Content Optimization Specialist

Job Title
Content Optimization Specialist

Physical Location
Kent Campus - Kent, OH

Salary
$67,706 - $86,207

Basic Function
Drives tactical performance across all digital content, ensuring everything is structured for maximum visibility, discoverability, and engagement. Optimizes content for all audiences across all platforms. Applies best practices, personalization, tagging and testing strategies to continuously improve content across all university owned channels, paid campaigns, earned efforts and customer engagement systems. Reports to the Senior Director, Data Strategy.

Additional Basic Function
As Kent State advances its digital transformation vision, the Engagement & Optimization Team (EOT) will play a foundational role in operationalizing a university-wide audience engagement data strategy. This team supports strategic, data-informed communications and marketing through unified content strategy, digital experience optimization, and measurable, personalized engagement across all platforms. These efforts span all university communication and marketing channels—including web, email, mobile, social media, CRM platforms like Slate, Element451 and other distributed systems. The roles are not limited to web optimization but are designed to elevate the university's total audience engagement strategy across all touchpoints and departments. The EOT will work collaboratively across the university to guide and coordinate institutional data strategy for audience engagement and performance measurement—ensuring alignment, collaboration, and impact at scale.

Duties / Essential Functions

Perform search engine audits and implement keyword strategies across university digital platforms.

Manage tagging, metadata and personalization structures for smarter audience targeting.

Optimize content for all audiences across all platforms (i.e., traditional, local/location-based or AI-powered search/chat agents) to enhance user engagement and conversion.

Provide optimization recommendations to content teams based on real-time performance metrics.

Develop optimization strategies across all communication channels and audience engagement systems.

Deploy AI tools for customization of content to each audience/user across all channels.

Assist Director of Data Strategy in data strategy efforts.

Coordinate with University Communications and Marketing (UCM) team and other university partners to research, identify and operationalize UX learnings.

May provide direct supervision of student employees.

Perform related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in marketing, digital media, communications, journalism, UX design, or a related field. Four years' professional experience in content optimization digital engagement roles or related experience.

License / Certification

SEO platforms (SEMrush, Moz, Yoast, Screaming Frog, SiteImprove, etc.)

Google Search Console and Google Analytics (GA4)

AI search optimization (AEO) tools or courses

A/B and multivariate testing platforms (e.g., Optimizely, Google Optimize)

AI-assisted content creation tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Jasper, SurferSEO, etc.)

Customer journey mapping tools

UX research and optimization platforms

Knowledge Of

Search engine optimization best practices

Personalization, tagging structures, and UX testing tools

Skill In

AI-assisted content tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Jasper, SurferSEO)

Search engine platforms and performance tools (e.g., SEMrush, Moz, Screaming Frog, Siteimprove, Google Search Console)

Ability To

Communicate recommendations effectively across teams and levels

Work across multiple digital platforms and collaborate with cross-functional teams

Preferred Qualifications
Not applicable.

Assessments
Asterisk (*) indicates knowledge, skills, abilities which require assessments.

Working Conditions / Physical Requirements
None.

Working Schedule
Monday - Friday 8AM - 5 PM or otherwise discussed with your supervisor.

Additional Information
Kent State University is committed to creating a community that is culturally and intellectually diverse and to attracting and retaining a diverse staff. We strive to create and maintain working and learning environments that respect differences, and are inclusive, welcoming, respectful and kind.

Must pass a security check.

Equal Opportunity Employer
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Official Job Descriptions
For official job descriptions, visit www.kent.edu/hr.

Smoke-Free Policy
Kent State University is a Smoke-Free, Tobacco-Free University effective July 1, 2017. Smoking and tobacco use are not permitted on any of Kent State’s campuses or other locations and properties that are owned, operated, or leased by Kent State, both domestic and international. For additional details, visit www.kent.edu/smoke-free.

Disclaimer
The intent of this description is to illustrate the types of duties and responsibilities that will be required of positions given this title and should not be interpreted to describe all the specific duties and responsibilities that may be required in any particular position. Directly related experience/education beyond the minimum stated may be substituted where appropriate at the discretion of the Appointing Authority. Kent State University reserves the right to revise or change job duties, job hours, and responsibilities.

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