Assistant Director of Social Media and Production

Reporting to the Senior Associate Director of Creative, the Assistant Director of Social Media and Production position will serve as the creative lead and manager for Student Life’s photo, video, and audio-based initiatives. This includes content planning, execution, and oversight for the various social media channels for Residence Life and Student Housing, Commuter Life, Graduate Life, and Online Life teams. The AD jointly manages a team of creative student workers, providing mentorship and practical guidance to execute a variety of digital media projects including staged photo and video shoots, live event coverage, and livestreamed video content for the web. The AD of Social Media and Production is responsible for gear management, conducting pre-production, production, and post-production-oriented training, and reviewing of all content produced by the team’s creative student workers. The position also personally executes event coverage, media shoots, and content editing tasks as needed. The AD of Social Media and Production is additionally responsible for planning event coverage, overseeing all social media content planning, and serving as media liaison with the various teams of Student Life. This includes ensuring content is posted in a timely manner and without errors, meets all content requirements of the University and Student Life, and effectively supports the programming goals of the partner teams of Student Life. The ideal candidate has a strong background in video and photo production, is motivated to explore and research industry best-practices for social media, and functions effectively in a highly collaborative environment.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Photo and Video Content Planning
  • Strategize individual photo and video assets as well as multi-part media campaigns for the various teams of Student Life
  • Develop photo and video capture plans, including gear management and coordination with on-camera talent and location managers
  • Schedule and plan photo and video event coverage for the partner teams of Student Life
  • Research existing and emerging technologies, processes, trends, and leading industry performance benchmarks relating to photo and video production.
• Social Media Channel Management
  • Oversee content posting and develop for the social media channels of the Residence Life, Commuter Life, Graduate Life, and Online Life teams
  • Conduct timely content reviews of content created by the Creative Assistants within the Creative Team, ensuring alignment with University and Departmental standards
  • Provide coaching, guidance, and milestone setting for social media content creation
  • Lead regular planning meetings with the various partner teams of Student Life to identify content needs, coordinate talent and location dynamics, and ensure that all programming needs are supported
  • Manage social media takeovers, collaborations with other channels, and live content capture, as needed
  • Conduct regular channel maintenance, review, and assessment to ensure content accuracy and quality
  • Oversee audience engagement efforts, on a regular cadence
• Digital Media Content Creation
  • Develop and oversee photo, video, and audio content approaches for execution by creative student workers.
  • Capture and edit photo, video and audio-based content as needed, including event coverage, staged video content, and live social media content
  • Develop video and photo post-production assets including motion graphic templates, Lightroom presents, etc.
  • Curate pre-made assets, audio, and other materials for internal usage
• Podcasting and Livestream Management
  • Setup, manage, and oversee video and audio-based livestreams and podcast recordings.
  • Edit podcast and livestream-based content as needed.
  • Maintain equipment, microphones, cameras, etc. for livestreaming purposes.
• Partnership Development and Management
  • Developing talent flow for future photo and video student workers, centering on collaboration with Liberty’s School of Communication & the Arts
  • Oversee and develop partnerships with Liberty University Marketing as needed, as well as other video and photo-based creative teams within Liberty University.
• Work effectively as a team member, embracing and fostering LU's mission.
• Other Duties as Assigned

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

This position does not directly supervise any positions, though a high level of mentorship and guidance for a team of creative student workers is required.

QUALIFICATIONS AND CREDENTIALS

Minimum Qualifications

• Education

  • Completed bachelor’s degree.

• Experience

  • 2 years of professional photo or video related work experience, or experience in adjacent creative fields
  • A strong working knowledge of photo and video techniques and programs, centering on the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite
  • Demonstrable experience in photo and video capture and post-production

Preferred Qualifications

• Education

  • Bachelor’s degree in digital media, cinematic arts, communication or relevant field of study preferred.

• Experience

  • Experience with livestream production

  • Social media management experience with Instagram, Facebook, and similar platforms
  • Motion graphic design

ABILITIES AND COMPETENCIES ESSENTIAL TO THE FUNCTION OF THE JOB

Communication

• Effectively communicates in both verbal and written forms to convey clear, well-articulated information.
• Able to understand, speak, and write English in order to convey messages and correspond in an articulate and professional manner.
• Demonstrates strong organization, project management, and managerial skills.
• Possesses excellent computer skills, necessary for Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe Creative Suite.

Initiative & Work Ethic

• Task oriented and dedicated, meets deadlines while going the extra mile and producing quality work products.
• Anticipates needs and takes steps to meet those needs before they crop up, taking a proactive and intentional approach to their duties.

Leadership & People Skills

• Sincere and affable, is able to build relational rapport quickly, establishing productive relationships across a variety of departments and contexts.
• Develops priorities for their team, and provides tangible steps and tasks to enable their team to achieve these priorities.
• Trains, develops, and stewards the personnel resources of their team to improve the team’s overall skillsets and contributions.
• Intentional to show care for others, exhibiting intentionality, conscientiousness, and emotional intelligence in interpersonal interactions.

Organization

• Detail-oriented, catching and fixing small errors and details in both visual and written communications and content.
• Manages their own schedule, project timelines, as well as the schedules of their team with punctuality and proactivity.

Physical and Sensory Abilities

• Frequently required to travel to local and campus locations.
• Frequently required to sit for extended periods to perform deskwork or type on a keyboard.
• Regularly required to hear and speak in order to effectively communicate and review Creative Team media content.
• Occasionally required to stand, walk, and climb stairs to move about the building.
• Handle materials, reach overhead, kneel or stoop in order to conduct business.
• Regularly lift 20 or fewer pounds.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Work Environment

The working environment in which one will typically perform the essential functions of this position is in an office setting.  However, work frequently occurs in a variety of other settings; including, but not limited to, residence halls, warehouses, and outdoor activities. 

Driving Requirements

Use of one’s personal vehicle (or LU vehicles) may be required for travel in the performance of the essential functions of this position.  Proof of a valid Virginia driver’s license, an acceptable DMV record, and liability insurance is required.

Time Type

Full time

Location

Onsite

Pay Range

Compensation is determined based on factors such as qualifications, experience, education, skills, and certifications, along with University needs and external market conditions. Market benchmarks may be used, as appropriate, in combination with internal equity to ensure pay is fair and aligned with the broader compensation structure.

The position may also be eligible for comprehensive benefits, including health insurance, retirement plans, and tuition assistance.

$50,000.00 - $60,000.00

The University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe it is our moral and legal obligation to meet the responsibility of ensuring that all management practices regarding employees are conducted in a nondiscriminatory manner. In compliance with Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and other applicable federal and state statutes, all recruiting, hiring, training, and promoting for all job classifications will be administered without regard to race, color, ancestry, age, sex, national origin, pregnancy or childbirth, disability, military veteran status or other applicable status protected by law, including state of employment protected classes. It is, therefore, our policy and intention to evaluate all employees and prospective employees strictly according to the requirements of the job. All personnel related activities such as compensation, benefits, transfers, job classification, assignments, working conditions, educational assistance, terminations, layoffs, and return from layoffs, and all other terms, conditions and privileges of employment will be administered without regard to race, color, ancestry, age, sex, national origin, pregnancy or childbirth, disability, military veteran status or other applicable status protected by law, including all applicable state of employment protected classes. The University is a Christian religious-affiliated organization; and as such, is not subject to religious discrimination requirements. The University’s hiring practices and EEO discrimination practices are in full compliance with both federal and state law. Federal law creates an exception to the “religion” component of the employment discrimination laws for religious organizations (including educational institutions), and permits them to give employment practice preference to members of their own religious beliefs.