Director, Social Media and Digital Engagement
Marketing
Full Time, Exempt Regular, Pay Grade 3.3
Location: Hybrid
Job Summary
The Director of Social Media and Digital Engagement leads UMGC’s social media strategy and digital engagement ecosystem to advance the university’s mission, visibility, and reputation. This role drives alignment across channels, amplifies authentic community voices, and ensures content is structured for modern digital discoverability, including AI-driven platforms. The Director manages a small team and builds scalable systems that strengthen engagement, workflows, and cross-functional collaboration.
Primary Duties
- Global Social Media Strategy & Institutional Alignment: Leads UMGC’s social media strategy, ensuring alignment with institutional priorities and integration with the broader communications calendar. Partners across the Office of Communications and university stakeholders to deliver coordinated, audience-centered messaging that strengthens brand narrative and engagement.
- Community Engagement & Organic Amplification: Develops and executes strategies that elevate student, alumni, faculty, and staff voices through authentic storytelling and engagement. Builds scalable approaches to encourage community participation and user-generated content, positioning organic advocacy as a core driver of visibility and reputation.
- Oversees social media platforms, digital engagement tools, and digital signage systems, along with associated vendor relationships, to support publishing, listening, and audience engagement across channels. Uses analytics and insights to continuously refine strategy, improve engagement, and inform decision-making across digital and physical digital channels.
- Digital Innovation & Discoverability: Integrates emerging best practices in digital communications, including AI-driven search, Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), into content and campaign planning. Ensures university content and community narratives are structured to be discoverable, credible, and visible across evolving digital and conversational platforms.
- Team Leadership & Operational Management: Provides strategic direction, coaching, and daily oversight for the digital engagement team, including content creation and community management roles. Establishes clear workflows, roles, and expectations that improve efficiency, empower team autonomy, and sustain high-quality output.
Required Education and Experience
Education
4-year college degree in Communications, Marketing, or Social Media
Experience
- 7 to 10 years experience in higher education, communications, social media management.
- 3 to 5 years of supervisory experience
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Demonstrated experience leading social media or digital communications efforts
- Solid understanding of UMGC’s mission and the operations of a large public university
- Ability to build and maintain effective working relationships across the institution
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills; sound judgment in representing the university online
- Proficiency with social media and digital communication tools; strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret performance data and audience insights
- Demonstrated ability to lead with limited oversight as a proactive, self-starting operator who can manage teams, workflows, and priorities independently while knowing when to elevate issues; experience leading cross-functional initiatives and influencing stakeholders without direct authority
- Ability to navigate complex situations, manage competing priorities, and handle conflict with professionalism and strong emotional intelligence
All submissions should include a cover letter and resume. UMGC offers competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits for qualifying positions, such as tuition remission, generous leave and healthcare. For detailed benefits information, please visit: https://careers.umgc.edu/benefits.html.
The University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination. UMGC is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, ancestry, political affiliation or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.
Workplace Accommodations:
The University of Maryland Global Campus Global Campus (UMGC) is committed to creating and maintaining a welcoming and inclusive working environment for people of all abilities. UMGC is dedicated to the principle that no qualified individual with a disability shall, based on disability, be excluded from participation in or be denied the benefits of the services, programs, or activities of the University, or be subjected to discrimination. For information about UMGC’s Reasonable Workplace Accommodation Policy or to request an accommodation, applicants/candidates can contact Employee Accommodations via email at [email protected].
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Communications, Marketing, or Social Media
- 7 to 10 years experience in higher education, communications, or social media management
- 3 to 5 years supervisory experience
- Demonstrated experience leading social media or digital communications efforts
- Proficiency with social media and digital communication tools and analytics
- Experience with AI-driven platforms and discoverability practices (AEO, GEO)
- Ability to build and maintain effective cross-institutional relationships
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills and sound judgment representing the university online
- Demonstrated ability to manage teams, workflows, and priorities independently and lead cross-functional initiatives
- Ability to navigate complex situations, manage competing priorities, and handle conflict professionally
- Cover letter and resume submission
What We Do
University of Maryland Global Campus is a global leader in online education, founded to serve working adults and servicemembers, offering over 100 online degrees and certificates.
