Social Media Strategist

Social Media Strategist The Social Media Strategist plays a critical role in elevating, monitoring, and protecting the Howard University brand across digital platforms. This position manages the creation and execution of social media calendars, develops content tailored for key audiences, performs social listening and sentiment analysis, and provides governance support for the University's network of official accounts. This strategist is both a hands-on creator and a strategic partner, working closely with the office of University of Communication leadership, academic and administrative offices, and digital content teams to ensure consistent storytelling, brand protection, and innovation across platforms. The strategist is expected to operate in a highly visible, high-volume digital environment while ensuring the University's online reputation and brand integrity remain strong.

Principal accountabilities include identifying and executing strategies to build Howard University's visibility and enhance its reputation through innovative use of social platforms, creating and maintaining comprehensive social media calendars across flagship channels, assisting with the onboarding of new University social media accounts, developing, planning, and implementing creative programs, campaigns, and engagement strategies to grow audiences and increase impact, providing timely and accurate social media reporting that highlights KPIs, insights, and recommendations, supporting governance tracking, including account audits, policy adherence, and training, collaborating with Office of University Communications leadership and staff to ensure alignment between institutional priorities and digital storytelling, recommending new tools, platforms, and technologies that advance University objectives, providing training, workshops, or consultative support to internal stakeholders, managing social communities across all official platforms and fostering positive engagement, and supporting crisis communications management by monitoring trends and providing timely recommendations. Core competencies include advanced understanding of major social media platforms, analytics tools, and content formats, with expertise in tailoring content for different audiences, strong knowledge of online reputation management, governance best practices, and sentiment analysis, understanding of how generative AI, emerging platforms, and advanced creative tools can be leveraged in higher ed and brand storytelling, intermediate to expert-level proficiency in Canva and strong video editing skills for social platforms, demonstrated ability to design and edit content using professional software, strong writing skills with a clear understanding of audience, tone, nuance, and detail, creative thinking to help conceptualize campaigns and content that inspire audiences and attract media attention, strong project management, organization, and reporting skills with a proven ability to juggle multiple deadlines, ability to work under pressure and consistently meet deadlines, strong judgment in addressing sensitive issues, crisis situations, and community management, demonstrated ability to assess social performance, identify opportunities, and deliver actionable insights, initiative and creativity in generating new content ideas and campaign approaches, ability to thrive in a collaborative, highly visible, and fast-paced digital environment, results-oriented, resourceful, and enthusiastic with a proactive, solutions-first approach, and willingness to work nonstandard hours when required for events, emergencies, or priority campaigns. Minimum requirements include a bachelor's degree in Communications, Marketing, Advertising, Public Relations, or a related field, 23 years of progressive experience in digital communications, social media management, or online marketing, high-level to expert proficiency in Canva and social-native video editing, and demonstrated ability to work in a high-volume environment and manage multiple projects. Preferred requirements include hands-on experience managing a highly active, high-reach social platform, demonstrated knowledge or high interest of generative AI tools and technologies for content creation, intermediate to advanced skills in higher-end editing software, experience with social media scheduling software, and prior social media experience in higher education, large organizations, or public-facing institutions.

Compliance Salary Range Disclosure: Expected Salary Range: $63,636 - $70,000