Senior Director of Content Strategy

Job Description:

Reporting to the Executive Director of Communications and Public Affairs, the Senior Director of Content Strategy serves as a member of the senior communications team, helping shape the department’s overall strategic direction in support of its objective to build, enhance and protect the university’s brand.

The Senior Director is responsible for delivering compelling content across multiple platforms including, but not limited to, university websites, online news platforms, print materials, social media channels and marketing campaigns, and other strategic messaging media. This role is also responsible for ensuring consistent use of the university’s brand messages across all communications channels, overseeing day-to-day content development operations, and directly supervising the content development team while supporting a positive and collaborative workplace culture.

Washington and Lee University actively promotes a dynamic and inclusive environment that allows students and employees of multiple backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives to learn, work, and thrive together. Successful candidates will contribute to that environment and exhibit potential for excellence in their areas of expertise.

Essential Functions

• Develop the overall content strategy for the university’s primary communications channels.
  
  
• Oversee the planning, editing, and scheduling of excellent written and visual content across university channels, including providing editorial direction for all written and multimedia content.
  
  
• Collaborate with the Manager of Social Media and Media Relations to create and deploy content for social media to be distributed across university social channels.
  
  
• Foster a positive and collaborative workplace culture to create innovative, best-in-class content that engages all university constituents, including faculty, staff, alumni, and current and prospective students and parents.
  
  
• Lead the department’s efforts in the use of data analytics to inform decisions and optimize content and distribution.
  
  
• Provide leadership and supervision of writing, photography, videography and web development staff.
  
  

Work Schedule: M-F, 8:30am - 4:30pm; position requires occasional after hours on-call duty, to back up the Executive Director and Senior Director of Constituent Communications.

Minimum Pay: $93,222 - Pay Commensurate with Experience

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in English, Journalism, Communications, or related field required. Minimum of ten years of writing and editing in increasingly responsible roles. Strong working knowledge of communications best practices and ability to guide university messaging with diplomacy, tact, and sensitivity for all audiences. Impeccable writing, editing and project management skills, and the ability to identify and produce high-quality, engaging content under pressure and on deadline. Ability to write and adapt copy for all communications platforms. Excellent storytelling abilities and the capacity to frame W&L's current and evolving story in a clear and compelling way.

Strong experience leading a news or communications operation including editorial oversight of feature, news and web content, photography, and video. Understanding of digital communications platforms, website design, analytics, social media best practices and content formats. Ability to work both independently with minimal direction and collaboratively. Flexibility, creative thinking, openness to new ideas and changing priorities. Demonstrated success developing and implementing effective communications plans. Excellent team and relationship-building skills. High levels of integrity, accuracy, diplomacy, diligence, and discretion are required, as are decision-making skills and a high degree of initiative.

Proficiency in communications software and tools for web content management, blogs, intranets, social media, presentations, and photo-editing, including working knowledge of AP Style and WordPress. Higher education experience is preferred but not required.

Application Instructions:

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Resume, cover letter and writing samples are required. Upload all required documents to the Resume/CV upload section of the application. You will be asked to provide names and contact information for three professional references.

External Applicants: Application instructions for external applicants are located on the jobs.wlu.edu or here .

Current W&L Employees: Apply from your existing Workday account. Instructions are located at jobs.wlu.edu or here .

Physical Requirements:

• Fingering: Picking, pinching, typing or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with whole hand or arm as in handling.
  
  
• Grasping: Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm.
  
  
• Repetitive motions: Making substantial movements (motions) of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.
  
  

Working Conditions: The worker is not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions.

Types of Work: Sedentary work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally and all other sedentary criteria are met.

Position Type:

Exempt, Full Time, Benefit Eligible

The university requires employees to become fully vaccinated for COVID-19, including a minimum of one booster. New employees must provide proof of at least their first shot prior to the first day of employment. Individuals may seek a medical or a religious exemption to the vaccination requirement.