What are the responsibilities and job description for the Digital Media Specialist position at Marine Biological Laboratory?
Job Summary
The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) seeks a highly motivated professional to maintain and grow engagement with the Marine Biological Laboratory across our digital channels. The Digital Media Specialist will play a key role in developing content to promote the MBL, creating multimedia communications to enhance visual storytelling and marketing efforts.
Reporting to the Director of Communications, the Digital Media Specialist will create, curate, and manage content for MBL’s social channels and contribute content for MBL news site (mbl.edu/news) and email marketing to inform, inspire, and engage diverse audiences including donors, alumni, current and prospective scientists, industry partners, volunteers, and local and national general audiences.
The ideal candidate will have a passion for communicating science and experience with multichannel strategies and execution, including the creation of compelling images and design and leveraging of video content. They will manage and implement social marketing campaigns and build brand recognition by creating original content and curating dynamic content from other users, with a focus on innovative approaches to visual storytelling, including producing micro videos. The candidate will provide live event social media coverage and content during key events throughout the year.
The candidate will utilize analytics tools to track campaign progress and research industry trends and will evaluate new social platforms, technologies, and trends to keep MBL content relevant and engaging to our audiences. The Digital Media Specialist will serve as a guide to offices across campus with a social media presence in best practices in social media to achieve their engagement goals, act as a point person for visiting scientists and students, and, at times, assist with content creation/campaign strategy.
Additional Tasks:
● Create science art and, illustration and graphic design assets to support development, research, education through marketing and engagement campaigns and (when appropriate) for sale within the Gift Shop
● Create graphics for social media promotion of events (including Friday Evening Lectures, Falmouth Forums, Endowed Lecture Series, and community events such as Black History Month and Resilient Woods Hole)
● Act as MBL’s in-house photographer, creating high-quality images for use in web, print, and marketing collateral
● Create and manage MBL’s digital assets (including video b-roll and photo galleries) for use by internal and external sources
● Support Education marketing efforts to bring more / diverse students to MBL — including the creation of alumni videos, social media outreach, and the creation of social toolkits for use by MBL main accounts and by Education on their course-specific accounts.
● Create email marketing campaigns using mailchimp.
● Support internal video/communications efforts as needed (e.g., annual support on MBL safety video, strategic team-building communications, etc.).
● Provide staffing support at MBL events as needed.
Qualifications
● Bachelor’s degree in Digital Communications, Communications, Marketing, or similar
● At least two years of demonstrated success developing and implementing social media content in a professional role for higher education, business, or other clients
● Preferably prior experience with Sprout Social or Hootsuite
● Experience promoting Scientific Information
● Experience with targeted social media campaigns
● Demonstrated success using emerging technologies to meet communication goals
● Experience running paid social media that generates a positive ROI
● Experience measuring, analyzing, and reporting social media metrics
● Experience using video and image editing software
● Experience using an email distribution platform
● Excellent communication skills and a talented digital copywriter
● Strong project management, planning, communication and time management skills
● Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, high-volume environment
● Strong visual aesthetic and experience with multimedia storytelling
● Excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to inspire other communicators
● Broad interest in and understanding of science; background in biology preferred
● Available evenings, weekends and holidays as needed for social media reporting
