Career Center

The Social Media Strategist/Content Producer is responsible for reflecting the daily life of Durham Academy in ways that help prospective families understand the school, its values and its culture; help current families and students deepen their sense of community; and help establish enduring connections with DA alumni.

The Social Media Strategist/Content Producer will report to the Director of Communications and collaborate with a talented communications team, working with creative colleagues who work as brand journalists to help define and reflect Durham Academy to the above referenced constituencies and beyond. The ultimate goal is to deepen current relationships and make new connections with those who believe in Durham Academy’s mission of preparing its students for moral, happy and productive lives. As a school that serves students from pre-kindergarten through grade 12, Durham Academy is a college preparatory school committed to academic excellence, that believes caring, mentoring relationships between teachers and students can have lifelong impact, and that Durham Academy is preparing students not just for college, but for young adulthood and beyond.

20 hrs./week with potential for full-time

Primary responsibilities:

• Be the point person for Durham Academy’s central social media efforts, serving as a “roving reporter” to generate content that features DA’s people (students, faculty/staff, alumni) academic, artistic, athletic and extracurricular programming across divisions (Preschool, Lower School, Middle School, Upper School). Write, edit, take photos and shoot videos. 
• Assume primary responsibility for day-to-day content production, social media tactics, monitoring and management of Durham Academy’s central social channels, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube/Vimeo, LinkedIn and emerging social platforms. 
• Collaborate with the Durham Academy Communications team to develop original, creative, strategic content — primarily for social media, but also for alternate digital and print platforms — that showcases the school’s mission and values and fulfills Durham Academy’s communications and marketing goals. Curate and repurpose content across platforms (social media, newsletters, website, blog, print) to meet those goals. 
• Develop a content strategy that informs, engages and grows Durham Academy’s primary online audiences — increasing awareness for prospective students and families, providing an interactive relationship with current students and families, and strengthening alumni connections to their alma mater.  
• Partner with students and faculty to create consistent user-generated-content that reflects the student experience.

Strategy: 

• Develop a measurable social media strategy that builds strong engagement and brand advocacy through the management of DA’s primary social media channels.
• Research and evaluate emerging and current social platforms for opportunities to grow those audiences and ensure that Durham Academy is taking full advantage of social media. 
• Monitor for mentions of Durham Academy on various social platforms and keep the Communications Director and other senior administrators informed as needed about reputational issues.

Leadership: 

• Provide leadership to continually improve Durham Academy’s social media best practices for faculty, staff and students. Help streamline and improve Durham Academy’s social media ancillary accounts and collaborate with colleagues in departments across the school to coordinate social media operations and develop integrated social media accounts that reflect “one school” rather than siloed accounts and voices.

Analytics and Reporting: 

• Monitor the effectiveness of social media strategies through a variety of quantitative and qualitative measures. Report out regularly to the Office of Communications, the Communications Committee and senior administrators.

Emergencies and Crises: 

• Play a key role during critical times to monitor social media discussions, help share key information during a crisis, correct misinformation, and undertake other duties as assigned to help inform the DA community and protect the institution’s reputation.

General Responsibilities:

Perform other related duties as needed.

Qualifications:

Education: Bachelor’s degree in new media communications, communications, journalism, English or similar fields, or equivalent experience.

Experience: 1–3 years in marketing, communications, journalism, photography/videography 

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Proven track record of developing sophisticated, strategic approaches to social media
• Demonstrated strong interest in content marketing tactics and strategy
• Expertise managing social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
• Excellent writing and editing skills, with particular focus and experience in writing for social media
• Fluency in Associated Press style and willingness to adhere to in-house stylebook
• Excellent DSLR photography and videography skills, with particular focus on and experience in producing for social media 
• Proficiency with Adobe Creative Cloud, G-Suite and Microsoft Office
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Ability to work collaboratively across organizational lines
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Commitment to professionalism, deadlines and teamwork
• Knowledge of social media listening tools and reputation management practices
• Ability to work collaboratively and independently
• Ability to create material for different audiences while maintaining a unified voice
• Attention to detail and excellent proofreading skills

Finalists for this position will be asked to submit a digital portfolio of their work, including a past content marketing or social media campaign, writing, photography and/or video samples.