Assistant Director, Digital and Social Media

Title: Assistant Director, Digital and Social Media

Department: Marketing and Communications

Reports to: Julie Sharkey, Director of Foundation Marketing and Communications

Location: Kingston, RI

Employment Type: Exempt, Full-Time 

The Assistant Director, Digital and Social Media contributes to and maintains the Foundation's channel strategy, helps shape its broader marketing campaigns, and runs its social channels with an always-on rhythm. The role builds an engaged community of alumni, donors and friends, with a focus on alumni who graduated in the last 15 years. 

The Assistant Director creates content that strengthens alumni affinity and expands the Foundation’s reach while building awareness and interest in its events, email communications and giving opportunities. Content will consistently highlight the Foundation’s priorities. The position works closely with the Foundation's editorial, email and creative staff and with alumni engagement, annual giving, athletics and University communications partners. The Assistant Director will attend Division and university events as well as post content and videos in real time to engage audiences. 

• Maintain the Foundation’s channel strategy, defining what belongs on each platform, why, and how channels connect with one another, email and giving pages.

• Inform annual and campaign marketing plans with audience, platform and performance insights.

• Develop distinct approaches for Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube/Shorts and emerging platforms such as TikTok.

• Keep accounts consistent and current in partnership with URI’s central marketing team.

• Monitor platform changes and higher education trends and recommend where to invest.

Content Planning and Creation

• Build weekly and monthly content calendars that balance planned campaigns, lo-fi native content, alumni and student creators, and timely cultural moments.

• Maintain an always-on publishing rhythm aligned with alumni engagement and fundraising goals, making week-to-week publishing decisions.

• Create original, channel-specific content, including short-form video, photography and copy, and cover signature events, including some evenings, weekends and regional travel.

• Track cultural moments, conversations, formats and trends that matter to URI alumni and turn them into timely content.

• Follow URI brand and accessibility standards, including captions and alt text, and collaborate with the Foundation’s designer on graphics and templates.

• Manage permissions and usage rights for alumni, student and student-athlete content.

• Bring an editorial eye to social channels, identifying stories across alumni engagement, annual giving, athletics, academic units and University communications and adapting them for each platform.

• Edit partner, student and alumni submissions for voice, accuracy and fit; create capture guides and shot lists to help partners, volunteers and event staff provide usable content.

• Respond to, recognize and thank alumni, donors, volunteers and partners, while engaging in relevant conversations across athletics, campus, partner and alumni accounts.

• Partner with Alumni Engagement to grow ambassador and volunteer host networks nationwide.

• Deepen relationships with URI’s Harrington School of Communication and Media, including student content creators.

• Represent the Foundation with URI central marketing, athletics and campus social media communicators and amplify their content.

Campaigns, Conversion and Measurement

• Work with editorial and creative staff to support campaign planning for annual giving and alumni engagement initiatives, from timeline through launch and recap

• Build and maintain GiveCampus event registrations, giving pages and campaign landing pages.

• Make routine content updates to Foundation web pages and keep event and campaign information current.

• Set up tracking links and QR codes so results tie back to the channel and campaign that drove them.

• Run seasonal paid social tests on audience, creative and timing.

• Set baselines and report results in registrations, submissions and gifts as well as reach, then recommend changes for the next plan

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree and three to five years of work experience in social media, digital marketing or community management, including managing a channel or program.

• Experience building a channel strategy and an always-on content calendar.

• Short-form video skills, from shooting to editing in CapCut, Premiere or similar tools.

• Working knowledge of Meta Business Suite, LinkedIn, SproutSocial or a similar scheduling and analytics platform, and Canva or Adobe.

• Analytics skills, including setting goals, reading data and presenting results to senior leaders in plain language.

• Strong writing for a range of audiences and an editorial eye for which stories matter and how to tell them. 

• Ability to generate ideas with a team and advocate for a recommendation.

Preferred Education and Experience