Senior Manager, Content and Digital Strategy, OCCM

This position is for Office of Corporate Communications and Marketing (OCCM).

• Content Strategy and Editorial Oversight
• Drive the development and execution of a coherent, audience-led content strategy across SMU's owned digital platforms, ensuring alignment with institutional marketing goals and brand positioning.
• Lead editorial planning and governance for content hubs, campaign pages, and thought leadership pieces, ensuring a consistent narrative voice, high-quality storytelling, and strategic relevance.
• Collaborate closely with internal stakeholders, and agency partners to shape content that supports student acquisition, brand storytelling, and reputation-building.
• Search-Optimised and Discoverability-Driven Content Strategy
• Lead the integration of modern SEO practices into content development—optimising for discoverability across not only Google, but also Gen AI platforms, social media search, and knowledge-based tools.
• Ensure content is structured and tagged effectively to perform well in conversational and visual search contexts (e.g. snippets, carousels, AI-generated summaries).
• Stay abreast of emerging SEO trends, including multimodal search, entity-based optimisation, and voice or chatbot interfaces—translating these into actionable content strategy.
• Multi-Format Content Creation and Channel Adaptation
• Develop and oversee the production of compelling content across short-form, long-form, and multimedia formats for web, email, and social platforms.
• Adapt messaging across different channels to ensure platform-specific resonance, audience relevance, and content cohesion.
• Provide expert copywriting for campaign messaging, social captions, ad copy, and email flows with clear calls-to-action and brand alignment.
• Community Engagement and Monitoring
• Engage with online communities across the region, responding to audience queries and comments in a culturally appropriate manner.
• Monitor brand mentions and address any emerging issues, escalating potential risks to the Social Lead when needed.
• Performance Analytics and ROI Evaluation
• Measure and analyse content effectiveness using tools such as Google Analytics, Search Console, HubSpot, SEMrush or equivalent.
• Monitor key performance indicators including reach, engagement, SEO performance, lead quality, and conversion rates, applying data to refine strategy.
• Develop content dashboards and performance reports, and communicate insights and recommendations to stakeholders to demonstrate marketing ROI.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration and Alignment
• Partner with colleagues across brand, corporate communications, university events, admissions, alumni, and faculties to ensure content supports cross-functional campaign and reputational goals.
• Guide and mentor junior team members or freelancers to deliver high-quality content that meets editorial standards and marketing priorities.
• Engage external writers, editors, or agencies when needed, ensuring alignment with SMU's tone, brand, and strategic goals.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Academic Qualifications:
• A Bachelor's degree in Journalism, Mass Communications, Marketing, Digital Media, or a related field.
• Editorial and Content Development Expertise (Minimum 57 years)
• Strong writing and editing skills across formats—blog articles, web copy, email campaigns, and social media content—with a clear, audience-first approach.
• Proven ability to craft compelling narratives and adapt messaging for different platforms, while maintaining brand voice and institutional credibility.
• Search and Discoverability Awareness (Minimum 35 years)
• Solid understanding of modern SEO principles, including keyword targeting, metadata optimisation, and content structuring for search engines and social platforms.
• Familiarity with how content is discovered across traditional search, generative AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT), and social platforms (e.g. TikTok, LinkedIn).
• Working knowledge of tools like Google Search Console, SEMrush, or similar, with ability to translate insights into action.
• Content Performance and ROI Measurement (Minimum 35 years)
• Experience using tools like Google Analytics, HubSpot, or equivalent to assess content impact across traffic, engagement, and conversion metrics.
• Ability to derive content insights from data and translate them into optimised content strategy and reporting narratives.
• Platform Adaptability and Channel Knowledge (Minimum 5 years)
• Hands-on experience creating and adapting content across web, email, and social channels (LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok).
• Working understanding of platform trends and engagement formats, with the ability to optimise content for different devices and audiences.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration and Workflow Management (Minimum 5 years)
• Proven ability to collaborate with internal teams, freelancers, and agency partners to deliver timely and effective content.
• Strong project management and organisational skills, with the ability to juggle multiple content streams and campaign deadlines.

Other Information

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Candidates who do not possess the stipulated qualifications but have relevant work experience may still apply. Remuneration and appointment terms shall commensurate with qualifications and experience. SMU reserves the right to modify the appointment terms where necessary.