AddressJob details
Department
Marketing and Communications
Responsible to
Head of PR & Social Media
Location
Kedleston Road, Derby Campus
Salary
£36,725 to £39,800 per annum (for exceptional performers, there is scope for further progression up to £50,600 per annum)
Closing date
Monday 18 March 2024
Contract type
Permanent
Post type
Full-time
Reference
0074-24
About the role
We are looking for a Social Media Manager to join our PR & Social Media team to manage and deliver our Social Media Strategy and have a real impact on our recruitment and reputation building activities.
This exciting role offers the opportunity to develop the University of Derby’s brand-level Social Media presence and will be responsible for driving forward the institutional Social Media Strategy for all audiences. You will work seamlessly across the External Relations department and in liaison with the rest of the organisation. Your role will be take ownership and responsibility for the Social Media Strategy - engaging new and existing audiences to support recruitment, reputation building and general engagement. As part of this role you will have the chance to work with number of exciting agencies who will help us to deliver on our ambitions around Social Media, digital marketing and brand.
Digital content and Social Media will be your ultimate interest - your engagement will translate into truly impactful and influential content. You must have a fantastic eye for detail and impeccable copywriting skills. We are looking for someone with a consultative and proactive approach to engage with our internal stakeholders and push us to achieve a sector-leading Social Media presence.
If you have demonstrable experience of creating and managing digital content and online communities for a large organisation or well-known brand, experience of delivering a Social Media Strategy, and are a creative thinker with the ability to tell engaging stories through content and Social Media, we would love to hear from you!
For further information and informal enquiries regarding the role, please contact Rosie Marshalsay, Associate Director - Communications via r.marshalsay@derby.ac.uk
For enquiries regarding your application and for sponsorship eligibility, please contact the recruitment team via recruitment@derby.ac.uk
Principal accountabilities
- Management of all brand level Social Media channels ensuring effective cross department management and successful delivery to support student recruitment and profile raising. Take ownership and deliver the institution-wide Social Media strategy, this will cover all brand level social profiles as well as the University of Derby blog.
- Provide leadership and direction with strategic developments on Social Media. This will include use of messaging bots and related innovations. Our mission is to build our Social Media presence so that it sets the bar in Education and beyond.
- Identifying new and emerging trends to ensure our channels remain relevant and engaging for our target audiences. Our ambition is to develop highly engaging and thought-provoking content for our audiences – this role will take responsibility for this.
- Plan and deliver an innovative paid content promotion strategy to introduce the University of Derby brand to potential future customers.
- Responsibility for management and delivery of content plans for each channel focused on encouraging brand engagement and generating conversations across all channels.
- Be the key point of contact for major internal and external stakeholders and suppliers. We have a significant number of stakeholders who the post holder will need to manage closely in order to deliver this role effectively.
- Work closely with External Relations colleagues to coordinate content contribution and original content development. This will include developing best practice guidance and a tools to support contributors.
- Work closely with the Head of PR & Social Media and Head of Digital & Web to provide specialist advice and to drive the social strategy forward across the University. Including working closely with the Head of PR & Social Media to present strategy plans to the organisation including the University Executive Team.
- Take an insights-led approach to content planning to ensure we are always improving on our approach, supporting our continuous improvement ethos, including constantly evaluating our content and social campaigns and using these insights to inform future work.
- Oversee all Social Media activity in the team and across the wider External Relations department. This will include line management of a number of team members and taking responsibility for driving performance, and encouraging the creation of inspirational and engaging content that our core audiences will love.
- Ensure we are always aware of our tone of voice and the use of our brand so that our Social Media content always interests the relevant audiences.
- Take ownership for upscaling our output around live streamed content. This will be through major events, our research, and other themed series. Good knowledge and practical experience of live streaming content is crucial.
- Management of social listening across all major platforms – this activity will include monitoring and responding to relevant brand mentions, identifying opportunities for engaging in related topics/discussions, and identifying content development opportunities and delivering these through the team.
- Take ownership of paid Social Media ads for the department including managing budgets, analysing performance and making recommendations for future campaigns.
- Take part in an on-call rota to manage communications in the event of critical incidents/media enquiries which occur out-of-hours
- To be a positive ambassador for the University, representing it at events including Open Days and other recruitment events.
- Fully embrace a culture of continuous improvement which encourages team members to question the norms, try new things and be innovative and creative in their approach.
Person specification
Essential Criteria
Qualifications
- Degree in Digital Marketing/Marketing or other related subject area, or equivalent experience relevant to the role
Experience
- Demonstrable experience at a strategic level of managing Social Media for a major brand or campaign
- Experience of managing a team of content/Social Media professionals
- Demonstrable experience of writing and delivering Social Media for organisations at a strategic level
- Demonstrable experience of blogging, blog platforms and promotion of this type of content
- Strong understanding of content marketing and experience of delivering content marketing based activity
- Demonstrable experience of developing and managing the Social Media strategy for a large organisation, major brand or campaign
- Demonstrable experience of creating and managing digital content and online communities for a large organisation or well-known brand
- Experience of managing paid for Social Media campaigns and managing budgets
Skills, knowledge & abilities
- An in-depth knowledge and understanding of Social Media platforms and how each platform can be deployed in different scenarios to raise brand awareness and support wider marketing efforts
- Excellent knowledge of new and emerging technologies and understanding of how they relate to, and can be used in, Social Media
- Excellent knowledge of Social Media advertising platforms including Facebook Ad Manager, LinkedIn ads and SnapAds
- Excellent communication skills, including the ability to write copy for a range of audiences (internal and external)
- Able to communicate with gravitas and quickly build credibility as a senior strategic advisor for all Social Media activity
- Ability to present confidently to a range of audiences including the Executive Board
- Excellent interpersonal skills, including listening, negotiation and persuasion
- Creative and innovative with a strong eye for detail
- Excellent organisational and time management skills
- Ability to lead and manage multiple projects at once, and keep key stakeholders regularly updated on progress
Business requirements
- Willingness to take a flexible approach to working hours and comfortable with cross-site working as required
Desirable Criteria
Experience
- Experience of working within Higher Education.
Benefits
As well as competitive pay scales, we offer generous holiday entitlement. We also offer opportunities for further salary progression based on performance, and the opportunity to join a contributory pension scheme.
