Occidental complies with applicable pay equity laws and considers internal equity among current employees when developing the final offer. Please keep in mind that the range mentioned above is the base salary range for the role. Hiring at the maximum of the range would not be typical in order to allow for future and continued salary growth. We also offer a generous compensation and benefits package.