Job Bank
Storrs Campus
New Brunswick, New Jersey
Posted: 22-Dec-22
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Salary: Open
Internal Number: 228454
In addition to your resume, please submit a cover letter and portfolio of your visual design work, including social media content. If video content is a part of your portfolio, please include links. Your submissions will be used to assess writing and creative skills during the initial screening process. Your application package (cover letter, resume and portfolio) must be submitted as a single document.
Job Summary
The University of Michigan Division of Student Life seeks a creative, energetic digital storyteller to join our growing team of communicators, marketers, and creatives. As a member of Student Life’s Communications, Marketing & Design (CMD) team, you will help us find and share visual stories across our digital media platforms of how the people, programs and products offered across Student Life’s more than 20 units support our students and the broader campus community.
You will be an agile storyteller, one who can both conceptualize big, bold ideas for visual storytelling, then use your creative, artistic skills to tell a story or provide information in a visual form. You will be a close strategic partner with the marketing and communications specialist, identifying ways to repackage written stories to fit the audience and consumption patterns across social media platforms. Beyond translating written words for visually driven platforms, you will also research and develop your own digital projects that amplify and elevate Student Life’s core work. You will play a leading role in helping further build Student Life’s social media presence, both through auditing current divisional channels/content and serving as a resource for the division’s social media managers.
Working closely with and reporting to the Director of Communications, you will bring the rich, diverse stories of Student Life to life.
Who We Are
The University of Michigan Division of Student Life is a collection of 26 units that support students outside of the classroom. From housing and dining, recreational sports and fitness, study and hangout spots, student orgs, social justice causes and more, Student Life helps students find community and connect to, and get active in, causes and interests that are meaningful to them.
Within Student Life, Communications, Marketing & Design (CMD) is a centralized team of marketing and communications experts—strategists, designers, writers, account managers, social media and digital marketing experts, user experience and web professionals and student pros. Collectively, CMD works with our 20+ units, and the units’ marketers and communicators, to share their stories with our campus community and beyond.
Digital content strategy and creation 50%
- Research and identify stories that show Student Life’s impact on the student experience.
- Craft engaging posts for official Student Life social media platforms.
- Use creativity and artistic techniques to tell a story or provide information in visual form.
- Create and present original concepts and designs for highly visible multimedia projects and campaigns, including interviews, photography, social, video, animations, and gifs.
- Collaborate with other units within the Division of Student Life and with units across the campus.
- Work closely with the Communications Director to support a comprehensive, integrated communications strategy and infrastructure for U-M Student Life.
- Monitor digital campaign and social media platform performance and prepare detailed reports and dashboards that illustrate effectiveness and return on investment. Recommend and implement changes based on key performance indicators to improve visibility and impact.
- Work collaboratively with the Creative department to continue to evolve and improve digital assets.
Digital platform support and maintenance 30%
- Provide support in creating, testing and scheduling emails through Student Life’s Salesforce Marketing Cloud.
- Monitor Student Life websites for accuracy and provide support in updating content as needed.
Research and administration 20%
- Meet with members of Student Life’s 20+ units to identify new communication opportunities to reach and engage key audiences across digital platforms.
- Assess and report on impact, value and accomplishments to support data-based decisions.
- Evaluate new platforms and make recommendations for continuous improvement.
- Research and stay up-to-date on social media and other digital media and technology trends.
- Bachelor’s degree in a communications, marketing or related field and/or equivalent combination of education and experience
- 3+ years of combined social media, content creation, digital strategy and writing experience
- Passion for using social platforms to build community, increase brand awareness and reputation management
- Work Authorization: Must be legally authorized to work in the United States
- Experience working in, and/or an eagerness to learn, a variety of digital platforms and storytelling tools, such as Canva, Adobe Creative Suite tools such as Photoshop and Premiere Pro
- Experience using Salesforce Marketing Cloud, MailChimp or similar email marketing platforms
- Experience in developing, designing and posting social media content that drives engagement
- A commitment to developing accessible digital content, including staying up-to-date on best practices for a variety of content (ie, videos, graphics, photo slideshows, etc.)
- A passion for continuously improving existing processes and systems
- Experience communicating to a diverse audience that holds a diversity of viewpoints and perspectives
- Proficiency in the use of social media platforms, including an understanding of best practices for leading platforms
Position Criteria:
These are the criteria that the hiring team will be evaluating the candidate for:
- A keen eye for identifying compelling stories that can inform and inspire readers.
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and remain flexible to pursue timely unplanned opportunities.
- Understanding of social media / digital content tools and opportunities, with an appetite for piloting new, creative approaches for disseminating information.
- Ability to work independently and collaborate in a team environment.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Data-driven with a clear understanding of digital / social media metrics.
This role may have reporting obligations under Title IX and Clery.
Authorization to work in the U.S. is a precondition of employment and applicants for this position will not be sponsored for work visas.
Salary may vary depending on qualifications, experience, and education of the selected candidate.
Relocation will not be offered for this position.
#studentlife
Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.
The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.
U-M COVID-19 Vaccination Policy
COVID-19 vaccinations, including one booster when eligible, are required for all University of Michigan students, faculty and staff across all campuses, including Michigan Medicine. This includes those working remotely and temporary workers. More information on this new policy is available on the U-M Health Response website or the UM-Dearborn and UM-Flint websites.
