Southern Methodist University

Assistant Director of AGAR Web Services (HR Title: Web Designer I) - (DEA00000465)

Description

Salary Range:

Salary commensurate with experience and qualifications

About SMU

SMU’s more than 12,000 diverse, high-achieving students come from all 50 states and over 80 countries to take advantage of the University’s small classes, meaningful research opportunities, leadership development, community service, international study and innovative programs.

SMU serves approximately 7,000 undergraduates and 5,000 graduate students through eight degree-granting schools: Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Cox School of Business, Lyle School of Engineering, Meadows School of the Arts, Simmons School of Education and Human Development, Dedman School of Law, Perkins School of Theology and Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies.

SMU is data driven, and its powerful supercomputing ecosystem – paired with entrepreneurial drive – creates an unrivaled environment for the University to deliver research excellence.

Now in its second century of achievement, SMU is recognized for the ways it supports students, faculty and alumni as they become ethical, enterprising leaders in their professions and communities. SMU’s relationship with Dallas – the dynamic center of one of the nation’s fastest-growing regions – offers unique learning, research, social and career opportunities that provide a launch pad for global impact.

SMU is nonsectarian in its teaching and committed to academic freedom and open inquiry.

About the Department:

Development and External Affairs (DEA) supports SMU by securing funding for University priorities; by promoting meaningful involvement in the life and work of the University; by heightening international, national, state and local awareness of SMU; and by supporting the enrollment of a diverse and able student body.

DEA comprises the offices of Office of the Senior Vice President, Annual Giving and Alumni Relations, Development Services, Program Services and Donor Relations, Marketing and Communications, Principal and Major Gifts, and School and Project Development.

SMU continues to leverage the benefits from the largest fundraising campaign in its history to achieve dramatic increases in academic quality and impact.

About the Position:

This role is an on-campus, in-person position.

We are seeking a candidate with SiteCore website experience who can internalize SMU's brand voice, adapt to ever-evolving trends and be accountable for content creation, GA4 analytics, and general website management as they build and execute a website content strategy for alumni-centric platforms within SMU's Annual Giving and Alumni Relations (AGAR) department, partnering closely with SMU's flagship website presence. Our ideal candidate is an engaging marketing storyteller who understands how to create, glean and organize website content tailored to alumni audiences and use the technical insights they glean to develop strategy that further engages our 130,000+ alumni to deepen their SMU journey. This role couples advanced knowledge of modern back-end web programming and workflow processes with front-end expertise. This position reports to the Director of Direct Marketing on SMU's AGAR team within Development and External Affairs.

Essential Functions:

• Strategy Development and Content Creation: Work collaboratively with Annual Giving & Alumni Relations (AGAR), central SMU marketing and other stakeholders to develop and execute ongoing, integrated, best-in-class web strategies that align with the department's goals of increasing alumni engagement, driving event attendance and promoting giving. Regularly concept, create, source & manage integrated content from other SMU websites and social channels (i.e., Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, etc.) that reflects the culture and accomplishments of SMU today as well as its alumni in alignment with AGAR’s' strategic plan and vision. Work with DEA's marketing and communications team and other vendors to ensure all outbound content meets University style and standards and ensure consistent messaging and tone. Collaborate with team members on content to acquire appropriate assets, generate proofs and test sites, and publish final products. Follow emerging trends and best practices in strategy development.
• Web design and management: Use expertise to create and implement improved web design and functionality for multiple alumni-focused websites and pages intended for philanthropic, engagement or informational purposes. This includes writing HTML, CSS, PHP and other related web programming, accessing web servers and other web applications to integrate content across different platforms. As the department's technical liaison, collaborate with SMU colleagues to ensure all websites are accurate, integrated & up to date. Organize structure and deploy content and updates for internal websites or other alumni-focused web portals, including SharePoint portals, event platforms, volunteer portals, and other web projects as assigned.
• Regularly analyze web/online analytics, track key performance metrics and develop monthly reports on the effectiveness of web content and strategy. Use reporting to inform web recommendations and improvements that support a strategy for developing and creating an alumni community on the Web. Regularly incorporate data-driven insights on campaign performance into actionable feedback for key AGAR stakeholders to help drive effectiveness, provide real-time strategy adjustments.
• Actively engage in benchmarking with campus partners and internal AGAR colleagues to glean content, timelines, insights and best practices that results in a well-coordinated, cohesive message to our alumni and parent audiences. Work closely with SMU's in-house media relations teams - attending regular meetings and sharing insights gleaned through AGAR channels - to stay informed about technical and content updates.
• Assists the Director of Direct Marketing and other colleagues within AGAR in management of multimedia and social media accounts. This may include account user management, content creation and planning, account monitoring and analytics across platforms.
• Other duties as assigned as an integral team member within the Annual Giving and Alumni Relations department. This may include attending events to support alumni, parent, student and donor engagement and fundraising, providing reports to board members, leading meetings to help team members develop best practices, etc.
• Occasional evening and/or weekend work is required.

Qualifications

Education and Experience:

Bachelor’s degree is required. Degree in Digital Media, Public Relations, Marketing, Web Design, or related field preferred.

A minimum of 2 years of experience is required. Creative and project management experience required.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Candidate must demonstrate strong interpersonal and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate broadly across the University and develop and maintain effective relationships with a wide range of constituencies. Must also demonstrate strong written communication skills.

Candidate must possess strong problem-solving skills with the ability to identify and analyze problems, as well as devise solutions. Must also have strong organizational, planning and time management skills.

Candidate must have the ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities in a highly deadline-driven environment.

Candidate must have professional work experience with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, XML PHP, MySQL, Sitecore, and CMS.

Candidate must have expert experience and knowledge of SEO (SEMRush preferred).

Candidate must have experience extrapolating and incorporating analytics insights.

Candidate must have experience with Google analytics (GA4).

Candidate must have experience with Monday.com or other project management software.

Candidate must have high creativity and ability to generate innovative ideas for engaging content.

Physical and Environmental Demands:

• Sit for long periods of time
• Bend
• Handle objects (dexterity)
• Work in confined quarters

Deadline to Apply:

Open until filled

EEO Statement:

SMU will not discriminate in any program or activity on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity and expression. The Executive Director for Access and Equity/Title IX Coordinator is designated to handle inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies and may be reached at the Perkins Administration Building, Room 204, 6425 Boaz Lane, Dallas, TX 75205, 214-768-3601, accessequity@smu.edu.

Benefits:

SMU offers staff a broad, competitive array of health and related benefits. In addition to traditional benefits such as health, dental, and vision plans, SMU offers a wide range of wellness programs to help attract, support, and retain our employees whose work continues to make SMU an outstanding education and research institution.

SMU is committed to providing an array of retirement programs that benefit and protect you and your family throughout your working years at SMU and, if you meet SMU's retirement eligibility criteria, during your retirement years after you leave SMU.

The value of learning at SMU isn't just about preparing our students for the future. Employees have access to a wide variety of professional and personal development opportunities, including tuition benefits.

Primary Location

: USA-TX-Dallas

Job

: Development

Organization

: DEA - Alumni Relations

Schedule

: Regular

Shift

: Staff

Employee Status

: Individual Contributor

Job Type

: Full-time

Job Level

: Day Job

Travel

: No

Job Posting

: Apr 11, 2025, 2:55:09 PM

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