Associate Director of Digital Media - (Digital Experience)

General Function

The Associate Director of Digital Media leads the organic social media strategy and digital signage content for the college, ensuring a compelling, integrated, and data-driven digital presence. This role oversees content planning, execution, and engagement strategies across digital platforms, aligning with institutional priorities and brand voice. The Associate Director manages a digital media team and works collaboratively across communications, marketing, creative services, and web teams to develop and amplify stories that resonate with key audiences.

This position is accountable for editorial planning, content curation, real-time community engagement, and performance analysis to continuously enhance the digital experience for prospective and current students, faculty, staff, alumni, business partners and the broader community. The role requires a balance of strategic oversight, creative innovation, social platform best practices and proactive/reactive engagement to drive engagement, brand affinity, and institutional reputation.

Duties and Responsibilities

• People leadership: Working people leader who oversees a team of social media and content manager(s) and specialist(s), providing strategic direction, content guidance, and professional development. Fosters a culture of creativity, collaboration, and data-driven decision-making. Supervises and leads assigned staff by setting goals, assigning tasks, managing work schedules and workloads, evaluating performance, and providing employment recommendations, including hiring and termination.
• Social Media Strategy & Management: Aligned with department leadership, directs the development and implementation of a comprehensive organic social media strategy that aligns with institutional goals and brand messaging. Leads the planning, creation, and execution of content across all official college social media channels (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X/Twitter, TikTok, YouTube). Monitors trends, audience behavior, and platform updates to ensure best practices and emerging tactics are incorporated. Implements Central Piedmont’s community engagement strategies, fostering authentic connections with students, faculty, staff, and external audiences.
• Protocol implementation: Presents engagement and crisis response protocols to manage proactive and reactive communications, including moderating conversations and addressing reputational risks. Works with communications and digital leadership to ensure coordination and alignment on protocols, along with security, safety and HR teams.
• Social media guidelines: Works closely with the team to uphold the social media guidelines and best practices for departments across the institution.
• Digital Signage Strategy & Content Management: Oversees the strategy, content planning, execution and performance of the college’s digital signage network, ensuring alignment with marketing campaigns, campus events, and institutional messaging. Works closely with creative team to develop content for the signage. Works with cross-campus partners to curate and manage content submissions, balancing institutional priorities with engaging visual storytelling. Ensures digital signage maintains a cohesive brand identity and is regularly refreshed with relevant, timely, measurable and engaging content.
• Content Planning: Coordinates with entire digital experience team on the overall digital editorial calendar (a subset of the overall department editorial calendar) ensuring a cohesive approach across social media and digital platforms, including the cpcc.edu website.
• Strategy, Storytelling, and Editorial Leadership: Leads the strategic development of compelling executions which align with institutional messaging priorities. Defines and oversees the organization’s content vision and editorial standards across social and digital signage channels. Champions innovative approaches to storytelling by identifying opportunities for grassroots and user-generated content and building frameworks that empower students, faculty, and campus partners to authentically contribute to the institution’s digital presence.
• Analytics, Insights & Performance Optimization: Leverages social media and digital signage analytics, engagement metrics, and performance data to evaluate effectiveness and inform content strategy. Regularly reports on KPIs, audience insights, and content performance, using data to refine and enhance engagement strategies. Guides team to implement platform-specific optimizations to improve reach, engagement, and impact.
• Collaboration & Cross-Departmental Coordination: Works closely with marketing, communications, creative services, and enrollment teams to ensure digital content supports recruitment, retention, and institutional goals. Partners with media relations, crisis communications, and public affairs to ensure digital platforms support real-time and strategic messaging needs.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Requirements and Preferred Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Digital Communications, Marketing, Public Relations, Journalism, or related field.

5+ years of experience in social media strategy, digital content management, or marketing.

Additional Information

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Worker Characteristics:
Experience as a people manager and overseeing creative content production.
Self-starter with excellent organizational skills with proven track record in project management and ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
Strong knowledge of social media platforms, engagement tactics, and content best practices.
Proficiency in social media analytics, performance tracking, and digital marketing metrics.
Ability to interpret engagement analytics to develop recommendations for channel, audience targeting, messaging and content improvements and optimizations.
Ability to craft compelling, audience-driven storytelling across digital channels.
Understanding of best practices in storytelling through digital media.
Experience with digital signage content management systems (e.g., Korbyt, Four Winds, Carousel, Visix).
Familiarity with SEO, paid social media (as needed), and digital advertising.
Knowledge of ADA compliance, accessibility best practices, and inclusive content strategies.
Experience working with media relations, PR, or crisis communications.
Experience with content planning, editorial calendar management, and project management tools (e.g., Asana, Trello, Monday.com).
Team player with a positive outlook.