Social Media Manager

Southern Virginia University’s Office of Marketing is seeking a talented, energetic, and motivated Athletics Social Media Manager to lead and grow the university’s athletics social media presence. This position will develop platform-specific strategies, create and distribute engaging content, and provide timely coverage of Southern Virginia’s athletic programs, teams, student-athletes, and events. The ideal candidate understands sports culture, thrives in a fast-paced environment, and is comfortable working both behind and in front of the camera. This position requires regular evening and weekend availability to provide on-site coverage of athletic competitions and events.

Responsibilities

Manage the official social media accounts of Southern Virginia Athletics across all major platforms

Develop and execute a cohesive social media strategy that strengthens the Southern Virginia Athletics brand and supports the university’s broader marketing goals

Provide on-site social media coverage of home games, competitions, media days, special events, and other athletics-related activities

Create and publish timely content, including game-day graphics, photos, short-form videos, interviews, behind-the-scenes features, score updates, highlights, and promotional campaigns

Serve as an on-camera host or personality for selected videos, interviews, recurring content series, and other social media initiatives

Identify compelling stories involving Southern Virginia’s teams, coaches, and student-athletes

Collaborate with coaches, athletics administrators, student-athletes, and creative team members to plan and produce engaging content

Lead, mentor, and coordinate interns and student workers, providing clear direction, constructive feedback, and support in meeting content and coverage goals.

Maintain a consistent and appropriate brand voice across Southern Virginia Athletics social media platforms

Monitor comments, messages, tags, and community conversations while encouraging positive interaction with fans, students, alumni, and prospective student-athletes

Track analytics and performance data through in-app and third-party tools; use those insights to refine content and improve key performance indicators such as reach, engagement, followers, views, and shares

Stay current on emerging social media trends, platform updates, sports-content formats, and audience behaviors

Maintain an organized content calendar that accounts for team schedules, major competitions, institutional priorities, and seasonal campaigns

Perform other athletics marketing and social media duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications

Demonstrated experience using major social media platforms, including Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, and YouTube

Working knowledge of social media best practices, platform-specific content strategies, and evolving digital trends

Ability to create timely, engaging content in a fast-paced live-event environment

Availability to work evenings and weekends to cover home games, competitions, and other athletic events

Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple teams, schedules, and content priorities

Willingness and confidence to appear on camera and serve as a recognizable personality across Southern Virginia Athletics social media accounts

Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with coaches, student-athletes, athletics staff, and members of the Marketing and Creative team

Preferred Qualifications

Previous experience managing social media accounts for an athletic department, sports organization, team, or consumer-facing brand

Experience producing live or real-time social media coverage of games and events

Previous experience managing others, especially interns and student workers

Basic photography, videography, and mobile content-production skills

Basic proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, or similar creative tools

Familiarity with social media scheduling, analytics, and account-management platforms

Knowledge of collegiate athletics, sports storytelling, and fan-engagement strategies

About Southern Virginia University
Southern Virginia University is a private, faith-based institution of higher education aligned with the restored gospel of Jesus Christ as taught by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As a university, we gather faithful Latter-day Saints and those who share our values, lift intellectually, socially, and spiritually, and launch into successful lives and careers. Applicants are invited to learn more about the university at svu.edu/mission .

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