Digital Communications Manager

Rice University•Houston, TX

23h•Onsite

About The Position

The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University is seeking a Digital Communications Manager to raise awareness of its students and distinguished alumni, faculty, performances, programs, and enrollment efforts. This role is the primary staff position responsible for planning, producing, publishing, and measuring content across social media, the school website, and email communications. The manager tracks metrics, identifies trends, recommends responses, and develops digital communications strategies for assigned topics, collaborating with school constituents to reflect the school’s stories and priorities across its digital channels. The role develops integrated digital communication plans with the Senior Director of Marketing & Communications and participates in school- and university-wide initiatives. It manages patron-facing email communications, website content, and the school’s social media presence; creates copy, graphics, photography, video, and short news articles; and works with students, faculty, and staff to gather and share stories. The manager reports on digital channel performance and supports event promotion, cross-promotional efforts, paid marketing, and performance operations. Website content must meet WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility guidelines, optimize page structures and metadata for traditional SEO and generative AI discovery, and maintain visual and tonal brand alignment. This is a primarily in-person, full-time, benefits-eligible, exempt position. Flexible hours are required, including some nights and weekends for performances and events. The proposed annual salary range is $65,000 to $70,000, depending on qualifications and experience. Applicants should attach a cover letter and resume or curriculum vitae, preferably as PDFs.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree; additional related experience may substitute for education on an equivalent year-for-year basis.
At least 2 years of professional experience on a marketing or communications team working with social media content, email communications, design, and web; additional related education may substitute for experience on an equivalent year-for-year basis.
Strong verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to stay organized, be creative, take direction, and meet deadlines and schedules.
Proven knowledge of social media and digital platforms, including current and future trends.
Proven experience updating website information using a content management system (CMS).
Proven experience designing and deploying public-facing email communications.
Demonstrated ability to work as a team player.
Ability to work flexible hours, including some nights and weekends for performances and events.

Nice To Haves

3–4 years of professional experience on a marketing or communications team working with social media content, email communications, design, and web.
Bachelor’s degree or higher in English, journalism, marketing, or a related communications field.
Experience in a performing arts environment.
Experience with digital media creation, analytics, and data tracking.

Responsibilities

Develop integrated digital communication plans with the Senior Director of Marketing & Communications and participate in school- and university-wide initiatives.
Build, test, and deploy patron-facing emails related to marketing, communications, and ticketing.
Update website content, including faculty biographies, department pages, and news items.
Ensure content meets WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility guidelines; optimize page structures and metadata for SEO and generative AI discovery; and maintain visual and tonal brand alignment.
Establish, develop, monitor, and maintain the Shepherd School of Music’s social media presence.
Generate copy and graphics for social media posts and deploy them; monitor trends to inform content generation and provide customer service to followers.
Curate photography and video for the website and social media channels.
Design and develop graphics for digital communications and write short news articles for the website.
Collaborate with students, faculty, and staff to tell the school’s stories and establish timely information-gathering and sharing processes.
Compile, analyze, and report data on website, social media, and email performance.
Promote school events by creating and updating listings on the Rice University events calendar and other Houston online calendars.
Coordinate cross-promotional marketing and communications with other Rice schools and departments and community partners.
Coordinate with Rice Public Affairs and external vendors on photography, videography, and communications efforts as needed.
Assist with paid marketing plans.
Support the marketing, communications, and ticketing team at performances, including box office operations and photography duty.
Perform other duties as assigned.