Social Media Specialist

Georgia College & State University (GCSU) is the state's designated public liberal arts university, where students learn the essential skills to compete in a fast-paced and technology-driven global society. The university prepares students for successful careers, leadership in communities, problem solving and life-long learning through personalized attention in a residential setting with opportunities for a variety of transformational experiences through its award-winning, high-impact practices. One of only three selective universities within the University System of Georgia and a top 10 ranked public university in the Southeast, GCSU offers undergraduate degrees in more than 40 majors, 34 graduate programs, doctorates in education and nursing, professional certificates and continuing education programs. 

As a member of the prestigious Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC), GCSU is committed to fostering a liberal arts environment that values academic preeminence, interdisciplinary inquiry and an inclusive learning community. GCSU enjoys a strong reputation for academic excellence and nationally ranked programs according to US News & World Report, The Princeton Review and Colleges of Distinction - among other ranking sources.

Georgia College & State University takes great pride in combining the educational experience of a private liberal arts college with the affordability of a public university. Faculty and staff are dedicated to student engagement and experiential learning through high-impact practices such as internships, service- and community-based learning, diversity, study abroad opportunities, mentored undergraduate research and a capstone project that fosters intellectual curiosity, reasoned inquiry and critical thinking.

The university's beautiful and historic campus is located downtown in Milledgeville, Georgia, a charming, diverse college town of approximately 19,000 residents in Central Georgia, and only 90 miles southeast of Atlanta. Milledgeville is also the home of noted American author and alumna, Flannery O'Connor, '45, and the college community enjoys many exciting literary arts programs at O'Connor's former home, Andalusia, now owned by the university. Milledgeville is located on the banks of beautiful Lake Sinclair and Lake Oconee, allowing faculty, staff and students to take full advantage of the environmental and recreational benefits of being part of a lake community. For cultural, educational and leisure opportunities beyond Milledgeville - Macon and Atlanta are located within easy driving distances.

Georgia College & State University is committed to protecting academic freedom in addition to supporting the freedom of expression as outlined in the University System of Georgia's Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom policy and its Ethics Code of Conduct . For more information, visit us online at gcsu.edu.

The Social Media Specialist is responsible for generating content and driving engagement across Georgia College & State University's social media platforms. This person will stay abreast of current industry best practices including researching platform algorithms to maximize posting reach/impact, running A-B tests to gain insights into the tastes of the university's online audience, experimenting with innovative posting forms and styles, and focusing on visual storytelling to capture campus life, amplify student-success stories and create a memorable digital environment for all Bobcats (especially prospective students).

Content Generation - 50
- Work with students, faculty and staff to conceptualize, create and share content that resonates with target audiences across multiple social media platforms.
- Think video-first, while also producing/editing graphics, photos, filters and typo-free captions that appeal to student-aged audiences and their families.
- Generate a wealth of creative content ideas to develop and maintain posting schedules for each social platform that are guided by data and industry research.
- Ability to engage with students in person and online to capture a vibrant sense of campus life and maintain a student-first mentality in all that you do.
- Aspire to elevate the reputation of Georgia College in all that you do.
Best Practices - 25
- Use data to guide all decision-making and be willing to quickly pivot to new and higher-impact posting styles and strategies to adapt to changes in the ever-evolving social media landscape.
- Use follower/post data to measure success, guide strategies and experiment with new techniques.
- Conduct research on timely trends, emerging platforms and content strategies that can be incorporated into the content-creation mix.
Collaboration - 20
- Collaborate inside of the University Communications team to maximize the reach of editorial content and amplify brand/marketing campaigns, while also collaborating with partners outside of the department to align campaigns with key enrollment, alumni and campus initiatives.
- Support the team on an on-call basis during emergencies and crisis situations.
- Maintain social media best practice guidelines and serve as a campus resource for other departments and offices that run social media accounts to ensure compliance with policies, University System of Georgia guidelines and accessibility standards.
Other - 5
Performs other related duties as assigned

Educational Requirements
Bachelor's degree with a major in marketing, communications, business, multimedia or related field.
Other Required Qualifications
The ability to operate audio, video and lighting equipment to capture raw images and footage in a variety of situations is essential.
Employee must not only be technically proficient, but must have creative expertise in all phases of the broadcast production process.
Employee must be able to work with a wide-variety of clients; students, faculty, staff, administrators, community members and high-level corporate personnel.
The ability to self-manage projects with a tight production schedule is highly valued.
Required Experience
Three to five years experience managing social accounts or digital marketing campaigns.

Additional Preferred Qualifications
- A passion for visual storytelling and a history of creating engaging video/photo assets a huge plus.
- Experience with editing software, graphic design and/or related applications is a plus.
Preferred Experience
- Technically savvy and independently able to create interactive assets (such as Snapchat filters).
- Ability to think quickly and react to spontaneous opportunities to create compelling content.

• List of References

• Please provide professional references
• Please provide samples of your work in social media

ABILITIES
This person should also be prepared to embed themselves in campus life, attend events and interact comfortably with students to capture candid moments while keeping a finger on the pulse of what's most important to members of the Georgia College community. This person should be a strong writer, as well, a fantastic collaborator, a forward-thinker and have a desire to be part of a growing team that supports and encourages new ideas.
KNOWLEDGE
Social media is fun but also a powerful marketing tool, and the Social Media Strategist should have a deep understanding of all current platforms and their target demographics, as well as an appreciation for the importance of brand consistency, a passion for data and a desire to tell stories in creative new ways. Those with experience creating/producing video content will be given priority consideration.

The University System of Georgia is comprised of our 26 institutions of higher education and learning as well as the System Office. Our USG Statement of Core Values are Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect. These values serve as the foundation for all that we do as an organization, and each USG community member is responsible for demonstrating and upholding these standards. More details on the USG Statement of Core Values and Code of Conduct are available in USG Board Policy 8.2.18.1.2 and can be found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section8/C224/#p8.2.18_personnel_conduct .

Additionally, USG supports Freedom of Expression as stated in Board Policy 6.5 Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section6/C2653 .

Georgia College & State University (GCSU) is committed to the fundamental principle of equal opportunity and equal treatment for every prospective and current employee. No person shall, on the grounds of race, color, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or genetic information, be excluded from employment or participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination, under any program or activity conducted by GCSU.

Georgia College & State University is a national award-winning institution in areas of student success and achievement. It strives to achieve excellence in the composition of its community, educational programs, university policies, research and scholarship, campus life, employment practices, extracurricular activities, and community outreach. It is a priority of the university to be a welcoming and inclusive environment so that its campus culture will enhance the ability of its community members to succeed in their endeavors, to be respected as individuals, and to feel a sense of belonging.

This is not a supervisory position.
This position does not have any financial responsibilities.
This position will not be required to drive.
This role is considered a position of trust.
This position does not require a purchasing card (P-Card).
This position will not travel.

• Criminal Background Check
• Education Verification