Senior Manager, Content & Social Media

Western Governors University•Salt Lake City, UT

5d•$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, shaping how the university shows up in culture and in public conversation about higher education, workforce readiness, and the future of learning. Reporting to the Senior Director of Brand, Content, WGU Studios and Social Media, and partnering closely with that role on overall direction, this role owns day-to-day management of WGU’s editorial voice across all owned, social and creator channels — including all organic and paid social platforms — and builds the creator ecosystem, thought leadership and community programs that extend that voice through trusted third-party partners, WGU leaders and student advocates. The Sr. Manager leads a team of social strategists, community managers and content writers/editors, owns WGU’s owned-channel content strategy and partners closely with teams across PR, brand, WGU Studios, lifecycle marketing, institutional advancement, and academic leadership to ensure WGU’s social and owned media is on-brand, on-mission, and measurably effective. Success means a more recognizable, more credible, and more human WGU brand — with a measurable lift in audience growth, engagement, share of voice and more.

Requirements

Deep expertise in social strategy, creator ecosystems and community building, with strong instincts for brand storytelling and what earns organic attention.
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; able to support senior leadership thought leadership and brand-level narratives.
Skilled in owned content and editorial strategy – planning, producing and governing long-form and executive content that reinforces overall brand voice.
Strong fluency in social and content analytics — comfortable defining KPIs, reading dashboards, and translating data into editorial and channel decisions.
Working knowledge of AI-assisted content tools (LLMs, generative imagery/video, automation) and a clear point of view on how to deploy them responsibly at scale.
Deep fluency in internet culture and creator ecosystems, with an ability to define and identify what earns organic attention and translate that into strategy, creator briefs and platform decisions.
Excellent people leadership — coaches managers and ICs, gives clear feedback, and builds high-trust, high-output creative teams.
Ability to lead through ambiguity, set priorities across competing stakeholders, and keep multiple workstreams moving in a fast-changing platform landscape.
Sound judgment around brand safety, regulatory considerations (FTC disclosures, accessibility, student privacy), and risk management on owned channels.
Strategic budget and vendor management, including agency and creator/influencer contracts.
Strong cross-functional collaboration skills with PR, brand, lifecycle, performance, and product/academic stakeholders.
Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Communications, English, Marketing, or a related field.
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.

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

Set the vision and operating strategy for WGU’s organic social, creator, community and owned content functions, in partnership with the Senior Director, and oversee execution — aligning channels, calendars, and creator partnerships to brand priorities and enrollment goals.
Lead and develop a mid-sized team (5–8) of social strategists, editors, content producers/writers, and community managers, including two direct managers; set 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 that earns culture relevance and inspires conversation, not just consumption.
Build and scale WGU’s influencer and creator ecosystem, moving from one-off campaigns to always-on partnerships with creators, students and alumni as long-term brand collaborators; oversee talent sourcing, agency relationships, contracting, briefing, content review and performance measurement.
Develop WGU’s community strategy across owned and paid social media platforms – turning prospective students, current students, alumni, employer partners and otherwise into active participants, advocates and storytellers who extend WGU’s reach and mission
Oversee WGU’s owned channels and brand content function, including thought leadership, newsletters and additional corporate content outputs
Build a measurement framework that ties audience growth, engagement, share of voice, and content performance to brand health, heightened awareness and enrollment outcomes; report results to the Senior Director and senior leadership on a recurring cadence.
Embed AI and emerging-platform fluency into the team’s workflow — from ideation and drafting to 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 ensure content is integrated, mission-aligned, and supports cross-functional campaigns.
Own agency, freelancer, and creator budgets, with guidance and sign-off from the Senior Director; negotiate contracts and rate cards; and continuously rebalance investment toward the highest-ROI channels and partners.
Stay close to platform changes, competitor activity, and cultural moments; bring an editorial point of view on when and how WGU should engage.