Purpose of Role
The Alumni Content and Social Media Coordinator plays a pivotal role in delivering Heriot-Watt University's alumni digital engagement strategy. Reporting to the Alumni Engagement Manager and working within a team of seven, the post holder will manage and grow the department's social media presence, create compelling content and support internal and external communications that enhance alumni engagement across our global campuses and beyond.
This role is based full-time on the Edinburgh campus and requires a proactive, creative and collaborative individual who can work independently and as part of a team. The post holder will liaise closely with colleagues across the Development and Alumni Office (DAO), other professional services and academic Schools to ensure seamless delivery of communications and engagement activities.
Key Duties & Responsibilities
Digital Engagement & Social Media
1. Coordinate and deliver a targeted social media and digital communications plan for alumni and wider stakeholders.
2. Manage and monitor alumni social media channels, responding to queries and identifying opportunities for engagement.
3. Lead fortnightly social media meetings and contribute to university-wide communications planning.
4. Collaborate with Alumni team to implement the Digital Engagement Strategy.
5. Create segmented and compelling content for alumni, donors, students and staff.
6. Ensure brand consistency across all digital platforms, including social media, web and print.
7. Ensure our Shaping Futures Campaign is threaded through our digital content and channels reinforcing calls to action to get involved and support.
8. Maintain quality control across all content, ensuring accessibility and compliance standards are met.
Content Creation & Communications
9. Research, write, and share alumni news and stories via newsletters, web pages, and social media posts.
10. Coordinate and contribute to The Watt Magazine, working with internal and external contributors.
11. Develop alumni profiles and user-generated content (UGC), including testimonials, videos and photography.
12. Write copy for internal newsletters to raise awareness of alumni activity with staff and students.
13. Support the creation and editing of video content for alumni events and campaigns.
14. Contribute to the development and refinement of the alumni digital engagement strategy, identifying opportunities for innovation and improvement.
Internal Engagement & Collaboration
15. Work collaboratively with DAO colleagues, central communications, marketing, Schools and global campuses.
16. Develop creative partnerships with the Students' Association and Sports Societies.
17. Champion change and innovation - support new ways of working digitally across the DAO.
18. Build and maintain relationships with key internal and external stakeholders to support collaborative content development and Shaping Futures campaign delivery.
19. Take a proactive role in cross-university networks and collaborations to influence decisions and share best practices.
Reporting and Analysis
20. Provide monthly analytics and insights on social media performance, using tools such as Hootsuite, Meta Business Suite, LinkedIn Analytics, and Google Analytics to inform future posts and content creation.
21. Collate and present to the DAO on the performance of our digital channels on monthly basis.
22. Analyse campaign effectiveness and provide recommendations for future digital engagement initiatives.
23. Track follower growth, engagement rates and content reach to assess impact and ROI of digital communications.
24. Benchmark alumni engagement performance against sector standards and peer institutions.
25. Use data insights to refine audience segmentation and personalise content strategies.
26. Support reporting for senior leadership and campaign stakeholders, including Shaping Futures performance dashboards.
27. Evaluate the success of digital events and online campaigns through post-event analytics and feedback.
28. Maintain records of key performance indicators (KPIs) and contribute to quarterly and annual reporting cycles.
Events & Campaigns
29. Assist in shaping and delivering alumni events based on audience needs.
30. Support digital events and in-person alumni activities.
31. Represent the alumni team at university events including graduations, career fairs and external conferences.
32. Lead small-scale digital projects or campaigns from concept to evaluation, ensuring timely delivery and effective use of resources.
33. Use initiative and creativity to resolve complex problems in campaign planning and delivery.
Essential Criteria
34. Educated to SCQF Level 6 or equivalent experience.
35. Experience in a similar communications, marketing, or alumni engagement role.
36. Experience in managing Social Media Channels, reporting software and generating different modes of engaging content.
37. Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
38. Proficient in relevant IT and digital tools.
39. Ability to work flexibly, accurately and under pressure.
40. Demonstrated commitment to excellent customer service.
41. Ability to prioritise workloads and meet deadlines.
42. Experience working collaboratively across teams and departments.
43. Understanding of accessibility and compliance in digital communications.
44. Ability to evaluate the effectiveness of alumni communications and inform future content planning.
45. Ability to communicate complex or conceptual information to influence or negotiate with others.