Senior Manager, Content & Social Media (Influencer Program)

Western Governors University•Salt Lake City, UT

6d•$104,000 - $187,200•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Manager of Content & Social Media sets the strategy and leads execution for WGU’s organic social, creator, community, and owned content functions. The role shapes how the university appears in culture and public conversations about higher education, workforce readiness, and the future of learning. Reporting to the Senior Director of Brand, Content, WGU Studios and Social Media, the Senior Manager partners on overall direction and owns day-to-day management of WGU’s editorial voice across owned, social, and creator channels, including organic and paid social platforms. The role builds creator, thought leadership, and community programs with trusted third-party partners, WGU leaders, and student advocates. The Senior Manager leads a team of social strategists, community managers, and content writers and editors; owns WGU’s owned-channel content strategy; and collaborates across PR, brand, WGU Studios, lifecycle marketing, institutional advancement, and academic leadership. The position aims to strengthen WGU’s brand recognition, credibility, and human connection, with measurable improvements in audience growth, engagement, and share of voice.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Communications, English, Marketing, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience as determined by the hiring manager.
7+ years of progressive experience in social media, creator marketing, owned/editorial content, and/or community strategy, including experience building social-first brands or creator programs at scale.
3+ years in a people-management role, including managing managers and building or scaling content or social teams.
Demonstrated track record of growing audiences and engagement across multiple owned and earned channels.
Experience operating at the intersection of editorial and performance, using analytics to inform content decisions and demonstrate business impact.
Experience working with or leading influencer, creator, or ambassador programs at scale.
Deep expertise in social strategy, creator ecosystems, and community building, with strong brand storytelling instincts.
Proven command of organic and paid social strategy across major platforms, including platform-native creative, community management, and crisis-aware publishing.
Excellent writing, editing, and verbal communication skills, including the ability to support senior leadership thought leadership and brand-level narratives.
Skill in owned content and editorial strategy, including planning, producing, and governing long-form and executive content.
Strong fluency in social and content analytics, including defining KPIs, reading dashboards, and translating data into editorial and channel decisions.
Working knowledge of AI-assisted content tools, including LLMs, generative imagery and video, and automation, with a clear point of view on responsible deployment at scale.
Deep fluency in internet culture and creator ecosystems and the ability to translate what earns organic attention into strategy, creator briefs, and platform decisions.
Excellent people leadership, including coaching managers and individual contributors, giving clear feedback, and building high-trust, high-output creative teams.
Ability to lead through ambiguity, prioritize among competing stakeholders, and keep multiple workstreams moving in a changing platform landscape.
Sound judgment regarding brand safety, regulatory considerations such as FTC disclosures, accessibility and student privacy, and risk management on owned channels.
Strategic budget and vendor management skills, including agency and creator/influencer contracts.
Strong cross-functional collaboration skills with PR, brand, lifecycle, performance, and product/academic stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience in higher education or a mission-driven consumer brand.
Background as a working journalist, editor, or newsroom leader.
Hands-on experience deploying generative AI in content workflows, including briefing, drafting, optimization, and distribution.
Experience presenting to and influencing senior leadership stakeholders on brand and content strategy.

Responsibilities

Set the vision and operating strategy for organic social, creator, community, and owned content, partnering with the Senior Director and aligning channels, calendars, and creator partnerships with brand priorities and enrollment goals.
Lead and develop a mid-sized team of 5–8 social strategists, editors, content producers and writers, and community managers, including two direct managers; establish hiring plans, performance standards, and career development paths.
Own organic social strategy across LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and emerging platforms, including channel positioning, content franchises, community management, and platform-specific creative.
Build and scale WGU’s influencer and creator ecosystem through ongoing partnerships with creators, students, and alumni; oversee sourcing, agency relationships, contracting, briefing, content review, and performance measurement.
Develop community strategy across owned and paid social platforms, helping prospective and current students, alumni, employer partners, and others become active participants, advocates, and storytellers.
Oversee owned channels and the brand content function, including thought leadership, newsletters, and other corporate content.
Build a measurement framework connecting audience growth, engagement, share of voice, and content performance to brand health, awareness, and enrollment outcomes; report results regularly to the Senior Director and senior leadership.
Embed AI and emerging-platform fluency into team workflows, from ideation and drafting through production, optimization, and analytics, while safeguarding accuracy, brand voice, and editorial quality.
Partner with PR/Communications, Brand, Lifecycle Marketing, Alumni, Performance/Paid Media, Enrollment, and Academic leadership to integrate content, align it with WGU’s mission, and support cross-functional campaigns.
Manage agency, freelancer, and creator budgets with guidance and sign-off from the Senior Director; negotiate contracts and rate cards and adjust investment toward high-ROI channels and partners.
Monitor platform changes, competitor activity, and cultural moments, and provide an editorial point of view on when and how WGU should engage.