Digital Marketing Specialist

Nebraska Wesleyan University is seeking a Digital Marketing Specialist. In this role, you will build and manage NWU's paid and organic digital presence -- developing sustained campaigns, identifying and targeting distinct audiences, creating content that connects, and reading performance data regularly to keep our marketing sharp. You will work in close collaboration with the Marketing and Communications team, student content creators, and our agency partners to ensure our digital channels are active, targeted, and measurable.

NWU is a place where students excel in the classroom, compete on the athletic field, perform on the stage, publish undergraduate research, and graduate knowing their professors by name. Your job is to make sure the right people find us -- and recognize what makes us worth finding.

This role also has a creative dimension. Roughly 20% of your time will be spent behind a camera -- filming short-form video and capturing photography illustrates the heart of NWU.

Department

Marketing & Communications

Responsibilities

Paid & Organic Digital Campaign Management (approximately 80%)

• Build, manage, and continuously optimize paid campaigns across Meta, Google (Performance Max, Search, and Display), TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, X, OTT/connected TV, and emerging AI-powered advertising platforms.
• Identify and select target audiences using behavioral data, audience personas, and platform tools to match the right message to the right person.
• Monitor campaign performance regularly, making adjustments to targeting, creative, bidding, and budget allocation to improve results.
• Build audience strategy to reach prospective students and their families with precision.
• Own the day-to-day management and growth of NWU's organic social media presence across platforms, in close collaboration with the broader Marketing and Communications team.
• Collaborate with student content creators to develop authentic content that reflects the NWU experience.
• Determine strategy for boosting organic social content to extend reach beyond existing audiences.
• Receive story-based content from the communications team and adapt it for distribution across NWU's social media channels.
• Track platform trends and emerging tools, identifying effective ways to incorporate them into NWU's digital strategy.
• Apply AI tools thoughtfully and judiciously -- using critical thinking to identify where technology can improve efficiency while preserving the human voice and judgment that effective communications require.
• Partner with ZeeMee and Loper to support NWU's presence on college search and engagement platforms.
• Advise on digital advertising strategy in collaboration with agency partners and the Director of Marketing and Communications.
• Produce clear, actionable performance reports that translate data into recommendations.
• Contribute to SEO strategy and support website content updates as needed.

Video & Photography Production (approximately 20%)

• Film and edit short-form video content for Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and paid ad creative -- fast, authentic, and built for how people actually watch.
• Capture photography in support of marketing campaigns, events, and digital assets, with a preference for real moments over staged ones.
• Adapt video content across formats and aspect ratios for different platforms and campaign objectives.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, digital media, or a related field -- or equivalent demonstrated experience.
• Two or more years of experience in digital marketing, including hands-on work with paid digital and social campaigns.
• Working knowledge of Meta Ads, including campaign setup, audience targeting, and performance monitoring.
• Familiarity with Google Ads platforms, including Search, Display, and Performance Max.
• Active, informed presence on social media platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and X -- and an understanding of how each one works differently.
• Ability to read campaign analytics and use data to inform decisions and adjustments.
• Experience creating and managing organic social media content across multiple platforms.
• Understanding of audience targeting concepts, including personas and behavioral data.
• Familiarity with geofencing and location-based advertising tactics.
• Video production and editing skills, with proficiency in Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, CapCut, or equivalent tools.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, or similar design software for social graphics and ad creative.
• Photography skills, including comfort in real-world environments like campus events and outdoor settings.
• Strong written communication skills -- able to adapt tone and messaging for different audiences and platforms.
• Curiosity about where digital marketing is heading and openness to learning new tools and platforms.

Preferred

• Experience in higher education marketing or a mission-driven organization.
• Familiarity with college search and engagement platforms such as ZeeMee or Loper.
• Experience with YouTube advertising, including TrueView, skippable pre-roll, and bumper ad formats.
• Experience with Snapchat Ads Manager.
• Familiarity with ChatGPT Ads or similar emerging AI advertising platforms.
• Familiarity with SEO best practices.
• Experience working within brand guidelines alongside agency partners.
• Familiarity with AI-assisted campaign tools such as Meta Advantage+ or Google AI-powered bidding.

Salary

DOE/Q

Benefits

NWU offers a competitive wage and comprehensive benefits package including health insurance, life insurance, disability benefits, retirement, seven weeks of combined vacation and holiday time annually, and 100% tuition discount for dependents after one year of service.

How to Apply

To apply, please upload a cover letter, resume or curriculum vita, and the names of three professional references at the following URL: NWU encourages applicants to address how one or more of NWU's Core Values align with their personal values and characteristics and/or how they would contribute to them at NWU in their cover letter or a separate document. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

Nebraska Wesleyan University provides equal educational and employment opportunities to qualified persons in all areas of university operation without regard to religion or creed, age, genetic information, gender identity and expression, sexual identity and orientation, veteran status, disability, marital status, race, or national or ethnic origin, in compliance with state and federal laws, including but not limited to Title XII, Title IX, and the ADA. E-Verify, EOE.