Marketing, Events & Social Media Coordinator
The Program Coordinator for Marketing, Events, & Social Media is part of the Data Science Institute’s (DSI) administrative team at Vanderbilt University. Reporting directly to the Assistant Director in the DSI, this individual is responsible for designing and executing a marketing strategy and managing the DSI’s social media presence, website, and newsletter. This individual will proactively discover and gather stories to share on our website, newsletter, and social media platforms, engaging with students and faculty regularly to source news and noteworthy stories. Additionally, they develop, manage, and implement marketing strategies, campaigns, and initiatives to advance the institute’s objectives, drive engagement, and strengthen its reputation among key audiences. Furthermore, the Marketing, Events, & Social Media Coordinator coordinates all aspects of the DSI’s events throughout the academic year and summer, ensuring seamless execution.
The Data Science Institute (DSI) at Vanderbilt is a trans-institutional research and education center organized under the Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Innovation. The institute houses a graduate program in data science and supports data-intensive research by bringing together experts in data science methods with leaders in all academic fields to spark new discoveries in research as well as to study the impact of data, AI, and generative AI on society. The institute educates students in data science and generative AI applications to become future leaders in industry, government, academia, and the nonprofit sector.
Duties and Responsibilities
Marketing
- Propose a comprehensive marketing plan with specific action steps that identifies target audiences, methods for reaching them, and proposed channels for dissemination
- Develop a DSI Branding and Style Guide that aligns with the VU Branding and Style Guide and the Social Media Handbook, and reflects our unique branding
- Expand on our branding lookbook and propose recommendations for improvements
- Evaluate templates and graphics, provide constructive feedback on designs, and implement necessary updates
- Compile a repository of images suitable for DSI use that match the quality of visual content shared on social media by the Vanderbilt Communications Team
- Recommend or make content upgrades to our web pages, in support of our marketing and communication objectives
- Review, update or create web pages in alignment with marketing strategies and tactics
- Take ownership of publishing a weekly newsletter, using MyEmma, by independently curating engaging stories and working collaboratively with the leadership team to brainstorm, develop, and fact-check compelling content
- Utilize analytics to monitor and analyze data across our social media platforms, website, and newsletter, providing insights for growth
- Monitor and review newsletter open rates, adjusting content as necessary to optimize engagement
- Arrange for the purchase and placement of advertisements in digital and print outlets for marketing initiatives
- Create relationships with our campus partners, including faculty, staff, and students, and with our industry partners
Events
- Manage and promote a diverse range of events, such as guest speaker sessions, Symposia, an annual leadership retreat, graduation party, webinars, and cookouts, ensuring their successful execution and impact
- Collaborate with the administrative team to procure necessary supplies, including swag, food, and office supplies, for events, guaranteeing a smooth and well-equipped experience
- Implement comprehensive event promotion strategies, leveraging social media platforms, newsletters, and partner networks to widely disseminate information about upcoming speakers, topics, and tagging relevant individuals
- Ensure comprehensive event coverage, including streaming, live tweeting, and capturing high-quality photos or videos to document and share memorable moments
- Assist the student council with their annual formal, as needed
Social Media Management
- Manage the creation and implementation of a comprehensive, strategic social media marketing plan - Collaborate closely with the leadership team to develop a comprehensive strategy and define the value proposition for our diverse programs, events, and the department as a whole
- Promote any and all important research, awards, honors and events
- Identify and implement innovative approaches to enhance brand awareness through social media, including evaluating and recommending effective hashtags and influencer outreach strategies
- Ensure consistent and accurate representation of the DSI brand across all social media platforms
- Consistently curate, schedule, and publish compelling content on the DSI’s Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram platforms that reflects our identity, fostering engagement and interest
- Manage an editorial calendar with minimum posting frequency requirements - Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn: 1 post/day
- Twitter: 5+ posts/ day
- Actively engage with students, alumni, and professors to proactively discover and gather noteworthy news and stories, propose partnerships, arrange takeovers, interviews, quotes, permissions, and other content-related arrangements to share on our website, newsletter, and social media platforms.
- Collaborate with the DSI leadership team to identify research, programs, and activities in need of social promotion and develop strategies to enhance their visibility and impact
- Independently identify promotional opportunities and coordinate resources such as videography, live streaming, photography, graphic design, and technical support to effectively implement the aforementioned tasks
- Regularly conduct comprehensive audits of the DSI’s social media accounts on a quarterly or semesterly basis to ensure alignment with our goals, maintain a positive brand image, comply with relevant policies and regulations, and benchmark performance and strategy against peer schools and industry standards
- Leverage web and social analytics tools to produce monthly media reports - Include key performance indicators (KPIs) such as engagement, reach, and follower growth
- Include industry benchmarks for measuring the true effectiveness of social media campaigns
- Make recommendations to maintain or improve performance
- Monitor online discussions about the Data Science Institute and ensure that the DSI brand is properly and uniformly represented on social media - Respond or engage with discussions in a timely manner
- Use social listening tools, such as Google Alerts
- Identify threats and opportunities in user-generated content
- Provide a crisis communications plan for various scenarios
- Monitor trends in social media tools, applications, channels, design and strategy and stay up-to-date on the latest social media capabilities
Website
- Increase inbound traffic to the DSI’s website through strategic social media and digital marketing initiatives - Increase YoY page views, social referrals and new users
- Proactively recommend and implement content updates to DSI web pages to effectively support marketing and communication objectives
- Create and develop engaging web posts for various DSI events, including but not limited to webinars, symposia, and parties
- Take the lead in coordinating with stakeholders, including faculty and staff, as well as the Career Management Center (CMC) team, to ensure the ongoing maintenance and timely updates of the website, while periodically reviewing website content for accuracy and currency, and promptly removing or editing outdated information
Additional
- Demonstrate understanding of the university’s mission, values, goals and priorities and an ability to ensure that all are considered in developing marketing plans
- Communicate and collaborate effectively with a wide range of audiences—including faculty, students, leadership, staff, alumni, suppliers and community partners
- Efficiently and effectively manage multiple, complex and results-oriented projects with quick turn-around requirements
- Adhere to confidentiality and business ethics and demonstrate outstanding judgment and discretion
- Perform other relevant duties as assigned
Qualifications
- A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education is necessary.
- A degree in Marketing or a related field is preferred.
- Experience with digital marketing and social media is necessary.
- Familiarity with email marketing tools and social ad platforms is necessary.
- Experience with event planning is necessary.
- Excellent editing, writing, and proofreading skills are necessary.
- Ability to meet deadlines is necessary.
- Ability to juggle multiple projects simultaneously is necessary.
- Ability to work autonomously is necessary.
- Ability to think creatively is necessary.
- Experience with photography and graphic design software is preferred.
- Experience with web design and Wordpress is preferred.
- Experience working in higher education is preferred.
Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
At Vanderbilt University, we are intentional about and assume accountability for fostering advancement and respect for equity, diversity, and inclusion for all students, faculty, and staff. Our commitment to diversity makes us who we are. We have created a community that celebrates differences and lets individuality thrive. As part of this commitment, we actively value diversity in our workplace and learning environments as we seek to take advantage of the rich backgrounds and abilities of everyone. The diverse voices of Vanderbilt represent an invaluable resource for the University in its efforts to fulfill its mission and strive to be an example of excellence in higher education.
Vanderbilt University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. Women, minorities, people with disabilities and protected veterans are encouraged to apply.
Please note, all candidates selected for an offer of employment are subject to pre-employment background checks, which may include but are not limited to, based on the role for which they have been selected: criminal history, education verification, social media review, motor vehicle records, credit history, and professional license verification.
