Digital Marketing Manager

Department: College of Public Health

Classification: Public Relations & Mktg Spec 3

Job Category: Classified Staff

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type: Hybrid Eligible

Pay Band: 04

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

The College prepares students to become leaders and shape the public's health through academic excellence, research of consequence, community outreach, and interprofessional clinical practice. George Mason is the fastest-growing Research I institution in the country. The College enrolls more than 1,900 undergraduate and 1,300 graduate students in its nationally-recognized offerings, including 6 undergraduate degrees, 13 graduate degrees, and 6 certificate programs.

About the Position:

The Digital Marketing Manager advances the marketing and communications objectives for the College of Public Health and is an integral member of the Office of Marketing and Communications. This position manages and grows all owned, paid, and shared digital channels for the College, including College and department websites, email marketing, lead generation, paid advertising campaigns, reporting, and metrics.

Objectives include improving the prospective student user experience on the College’s academic program pages; maintaining a compelling and mobile-first web presence; managing a highly-engaging social media presence to grow our community of followers and educate the public; developing paid digital advertising strategies that drive a range of outcomes including lead generation; and providing on-going reporting and analytics to inform decision-making and investments.

Responsibilities:

Strategy and Planning:

• Supports marketing strategy to meet the College's marketing goals;
• Collaborates with the College’s Marketing and Communications team as well as other University teams, such as creative, web development, admissions, and academic units, to ensure that digital channels are aligned with the College’s objectives;
• Advises senior leaders to inform efficient and effective digital marketing strategies; and
• Stays up-to-date with digital marketing trends and best practices and implements them as appropriate. 

Social Media and Digital Content:

• Owns the creation and/or distribution of content across digital channels and formats including video, web, email, and social media;
• Develops and executes editorial calendar of digital content to align with strategic messages and themes;
• Determines the best media mix for reaching core audiences;
• Manages and grows the College’s social media presence, including creating and curating content, monitoring engagement, and responding to comments and messages;
• Manages strategy for paid social campaigns, particularly on LinkedIn;
• Manages day-to-day presence on social media, including managing HootSuite;
• Grows followers and increases user engagement among target audiences;
• Develops social media strategies to achieve target audience growth objectives, including creation of Instagram reel videos and longer-form videos;
• Develops campaigns and campaign content, in partnership with the Marketing and Communications team, in strategic areas that align with the College’s mission and marketing objectives;
• Develops social media graphics and video content as needed;
• Analyzes social metrics and makes recommendations to enhance and expand campaigns;
• Acts as liaison to University Social Media team;
• Manages digital signage around the building, including content creation;
• Writes occasional news story or student profile writing; and
• Supports Development Office with content creation as needed. 

Website and Drupal 9:

• Manages the College’s website, including optimizing for search engines and user experience, tracking metrics and analytics, and optimizing the site to improve performance;
• Oversees web design and usability, the flow of information, visual design of the website, including the layout, typography, and color schemes;
• Creates and manages the website's content, including text, images, and multimedia;
• SEO: Optimizes the website's content and structure to improve its search engine rankings and attract more traffic;
• Analytics: Monitors website traffic and user behavior to identify trends and opportunities for improvement;
• Acts as liaison to the University Digital Strategy team;
• Performs front-end website development to include HTML and CSS;
• Creates forms that interface with TargetX and other platforms to create seamless workflow for inquiries; and
• Leads website refresh project including collaborating and managing department stakeholders through process and best practices.  

Lead Generation, Google Ads, and Email Marketing:

• Manages lead generation/inquiry management campaigns to generate qualified program leads, including paid social media campaigns, landing pages, and web site optimization;
• Manages lead gen campaigns, including Google Adwords or partner with the agency to execute Adword strategy;
• Manages Emma email marketing including collaborating with the Graphic Designer for templates and design;
• Develops and executes email lists and enhances list segmentation capabilities;
• Manages layout and design of weekly newsletters, and executes and writes content in partnership with the team;
• Collaborates with the Office of Student Affairs to develop email marketing campaigns for prospective students, including analyzing metrics and applying data to improve campaigns; and
• Manages reporting and analytics to inform comprehensive reporting on the impact of digital campaigns and digital channels in overall marketing outcomes. 

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience;
• Experience managing analytics and reporting for Google Adwords;
• Experience in search engine optimization;
• Intermediate experience with reporting and analysis to inform decisions;
• Intermediate experience editing and managing social media content that engages communities;
• Knowledge of Microsoft applications: Word, PowerPoint, Excel;
• Knowledge of Google Analytics/GA4 and Google Tag Manager;
• Knowledge of Drupal (currently on Drupal 9) or other relevant CMS experience;
• Knowledge of social platform management tools (HootSuite preferred);
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, particularly via social channels and multi-media;
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to develop cohesive working relationships with internal and external clients;
• Proficient in working in email marketing platforms, such as HootSuite, Facebook Business Manager, and other ad buying platforms;
• Skills in HTML and CSS;
• Attention to detail and deadlines;
• Flexibility to adapt to change;
• Ability to manage multiple priorities;
• Ability to master new tools and skills to track and provide project status and metrics;
• Ability to process suggestions, corrections, and feedback constructively and professionally; and
• Ability to perform occasional evening work for social media coverage and weekend work about twice a year (including graduation).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in evaluating user experience and applying findings to achieve strategic objectives;
• Experience creating and managing paid advertising campaigns on Google, LinkedIn, and Facebook;
• Experience developing wireframes or working with agencies to evaluate wireframes that align with the College strategy; and
• Experience working with an agency or third party to execute web strategy.

Instructions to Applicants: 

For full consideration, applicants must apply for the Digital Marketing Manager (Req #10002159) at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information (one of which is a recent supervisor), and provide a cover letter and resume.

Candidates who advance past the first round of interviews will be asked to submit a portfolio or work examples.

Posting Open Date:  January 24, 2025

For Full Consideration, Apply by:  February 14, 2025

Open Until Filled:  Yes