Senior Manager, Content & Digital Strategy (34-month contract), OCCM

COMPANY DESCRIPTION

Singapore Management University is a place where high-level professionalism blends together with a healthy informality. The 'family-like' atmosphere among the SMU community fosters a culture where employees work, plan, organise and play together – building a strong collegiality and morale within the university.

Our commitment to attract and retain talent is ongoing. We offer attractive benefits and welfare, competitive compensation packages, and generous professional development opportunities – all to meet the work-life needs of our staff. No wonder, then, that SMU continues to be given numerous awards and recognition for its human resource excellence.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• This position is for Office of Corporate Communications and Marketing (OCCM).
• Content Strategy and Editorial Oversight
• Drive the development and execution of a coherent, audience-led content strategy across SMU’s owned digital platforms, ensuring coherence with institutional narratives and brand positioning.
• Lead editorial planning and governance for content across English and Chinese platforms, ensuring consistency of tone, accuracy of translation, and strategic alignment.
• Partner with internal stakeholders, and agency partners to shape content that effectively supports reputation-building, engagement, and acquisition goals.
• Search-Optimised and Discoverability-Driven Strategy (SEO, AEO, AIO, GEO)
• Drive content optimisation to enhance visibility across search engines, AI-generated responses, and geo-targeted platforms.
• Integrate keyword, entity, and schema strategies in both English and Chinese content.
• Guide best practices in content architecture, metadata, and analytics-informed optimisation.
• Stay abreast of emerging SEO trends, including multimodal search, entity-based optimisation, and voice or chatbot interfaces—translating these into actionable content strategy.
• Multi-Format Content Creation and Channel Adaptation
• Develop and oversee the production of compelling content across short-form, long-form, and multimedia formats for web, email, and social platforms.
• Adapt messaging across different channels to ensure platform-specific resonance, audience relevance, and content cohesion.
• Provide expert copywriting for campaign messaging, social captions, ad copy, and email flows with clear calls-to-action and brand alignment.
• Community Engagement and Monitoring
• Engage with online communities across the region, responding to audience queries and comments in a culturally appropriate manner.
• Monitor brand mentions and address any emerging issues, escalating potential risks to the Social Lead when needed.
• Performance Analytics and ROI Evaluation
• Drive content visibility and discoverability through integrated SEO, AIO (AI Optimisation), AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation), and GEO (Geographical/Global Engine Optimisation) strategies across English and Chinese platforms.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure metadata, structured data, and content architecture support both search and AI-driven discovery.
• Track and analyse performance across search, social, and owned channels using tools such as GA4, Search Console, SEMrush, and other analytics platforms.
• Translate insights into actionable recommendations for content optimisation, user engagement, and lead conversion.
• Stay abreast of evolving search, AI, and platform algorithms to inform ongoing optimisation and content planning.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration and Alignment
• Partner with colleagues across brand, corporate communications, university events, admissions, alumni, and faculties to ensure content supports cross-functional campaign and reputational goals.
• Guide and mentor junior team members or freelancers to deliver high-quality content that meets editorial standards and marketing priorities.
• Engage external writers, editors, or agencies when needed, ensuring alignment with SMU’s tone, brand, and strategic goals.
• Any other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Mass Communications, Marketing, Digital Media, or a related field.
• Effectively bilingual with proficiency in Chinese equivalent to ‘HSK Level 6’ or ‘Business Chinese Test (BCT) Advanced or higher’.
• Proven experience in content strategy, SEO/AIO/AEO/GEO optimisation, and digital storytelling.
• Strong editorial and copywriting capabilities in both English and Chinese, with a clear, engaging, and adaptable writing style, and across formats—blog articles, web copy, email campaigns, and social media content—with a clear, audience-first approach.
• Proven ability to craft compelling narratives and adapt messaging for different platforms, while maintaining brand voice and institutional credibility.
• Solid understanding of modern SEO principles, including keyword targeting, metadata optimisation, and content structuring for search engines and social platforms.
• Familiarity with how content is discovered across traditional search, generative AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT), and social platforms (e.g. TikTok, LinkedIn).
• Working knowledge of tools like Google Search Console, SEMrush, or similar, with ability to translate insights into action.
• Experience using tools like Google Analytics, HubSpot, or equivalent to assess content impact across traffic, engagement, and conversion metrics.
• Ability to derive content insights from data and translate them into optimised content strategy and reporting narratives.
• Hands-on experience creating and adapting content across web, email, and social channels (LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok).
• Working understanding of platform trends and engagement formats, with the ability to optimise content for different devices and audiences.
• Proven ability to collaborate with internal teams, freelancers, and agency partners to deliver timely and effective content.
• Strong project management and organisational skills, with the ability to juggle multiple content streams and campaign deadlines.