Director of Social Media Marketing

Who We Are:

For 140 years, National Louis University has been driven by one core belief: education changes lives. Since our founding, we've stayed grounded in the values of innovation, access, excellence, and equity, and we've never wavered from the idea that education is the greatest lever for social and economic mobility. We are a student-focused community built on continuous improvement and a genuine commitment to serving those we teach. Through education, we empower change and build stronger, healthier communities. Our hard-working team runs on collaboration and mutual respect, for one another and for every student we serve.

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.

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.

• 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

NLU Inclusion Statement:

National Louis University is deeply committed to serving its community, advancing access and equity, and ensuring that all individuals are welcomed and valued. We are dedicated to fostering a culture where diversity, equity, and inclusion remain at the core of who we are. These are more than just words to us: they are truly a way of life for the NLU community. We recognize that differences in abilities, age, ethnicity, gender (identity and expression), race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and background bring richness to our work environment. We affirm diverse perspectives, innovative contributions, and authentic presentations of self from every member within the NLU community. We believe inclusion is grounded in the actions we intentionally take each day. Our goal is to inspire and empower NLU employees and community members to cultivate an environment where we collectively focus on uplifting and advancing our institutional culture.

At National Louis University, we offer our employees an innovative environment to work together and inspire the ideas that will make an impact. As our external environment changes, our employees are provided the opportunities and tools needed to grow both personally and professionally to remain successful. NLU employees and dependents are offered a wide range of benefits, including but not limited to, Health Insurance benefits, Retirement benefits, Paid Time Off and Educational Opportunities. Additional information regarding full-time staff benefits can be found here.

The salary range of the grade for this position is $72,187 to $108,281 annually. Compensation decisions are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of each position and candidate. Offers are based on multiple factors permitted by law, including but not limited to: budgetary considerations, job-related knowledge/skills, experience, market considerations, tenure and standing with the university (applicable to current employees), and internal equity.

Please Include the following along with your application:

• Resume (Required)
• Cover Letter (Optional)
• Current NLU employees please also submit an Internal Posting Form