Web Specialist and WordPress Manager

The Chronicle Of Higher Education, Inc.

Slippery Rock (Butler County)

On-site

USD 59,000 - 72,000

Full time

14 days+

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Job summary

Slippery Rock University seeks a Web Specialist and WordPress Manager to lead the university’s web properties, ensuring accessibility, governance, and data-driven outcomes. You will partner with Marketing, Enrollment, IT, and campus units to drive engagement and enrollment.

The role focuses on WordPress management, content governance, analytics, and performance optimization, with responsibility for scalable templates and reminders for ongoing accessibility improvements.

Qualifications

Associate’s degree in a related field or equivalent experience.
4+ years in CMS ownership, content governance, and cross-functional collaboration.
Strong WordPress experience with themes, plugins, and performance tuning.

Responsibilities

Lead management and continuous improvement of university web properties.
Own WordPress ecosystem, governance, and accessibility compliance.
Collaborate with marketing, IT, and campus partners to meet enrollment goals.
Analyze performance, run A/B tests, and produce monthly reports.
Coordinate content strategy, editorial calendars, and metadata governance.
Guide scalable templates, blocks, and reusable components for consistent UX.

Skills

WordPress Architecture

Accessibility (WCAG)

Analytics & SEO

Frontend Development

Content Management

Project Management

Stakeholder Communication

Strategic Thinking

Education

Associate degree

Bachelor’s degree or professional certification

Tools

Google Analytics

Google Search Console

Yoast SEO

Job description

Web Specialist and WordPress Manager

Posting Number: N01226

Classification Title: Manager 170

Employee Group: Manager

Bargaining Unit: Management

Location: Main Campus

Department: University Marketing and Communication

Pay Rate: $59,000 - $72,000 commensurate with experience

Employment Type: Regular FT

Work Schedule: Monday – Friday 8:00 – 4:30

Position Summary

The Web Specialist and WordPress Manager will lead management and continuous improvement of the university web properties to drive enrollment, engagement, and alumni relations; serve as the primary WordPress owner, sru.edu content governance lead, and accessibility steward for all public-facing web properties; and collaborate with marketing, academic units, enrollment, IT, and campus partners to translate institutional goals into measurable web outcomes.

Duties

Maintain and enhance the University WordPress environments and scale operations based upon the greatest needs of the University: Manage updates, plugins, templates and themes.
Build and maintain modular page templates, block patterns, and reusable dynamic content components to speed content creation/syndication and ensure storytelling, user experience, and brand consistency remain at the forefront of decision making and development.
Author, edit, and optimize high-impact content for target audiences (prospective students, families, alumni, donors, media) with an emphasis on clear calls-to-action and SEO / GEO / AEO best practices.
Implement and monitor analytics, A/B tests, and conversion funnels to improve inquiry, application, and engagement metrics; generate monthly performance reports and action plans.
Enforce web content governance: train content owners, manage editorial calendar, run content audits, and maintain metadata and taxonomy for discoverability.
Ensure WCAG AA accessibility compliance and mobile-first design across templates and content; coordinate remediation with content authors and colleagues where needed.
Provide tiered support: triage requests, advise campus units on content strategy, and execute priority builds or fixes when staffing is limited.
Lead small-scale web projects (microsites for campaigns, landing pages for recruitment, event hubs) from scoping through launch and post-launch analytics.
Assist with creating a content refresh calendar on the primary sru.edu website as well as a governance plan for a highly distributed authorship. Help develop and manage standard operating procedures for compliance and storytelling goals.

Skills Desired

Web Content Strategy & User Experience (UX): Understanding how students, families, alumni, and donors navigate digital spaces and what drives engagement and conversion.
WordPress Architecture & Development: Deep knowledge of custom theme development or template customization, plugins, advanced custom fields or blocks, custom post types, security hardening, and performance optimization.
Accessibility & Compliance Standards: Familiarity with WCAG, ADA, and higher education digital compliance expectations, including PASSHE security and content governance requirements.
Analytics & SEO : Knowledge of Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Google Search Console,, search optimization, and data-driven decision making to improve recruitment and donor engagement.
Brand & Messaging Standards: Understanding how digital content supports institutional reputation, enrollment marketing, and philanthropy storytelling.
Front End Development: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, responsive design, and the ability to troubleshoot and optimize site performance.
Content Management & Editing: Ability to create, edit, and manage high impact content that supports enrollment pipelines and donor cultivation.
Project Management: Coordinating timelines, stakeholders, and priorities across marketing, admissions, advancement, and IT.
Vendor & Stakeholder Communication: Translating technical needs into clear, actionable language for non-technical teams and leadership.
Strategic Thinking: Connecting digital experience decisions to enrollment goals, donor engagement, and institutional reputation.
Rapid Response: Updating critical content quickly—especially for admissions deadlines, emergency communications, and advancement campaigns.
Problem Solving: Diagnosing issues, preventing outages, and ensuring the website remains stable, secure, and high-performing.
Cross Functional Collaboration: Working seamlessly with admissions, advancement, marketing, IT, and executive leadership.
Continuous Improvement: Staying ahead of digital trends, accessibility requirements, and security expectations to keep the institution competitive.
Ethical use of AI to increase speed and improve accuracy.

Responsibilities Expected

Operate at the intersection of strategy, technology, and storytelling.
Balance rapid tactical execution (urgent campaign pages, admissions deadlines) with medium-term platform improvements(architecture, accessibility, performance).
Manage cross-unit stakeholders with varying technical skills and competing priorities, negotiating compromises that protect brand and functional outcomes.
Maintain stability of the WordPress ecosystem and be capable of managing standard and custom implementations.
Independently drive analytics-informed recommendations and to explain technical implications to non-technical leaders to secure buy-in and resources.

Minimum Qualifications

Associate’s degree in related field (i.e., Digital Media, Communications / Marketing, Journalism, Web Design, Computer Science) or similar.
Ability to leverage WordPress and related technologies to deliver compelling digital experiences.
Strong understanding of WordPress and its integrations to create engaging content and enhance the user experience.
Working knowledge of HTML, CSS, responsive design, accessibility standards, and web issue resolution.
2+ years in a role with CMS ownership, Editorial workflow coordination, Cross‑functional collaboration (content, design, UX, SEO ).
Successful performance in an on-campus interview.

Preferred Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree or professional certification.
Familiarity with SEO best practices and SEO tools such as Yoast, Google Search Console, SEMrush, Ahrefs, Moz, Screaming Frog, or similar.
Experience using Google Analytics 4 basic dashboards or other analytics platforms for web, with the ability to make data‑informed recommendations.
Strong oral and written communication skills, with a comprehensive understanding of content lifecycle management and web governance.
Adobe Creative Suite experience.

Posting Details

Posting Date: 07/30/2026

Closing Date:

Open Until Filled: No

Notice of Non-Discrimination

Slippery Rock University is committed to a policy of affirmative action. Slippery Rock University assures an equal opportunity to all persons without regard to race, color, religion, creed, disability, ancestry, national origin, age, gender or veteran’s status in accordance with state and federal laws, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Respect for Individuals in the Community

Slippery Rock University provides an environment that respects, encourages, and promotes the talents and contributions of all. Slippery Rock University values a community with a shared sense of purpose, where people demonstrate mutual respect and appreciation. Slippery Rock University values diversity that honors and includes all persons regardless of age, creed, disability, ethnic heritage, gender, gender identity, race, religion, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status in academic and extracurricular endeavor, in the working environment, and in the daily life of the university community.

Special Instructions to Applicants

Official transcripts are required prior to appointment.

Due to the nature of the position, employment visa sponsorship is not available.

Recommended candidates will be required to complete criminal background check, including Act 34 Background Check and Act 151 (Child Abuse) Background Check and Federal Criminal (FBI) clearance prior to appointment. The recommended candidate will also be required to submit a completed Act 24 form (PDE-6004) prior to employment.

This is a full-time, on-site position located in Slippery Rock, PA.

Please include three professional references within your application materials.

Full consideration will be given to applications received by August 27, 2026.

Posting Specific Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

Applicant Documents

Required Documents: