Director of Social Media Marketing

Who We Are:

National Louis is a 135+ year old university that has been grounded in the values of innovation, access, excellence, and equity from its inception. As an institution, we believe in providing access to educational opportunity and that education is our greatest lever for social and economic mobility. We are a student-focused community that is committed to continuous improvement and superior student service. We believe that through education we are able to empower change and build healthy communities. Our hard-working community is based on collaboration and respect for all team members and students.

What You Will Do:

National Louis University (NLU) seeks an accomplished and strategic Director of Social Media Marketing to lead the university’s online brand presence and community engagement. This leadership role is responsible for creating and executing a comprehensive social media strategy that enhances brand visibility, fosters community connections, and showcases the university’s milestones to prospective students and stakeholders. The Director will oversee all platform management, content production, and performance analysis to ensure social media remains a high-impact extension of the NLU brand.

Essential Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership & Brand Management: Develop and implement an integrated social media strategy that aligns with NLU’s brand guidelines and institutional goals. Serve as the primary guardian of the university’s digital voice across Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok, and other emerging platforms. Collaborate with the marketing and communications department, and university leadership to align social content with broader university PR and branding initiatives. Lead the Social Media Steering Committee to ensure cross-departmental alignment.
• Content Strategy & Execution: Manage a robust content calendar featuring weekly pillars such as "Faces of NLU," bi-monthly "Alumni Highlights," and regular "Program Spotlights". Oversee the production of high-engagement video content, including "Day in the Life" and other student facing reels, by recruiting and managing student content creators. Coordinate with members of the marketing team and university to ensure consistent visual coverage of campus events and milestones. Drive user-generated content initiatives to amplify the authentic voices of the NLU community.
• Lead Production and Development and Program Marketing: Leverage organic social media to drive leads for all programs in the National Louis University portfolio. Work in conjunction with the paid media marketing agency to ensure paid social media ads are aligned with organic posting as needed. Collaborate with internal team to ensure social media strategies align with lead and application nurturing campaigns and website content.
• Performance & Analytics: Track and analyze engagement metrics across all platforms to evaluate the effectiveness of content types and campaigns. Develop monthly reports summarizing top-performing content and key engagement metrics to inform future strategy. Utilize data-driven insights to adjust tactics and maximize lead acquisition and branding results.
• Departmental Collaboration: Partner with Enrollment and Academic departments to highlight program-specific features and student success stories. Integrate social media efforts with broader digital marketing and lead nurturing campaigns managed via Salesforce and Pardot.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, or other related field, required.
• Minimum of 3 years of professional social media management
• At least 3 years of experience leading teams
• Minimum of 3 years of professional experience using analytical skills to collect, organize, visualize and assimilate data sets
• Proven ability to create fully integrated social media campaigns with measurable results
• Expertise in Google Analytics, social platform native tools, and familiarity with CRMs (i.e. Salesforce/Paradot)
• Strong copywriting and editing skills with the ability to articulate brand narratives effectively
• Experience managing a variety of source contributors to ensure consistent messaging/branding
• Ability to take an active role in driving the creative vision and storytelling across social media platforms to support all aspects of the university
• Track record for achieving results within established timelines