Social Media Content Manager

Job description

About Us

At UEL, we're on a mission to transform lives through education, supporting our vibrant and diverse student community and building a future-facing institution rooted in innovation and inclusion.

Our External Relations Directorate brings together specialist teams across communications, marketing, student recruitment and digital, all working together to drive our Vision 2028 forward.

Our dynamic team is a creative, fast-paced environment where no two days are the same. Social media is central to how we tell the UEL story - from celebrating our students and showcasing our academic expertise to building our reputation and supporting student recruitment.

About the role

Can you spot the story, turn it into scroll-stopping content, and bring it to life on camera? Join us and lead the creative engine behind our social media channels.

As our Social Media Content Manager, you'll be the creative engine behind UEL's social channels, turning our content strategy and pillars into compelling, high-performing daily content.

Working closely with the Head of Social Media, you'll lead the end-to-end content journey - from spotting a story and developing the idea, through scripting and filming, to editing, publishing and measuring performance.

At the heart of the role is authentic storytelling. You'll uncover the people and experiences behind the University - our students, alumni, academics, staff and communities - and turn their real stories into engaging social content. You'll know when a story needs a polished creative treatment and when the most powerful approach is simply to capture a genuine moment as it happens.

Here's what you'll be doing:

• Leading the creation and production of original social content across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and other key platforms, with video, mobile cinematography and visual storytelling at the heart of your work.
• Managing the social content pipeline, including content calendars, production schedules, publishing workflows and approvals.
• Acting as the final creative gatekeeper for social content, ensuring everything is accurate, accessible, proofread, on brand and meets a high creative standard.
• Keeping ahead of emerging social trends, creator culture, TikTok formats, editing styles and opportunities to create timely, trend-reactive content for UEL.

This is a hands-on role for someone who loves making things. You'll be as comfortable getting out from behind the desk to find a great story and put a camera in front of someone as you are developing a creative idea, writing a sharp social hook or coaching the next generation of content creators.

You'll understand that the best social content doesn't always come from a big campaign or a perfectly scripted shoot. Sometimes it's a student's reaction, an unexpected moment on campus, an academic explaining something brilliantly, or a behind-the-scenes glimpse of university life. You'll have the editorial judgement to recognise those moments and the creative skills to turn them into content people want to watch and share.

About You

We're looking for an experienced social media creative who combines outstanding production skills with strategic awareness, editorial judgement and a genuine understanding of what makes people engage online.

You'll be a natural storyteller who is curious about people. You know how to make contributors feel comfortable on camera, ask the right questions and find the human detail that turns an ordinary story into compelling content.

Sound like your kind of role? We'd love to hear from you.

Benefits Package

At UEL, we believe that a great role is about more than just a salary. It's about the complete package, including our outstanding work environment and inclusive culture.

We offer a genuinely competitive salary, dependent on experience (DOE), and a range of excellent benefits.

You can explore our full benefits package here: https://uel.ac.uk/benefits-professional-services-positions

Equal Opportunities

UEL is an inclusive equal opportunities employer and is proud of our Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion achievements.

We're a Disability Confident employer and value all applications. Please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.

If you're ready to join a University that values your outstanding skills and perspectives and is dedicated to making a difference, we invite you to explore a career with us. We are excited to welcome versatile individuals who are committed to advancing their careers while making a positive impact on the world.

Please note that this advert may close earlier than the deadline if we receive many applications. We encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible.

Further Details
Job Description & Person Specification