Job Description

This position supports the College of Podiatric Medicine's brand, digital presence, and prospective-student outreach. The Brand & Content Coordinator produces and schedules social media and video content, writes recruitment copy, supports virtual and in-person prospect events, and helps run the CPM top-of-funnel: organic social, paid digital, email nurture, and ambassador programs. The role partners with the CPM Recruitment & Admissions Coordinator on prospect-to-applicant handoff, and coordinates with SMU Marketing & Communications to keep CPM aligned with university brand standards while maintaining a distinct, program-specific voice.
The role is measured on prospective-student engagement (reach, inquiries, application starts), applicant source attribution, and contribution to CPM recruitment yield. Some travel required for conferences, recruiting events, and program content production.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Content Production & Social Media - 45%

• Produce and schedule short-form and long-form content for Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, and the CPM web presence: student life features, faculty spotlights, alumni stories, procedure highlights, campus and clinical footage.
• Maintain the CPM editorial calendar in alignment with the AACPMAS application cycle (open, interview season, decision deadlines).
• Write and edit recruitment copy for landing pages, email campaigns, viewbook, info-session scripts, and ambassador toolkits.
• Capture and edit photography and video on location (campus, clinical sites, events) and in-studio.
• Support the CPM visual identity: basic graphic design, asset organization, and coordination with freelance photographers, videographers, and designers.

Prospective-Student Outreach & Recruitment Support - 30%

• Support top-of-funnel acquisition across organic social, paid digital (Meta, Google, TikTok, LinkedIn), and SEO for CPM program pages.
• Build and send email nurture sequences for prospects from first inquiry through AACPMAS application submission.
• Coordinate virtual and in-person prospect events: webinars, Q&A sessions, info sessions, admitted-student events. Handle speaker prep, run-of-show, and post-event content reuse.
• Coordinate the CPM student ambassador and alumni ambassador programs for user-generated content and peer outreach.
• Work closely with the CPM Recruitment & Admissions Coordinator on prospect-to-applicant handoff, nurture for stalled leads, and yield activities for admitted students.

Analytics & Reporting - 10%

• Track KPIs: impressions, engagement rate, inquiry volume, application starts, applicant source attribution, and channel-level cost efficiency.
• Assemble a monthly dashboard for the CPM Dean and the Pathway to Success leadership group.
• Flag trends and recommend adjustments to the Dean and SMU Marketing partners.

Communications & Liaison - 10%

• Liaise with SMU Marketing & Communications to stay aligned with university brand standards and leverage shared resources.
• Partner with the SMU Web team on CPM program pages and conversion flow.
• Coordinate with external vendors (agencies, photographers, videographers, printers, paid media platforms) under Dean's direction.

Other duties as assigned - 5%

Skills and Abilities:

• Hands-on production skills: writing, photography or videography, basic graphic design, video editing. Comfort with tools like Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, CapCut, or equivalents.
• Working knowledge of paid digital platforms (Meta Ads Manager, Google Ads, TikTok Ads, LinkedIn Campaign Manager) and web analytics (GA4, UTM tagging).
• Strong copywriting. Able to write in a warm, specific, non-corporate voice that resonates with prospective health professions students.
• Able to produce a finished piece of content end-to-end, not just brief an agency.
• Comfortable on camera and behind the camera. Willing to direct students, faculty, and alumni talent and coax good footage out of non-professionals.
• Good project management. Able to run multiple parallel campaigns and hit deadlines tied to the application cycle.
• Demonstrate commitment to the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Able to work independently while collaborating across CPM, SMU Marketing, Admissions, and external vendors.
• Handle privileged student and applicant information in a FERPA-compliant manner.
• Professional in manner and attire.
• Available to work two to four Saturdays per year for recruiting events and content shoots.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree required. Preferred fields: Marketing, Communications, Journalism, Digital Media, Film/Video, or related.
• Relevant experience welcomed but not required. Candidates with prior work in brand/content, social media, agency, freelance content production, higher-education recruitment marketing, or a substantial personal content program are all encouraged to apply.
• Preferred: experience marketing a professional or graduate program (medical, dental, pharmacy, law, MBA) or a regulated healthcare brand.
• Portfolio required: candidates should be able to show 3 to 5 examples of content or campaigns they personally produced. Freelance, internship, student publication, and personal project work all count.

Physical Requirements:

• Able to lift, bend, and flex the upper body.
• Able to be sedentary for extended periods of time.
• Able to go back and forth across campus several times per day.
• Able to lift up to 30 pounds and push and pull carts (event setup, equipment transport).
• Able to travel by car and air for recruiting events and content shoots.

Work Environment:

Office Location: Oakland Campus – Onsite

• This is an onsite position based in Oakland, CA, requiring regular in-office presence to support daily operations, collaboration, and student or team engagement.
• Work is performed primarily on campus in a dynamic academic environment, with direct interaction across multidisciplinary teams.

Employee Status:

Regular

Exemption Status:

United States of America (Non-Exempt)

Time Type:

Full time

Job Shift:

Pay Range:

$29.01 to $38.50 hour/non-exempt based on experienceSamuel Merritt University currently provides base salary ranges for all positions-on job advertisements-in the United States based on local requirements. Individual compensation will ultimately be determined based on a variety of relevant factors including but-not limited to qualifications, geographic location, and other relevant skills.