Assistant Director of Social Media

This position serves as a key partner and primary backup to the Director of Social Media, helping manage publishing, content planning, account coverage, project coordination, and brand voice across Michigan State Athletics social platforms. The Assistant Director also leads the day-to-day strategy and management of the Spartan Vision social accounts and supports select team and Olympic sport accounts as assigned.

The ideal candidate understands both the creative and operational sides of social media: someone who can write copy, recognize a strong piece of content, publish confidently from a major brand account, organize a content calendar, coordinate deliverables across multiple teams, and jump into Photoshop or Premiere when content needs to be created or turned quickly.

This position sits within Spartan Vision, the strategic content and brand team within Spartan Ventures, supporting Michigan State Athletics. Position Overview

The Assistant Director of Social Media will help execute Michigan State Athletics' social media strategy while serving as the primary backup to the Director of Social Media for the department’s main accounts.

This position will assist with daily publishing, account management, content planning, and social coverage while helping coordinate the flow of content across Spartan Vision, sport programs, and department priorities. The role will help ensure that content is planned, assigned, reviewed and published on time across multiple platforms and stakeholders.

The Assistant Director will also own and develop the voice of the Spartan Vision social media accounts, using those channels to showcase the people, creativity, production, and behind-the-scenes work that make Spartan Vision unique.

This role is both strategic and hands-on. The successful candidate should be comfortable managing social platforms and content calendars while also creating basic-to-intermediate photo, graphic, and video content when needed.

Characteristic Duties & Responsibilities

Serve as the primary backup to the Director of Social Media for Michigan State Athletics’ main social media accounts, including publishing, monitoring, engagement, and day-to-day account management.

Assist the Director of Social Media with social strategy, editorial planning, platform strategy, and the overall voice of Michigan State Athletics.

Help maintain a consistent and recognizable Michigan State Athletics voice across social platforms.

Assist with the planning, scheduling, and publishing of content across Michigan State Athletics social accounts.

Help manage the department’s social and content calendar, ensuring upcoming posts, campaigns, events, and deliverables are identified and assigned in advance.

Use Wrike to help coordinate social projects, content requests, assignments, approvals, and deadlines across Spartan Vision and internal partners.

Use Slate and Sprout to organize, distribute, and publish social content across appropriate Michigan State Athletics accounts.

Coordinate with video producers, designers, photographers, communications staff, and other content creators to ensure assets are delivered and published on schedule.

Serve as the primary strategist and day-to-day manager of the Spartan Vision social media accounts, developing content that showcases Spartan Vision staff, students, productions, achievements, technology, and behind-the-scenes storytelling.

Assist with social media management and content coverage for select Michigan State Athletics sport accounts, including Olympic sports, as assigned.

Support live-event social coverage, including games, championships, department events, announcements, and other priority moments.

Identify opportunities to repurpose video, photography, graphics, and other creative assets across social platforms.

Create and edit social-first content using Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Pro when needed.

Assist with basic graphic creation, image preparation, video editing, vertical video, and platform-specific content.

Collaborate with Spartan Vision, Communications, Marketing, Ticketing, Partnerships, Spartan Athletic Foundation, and other Spartan Ventures and Athletics stakeholders on coordinated social initiatives.

Support sponsored, partnership, NIL, and revenue-related social content as assigned while maintaining Michigan State Athletics brand standards and appropriate platform voice.

Assist with the coordination, training, and development of student social media and creative employees.

Help assign student coverage and content responsibilities while providing feedback and mentorship.

Monitor social trends, platform changes, emerging formats, and best practices, and help identify opportunities relevant to Michigan State Athletics.

Review social performance and analytics to help inform future content and platform decisions.

Ensure consistent and appropriate use of Michigan State Athletics branding and adherence to Big Ten Conference ancillary media rights requirements.

Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, digital media, marketing, sports media, or a related field.

Minimum of two years of professional experience working in social media, digital content, athletics, sports, entertainment, media, or a related environment.

Demonstrated experience managing or publishing content for organizational, team or brand social media accounts.

Strong understanding of major social platforms, including Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook and emerging platforms.

Excellent writing, editing, and communication skills, with the ability to develop copy appropriate for different platforms, audiences, and moments.

Demonstrated ability to understand and maintain an established brand voice.

Experience developing and managing content calendars, publishing schedules and social media workflows.

Experience using Slate or a comparable social content management and publishing platform.

Experience using Wrike, Asana, or a comparable project-management platform.

Proficiency with Adobe Photoshop for social and digital content creation.

Proficiency with Adobe Premiere Pro for editing social-first and short-form video content.

Experience using Sprout or similar to analyze social media accounts

Ability to manage multiple accounts, projects, and deadlines simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.

Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

Ability to make sound publishing decisions and exercise good judgment while representing a high-profile brand.

Ability to collaborate with coaches, student-athletes, staff, students, external partners, and other internal stakeholders.

Experience taking projects from concept through publication.

Ability to receive and provide constructive feedback.

Proficiency in PC and Mac environments.

Ability to work flexible hours, including nights, weekends, and holidays, based on athletics schedules and department priorities.

Ability to work on-site as part of a collaborative production team.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience working in collegiate athletics, professional sports, entertainment, or another high-volume social media environment.

Experience serving as a secondary administrator or backup administrator for a major brand or team social account.

Experience covering live sporting events and producing real-time social content.

Experience managing multiple sport or team accounts.

Experience supporting Olympic sport social media accounts.

Working knowledge of Adobe After Effects and basic motion graphics.

Photography experience.

Experience with social analytics and performance reporting.

Experience mentoring, training, or supervising student employees, interns, or other emerging content creators.

Experience creating sponsored, partnership, or NIL-related social content.

Knowledge of current college athletics, sports culture, and social media trends.

Growth-oriented individual who enjoys collaborating, experimenting, and adapting as platforms and audience behavior evolve.

Portfolio Requirement

To be considered, applicants must submit a relevant portfolio or examples of social media work demonstrating experience in account management, writing, content creation, social strategy, and/or digital storytelling.

To apply, please complete the application here and send your resume to hr@spartanventures.org indicating the position you are interested in.