Web and Content Manager

Full time
Open ended

The closing date for applications is midnight on Sunday 15 October 2023.
Interviews are expected to take place on Monday 30 October 2023.

There is an expectation that work will be undertaken in the UK.

For the purposes of sponsorship, this is a role under SOC code 2137.

The University of Stirling recognises that a diverse workforce benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers and welcome applications from those who would contribute to further diversification of our staff and ensure that equality, diversity and inclusion is woven into the substance of the role. We strongly encourage applications from people from diverse backgrounds including gender, identity, race, age, class, and ethnicity.

An excellent opportunity has arisen within the Directorate of Communications, Marketing and Recruitment to take up the post of Web and Content Manager. We communicate with a global audience across paid, earned and owned digital channels. Our university website, third party portals and online events platforms are central to meeting the user-needs of our key audiences. Ensuring the quality and integrity of these platforms and continually enhancing the user experience is a key focus.

We are looking for a dynamic individual who is an expert in digital content, and who has demonstrated strategic capability and managerial experience, to provide the leadership required to help us reach our next milestone.

Reporting to the Head of Digital and Content, you will be a senior member of the digital marketing team. Providing strategic leadership and management to the website content team, the Web and Content Manager will ensure the website and other digital platforms provide an exceptional user experience. You will uphold the quality and integrity of these sites, and will continually review their effectiveness, bringing forward and implementing new innovations to help support institutional objectives.

You will be currently operating at a managerial level within your organisation and will have significant experience leading multi-functional, high-performing digital and content marketing teams. You will have the ability to think strategically and operationally, with a user centred approach, ensuring high-quality delivery of day to day operations while identifying the vision for, and leading out on, future direction.

The post holder will have responsibility for a team of content producers for the digital platforms whose responsibilities include commissioning, creating and producing: SEO copy; video; photography; graphics and blogs. You will also manage a Digital Marketing Analyst who monitors website and SEO performance, alongside delivering data analysis and producing insights for a range of stakeholders across the Directorate. You’ll also lead on the coordination of a Digital PR outreach plan to raise awareness of our key areas of strength and increase our visibility on search.

The responsibilities of the Web and Content Manager include:

Planning and strategy

• Leading the development and implementation of the web content strategy and roadmap to achieve institutional objectives and ensure continual improvement of the sites
• Evaluating emerging trends and technologies and taking the lead in making recommendations to innovate and improve our offering
• Responsibility for the website content strategy, structure, content, design and governance
• Continually reviewing the effectiveness of the website and overseeing website health performance and reporting
• Leading on the creation and implementation of content planning workshops, user and competitor research and ideation sessions across the University

Digital Content

• Carrying out website and content audits and making recommendations to continually enhance website content and information architecture, in line with marketing objectives
• Writing and checking SEO copy and producing rich-media content for the website and other digital platforms
• Monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness and success of content against key performance indicators
• Conducting and/or commissioning keyword and SEO research, and user testing to understand needs
• Ensuring the foundations of the CMS are applied effectively and consistently including: taxonomy and metadata recommendations, site maps, content models and workflow
• Championing best practice and being accountable for the quality of content produced and distributed through the University’s website
• Creating and managing an editorial calendar to commission, assign, review, proof-read and edit material, (copy, images, photos, infographics, blogs and video), ensuring timely publication of high quality, user-centric content
• Leading on the planning, testing, development and analytics of campaign landing pages
• Leading on the development and implementation of the Digital PR plan, working with the Digital PR agency and communications team to raise awareness of our key areas of strength, drive traffic to the site and improve our SEO position
• Overseeing the design and implementation of core digital online events
• Ensuring our third-party portals are up to date and maintained
• Provide expert advice to stakeholders on digital content best practice

Content UX/IA

• Ensuring user content journeys are optimised and aligned to increase engagement, conversion and usability
• Working with colleagues across the university to identify where new design or functionality is needed to optimise the user journey or to align with campaigns and the brand

Content standards

• Ensuring that our digital content is compliant with W3C, CMA, GDPR and QAA standards, guidance and other relevant legislation
• Continuing to build on the bank of website standards, procedures and guidelines for content management to ensure we protect the integrity of the site
• Overseeing the effective implementation of governance guidelines to ensure consistent, useful and relevant content is published on the website (including creation, maintenance, ownership and removal of content)
• Creating and implementing CMS user training plans, toolkits and workshops

Team management

• Provide leadership and strategic vision to the content team responsible for website content creation and asset management
• Providing day-to-day management of the web content team, overseeing a high performing unit, delivering tangible results against agreed objectives

You will be an outstanding leader, passionate about digital and content marketing with a proven record of success in the field. What you’ll bring:

• Degree in a relevant subject such as English, Journalism, Communications, or Marketing, or relevant industry experience
• Extensive senior experience in a digital content role
• Extensive experience leading and managing teams
• Proven ability to influence and build strategic working relationships with senior managers, peers and third-party stakeholders
• Demonstrable experience of project management – outlining, scoping and planning projects, and allocating and managing team resource and budget on time and to a high standard
• Diverse and progressive hands-on experience in digital disciplines, including rich-media content production, editorial/creative oversight, SEO and analytics
• Creative with the ability to write and produce high-quality, engaging, user-centric, written and rich media content on digital platforms, with capability to interpret and translate complex information into appealing user-friendly material
• Excellent editorial judgement with an eye for detail and the ability to spot spelling and grammatical errors
• High level analytical ability, confident in commissioning and interpreting data generated through digital platforms to gain quantitative and qualitative insights to help inform marketing decisions
• Interested in and enthusiastic about new technologies and trends and comfortable working with developers to identify and drive forward supporting technical innovations
• Knowledge of Content Management Systems, HTML and web publishing
• Knowledge and practical experience of writing SEO copy, applying SEO best practice and utilising keyword research tools (Google search etc.)
• In-depth knowledge of the latest digital content marketing practices with the ability to assess and continually improve our content programme
• Excellent organisational and interpersonal skills, with the ability to motivate and lead others
• Ambitious, dynamic and committed, with a passion for digital and content marketing and a desire to consistently deliver the highest quality work to meet strategic objectives
• Experience of managing budgets
• Understanding of website accessibility and consumer protection legislation
• Ability to work under pressure and manage competing priorities

• Experience working in the HE sector and using T4 CMS
• Digital marketing accreditations or qualifications
• Experience of other marketing platforms, including print, publishing, social media, virtual events and visual communications marketing tools

The role holder will be required to evidence that they can meet the qualities associated with the following behavioural competencies, as detailed within the AUA Competency Framework.

Communications, Marketing and Recruitment encompasses: Corporate Communications, Media Relations, Internal and Corporate Communications, Public Affairs, Marketing, Web and Digital Media, and International, UK and European Student Recruitment, and Admissions and Access.

In delivering the strategic priorities of the University, we support the enhancement of the University’s reputation for excellence in the student experience, teaching and learning, and high-quality research with global impact.

The Directorate provides a wide range of services to internal and external stakeholders and works closely with the University’s senior management team and across all faculties and professional support services. By adopting an integrated holistic approach to our work, we ensure the University’s strategic messages are effectively conveyed and understood by our stakeholders across all communications platforms.

The University of Stirling is committed to providing education with a purpose and carrying out research which has a positive impact on communities across the globe – addressing real issues, providing solutions, and helping to shape society. Stirling is 4th in Scotland and 43rd in the UK for research impact, with 87% of its research having an outstanding or very considerable impact on society – and more than 80% rated either world leading or internationally excellent (Research Excellence Framework 2021).

The University of Stirling is ranked among the top 30 UK universities for student satisfaction (National Student Survey) and top 30 in the UK for postgraduate student experience (Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey), and has an overall five-star rating in the QS Stars University Ratings.

More than 17,000 students study with the University of Stirling globally, with over 140 nationalities represented on its scenic central Scotland campus alone. The University – also home to 1,700 staff – is ranked first in the UK and top three in the world for its campus environment (International Student Barometer 2022, wave two). Ranked first in the UK and top five in the world for its sports facilities (International Student Barometer 2022, wave two), Stirling is Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence. Its world-class facilities provide the perfect training environment for the University’s sports scholars – many of whom compete at the highest level, including at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games – and for students, staff, and the wider community.

The University has twice been recognised with a Queen’s Anniversary Prize – the first for its Institute for Social Marketing and Health (2014) and the second for its Institute of Aquaculture (2019).

The University is a signatory to the £214 million Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region Deal and a central partner of the Forth Valley University College Health Partnership.
www.stir.ac.uk@stiruni