Director, Brand and Engagement bei Bellevue University

Position Summary: The Director of Brand & Engagement is a dynamic, visionary leader responsible for advancing the university’s brand reputation, reach, and resonance across the full media ecosystem. This role fuses strategic brand management with digital engagement, placing a strong emphasis on digital commerce, social media, storytelling, audience development, and data-driven performance. Reporting to the VP of Growth Marketing, this leader will oversee the development and execution of an integrated engagement strategy that aligns with institutional priorities and showcases the value of the university’s mission and impact.
 
 This role is ideal for a brand strategist with deep experience in social and content ecosystems—someone who can elevate creative expression, mobilize cross-functional partnerships, and guide a high-performing team to deliver results.
 

Essential Functions:

Brand Leadership & Strategy
 - Own and evolve the brand’s voice, visual identity, and presence across digital platforms, ensuring consistency and resonance with key audiences.
 - Lead the development of a unified engagement strategy across owned, earned, and shared channels (e.g., Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, Threads, X).
 - Translate brand and institutional goals into measurable audience engagement, reputation lift, and downstream enrollment or retention impact.
 - Act as the organizational SME on social media trends, audience behaviors, cultural moments, and the creator economy.
 - Maintain and optimize 3rd party directory and review listings (e.g., Niche, College Confidential, Google Business, etc.), ensuring accurate and compelling brand representation.
 

Performance, Insights & Optimization
 - Set and monitor KPIs for brand health and engagement, including reach, sentiment, share of voice, and conversion metrics.
 - Collaborate with the analytics team to build dashboards, performance attribution models, and benchmark reporting.
 - Leverage real-time data and listening tools to optimize content performance and inform future campaigns.
 - Integrate earned, organic, and paid social data into a cohesive measurement framework to evaluate full-funnel impact.
 

Campaigns & Content Innovation
 - Oversee the development, publication, and governance of content across core social platforms and student engagement tools (e.g., BU student app).
 - Partner with design, video, and content strategy teams to scale creative assets that are authentic, platform-native, and audience-relevant.
 - Identify opportunities for influencer, ambassador, and creator collaborations that align with brand values and campaign objectives.
 - Champion experimentation with emerging formats (e.g., short-form video, audio, interactive experiences) to drive innovation.
 

Cross-Functional Collaboration
 - Align closely with PR/Comms, Enrollment, Admissions, Lifecycle Marketing, SEO, and Advancement to ensure integrated messaging and coordinated campaign delivery.
 - Develop social media protocols and playbooks to support executive communications, crisis management, and key institutional moments.
 - Serve as an internal consultant for departments seeking to leverage social channels or amplify institutional storytelling.
 - Build pathways for employee, student, and alumni advocacy to extend reach and authenticity of the brand.
 - Regularly showcase campaign performance, audience insights, and creative innovation to internal stakeholders, including academic leadership, staff, and campus partners.
 - Create intentional forums (newsletters, dashboards, showcases, roadshows, etc.) to celebrate high-performing campaigns and invite collaboration and storytelling ideas from across the university.
 

Support for Student Performance & Success Initiatives
 - Contribute to the development and communication of marketing strategies that reinforce student belonging, retention, engagement, and academic momentum.
 - Support campaigns and platform strategies that elevate student-facing resources, success programs, and academic support initiatives.
 - Help position the university as a student-centered institution through digital storytelling, peer voices, and advocacy programs that surface student experience and outcomes.
 - Partner with student affairs, academic services, and enrollment management to ensure social content aligns with evolving student success goals.
 

Team Leadership & Operations
 - Recruit, lead, and mentor a multidisciplinary team of social media managers, community specialists, and digital creatives.
 - Establish and enforce social media governance, compliance standards, escalation workflows, and community moderation protocols.
 - Manage agency, vendor, and platform relationships (e.g., Sprout Social, Hootsuite, Meltwater, Brandwatch) to ensure seamless operations and strategic insights.
 - Create a culture of experimentation, continuous learning, and brand stewardship across the team.
 

Success Metrics
 - Year-over-year growth in engagement, reach, follower quality, and audience sentiment.
 - Demonstrated impact of brand engagement on lead generation, enrollment, or donor conversion.
 - Scalable, efficient creative workflows and social governance processes in place.
 - Institutional storytelling amplified through executive visibility, community advocacy, and cross-functional campaigns.

Marginal Duties and Responsibilities:

Individual Contributor Competencies:

• Initiative - Takes prompt action to accomplish tasks and meet goals and objectives.
• Service Orientation – Applies effective interpersonal and problem-solving skills when responding to customers and is committed to customer satisfaction.
• Teamwork– Encourages team unity by interacting positively with co-workers through the sharing of information or expertise, working together to solve problems, and putting team success first.

• Communication (Spoken & Written) - Able to clearly present information through the spoken word; influences or persuades others through oral presentation in positive or negative circumstances; listens well; able to write clearly and effectively present ideas and to document activities; to read and interpret written information.

• 8–12+ years of progressive experience in brand marketing, digital engagement, or social strategy, with at least 3 years managing a team.
• Demonstrated success managing large-scale, multi-platform social ecosystems and content operations.
• Expertise in audience development, brand voice strategy, paid/organic media interplay, and content performance optimization.
• Deep understanding of digital KPIs and analytics, with experience building full-funnel attribution models.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills with executive presence and storytelling acumen.
• Fluency in social media management tools, dashboards, and listening platforms (e.g., Sprout, Brandwatch, Sprinklr, or equivalent).

Preferred

• Experience in higher education, mission-driven organizations, or B2C service sectors.
• Background in reputation management, crisis response, or issues communications.
• Familiarity with accessibility standards, diversity-informed design, and inclusive storytelling.
• Experience managing or integrating influencer/ambassador programs or UGC campaigns.

Computer Skills: 

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office software such as Word, Excel and web-based content management systems (CMS).
• Functional understanding of AI system capabilities to leverage for creative and content development

Other Physical Requirements: N/A

Reasonable Accommodations Statement: 

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable Accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

 Work Environment:

• Works in a normal office environment. Remote work is possible/negotiable.
• There may be occasional assignments outside of traditional working hours.

NOTE:  The statements above are intended to describe the general nature and level of work involved for this job.  It is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of this job.  This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an “at will” relationship.

The Higher Education Opportunity Act requires institutions participating in federally funded financial aid programs to make information about the institution available to the public, current and prospective students, and current and prospective employees. The Bellevue University Consumer Information webpage, found at www.bellevue.edu/student-support/consumer-information/consumer-information, provides readily accessible information to help consumers make informed decisions about post-secondary education. Bellevue University’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report (ASR), found at www.bellevue.edu/student-support/consumer-information/pdfs/annual-safety-report.pdf, provides information about campus crime statistics and institutional security policies and procedures as well as information about student housing fire statistics and fire safety policies. You can obtain a paper copy of these reports from the Bellevue Dean of Students office by calling 402-557-7028. In addition to this, Bellevue University is an Equal Opportunity Employer.