Marketing and Communications Specialist - South Dakota State University

Brookings, SD • Closes October 16

Are you a creative and detail-oriented communicator who enjoys crafting engaging content across digital and print platforms? Join the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences at South Dakota State University as a Marketing and Communications Specialist. In this role, you will support the college’s marketing and communications team by developing content, managing websites, contributing to social media strategy and helping share the college’s story with a variety of audiences.

The College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences is one of the eight colleges that make up South Dakota State University. Like the university, the college has a three-fold mission to teach, conduct research and use extension programs to serve people in South Dakota, the nation and the world. This position would contribute to supporting the college’s research and teaching efforts. In addition to the main campus in Brookings, the SDSU West River Research and Extension in Rapid City is an outreach facility of the college that supports teaching, research and extension in the western part of the state. Other locations throughout the state include eight regional extension centers, three Federally Recognized Tribal Extension Program offices and eight research field stations. The college is made up of six academic departments. Research and extension staff are distributed among the academic departments. Nearly all faculty have an appointment that is a combination of two or three of the mission areas.

This position can be located in either Brookings, South Dakota or Rapid City, South Dakota.

Must be authorized to work in the U.S. Sponsorship is not available for this position.

Job Responsibilities:

• Develop and edit content for print and digital media, including press releases, the college’s Growing South Dakota magazine, brochures, newsletters, presentations, event materials, websites, social media pages and branded templates.

• Manage multiple projects on tight timelines, coordinating with internal stakeholders and external partners to ensure content is accurate, timely and aligned with SDSU branding guidelines.

• Maintain and update the college and related websites; apply basic SEO strategies to enhance content visibility and usability.

• Plan, schedule and monitor content across social media platforms, engaging with a variety of audiences and contributing to a consistent online presence.

• Track key performance metrics for websites and social media; compile reports and provide analysis to guide improvements.

• Represent the college marketing team at events or committees, mentor student employees/interns and provide backup support for team members as needed.

  
  

Benefits: SDState offers a wide range of excellent benefits including medical, dental, and flexible benefits, retirement plans, compensation packages, paid holidays and vacation leave. We offer a generous retirement plan that includes 6% matching, 10 hours of annual leave each month, 9.34 hours of sick leave each month and eleven paid holidays. Employees also have access to internal and state-sponsored training as well as reduced tuition for state-supported courses at all State of South Dakota academic institutions. Relocation benefits are available per university’s guidelines. 

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

Knowledge of:

• Principles of marketing and communications for print, web and social media.

• Web content management systems and basic SEO strategies.

• Digital accessibility best practices.

• Web analytics and performance metrics.

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, agricultural communications, public relations, journalism or related field preferred.

Skill & Ability to:

• Strong written and verbal communication with excellent attention to detail.

• Ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines.

• Collaborate effectively with colleagues across the college and university.

• Create, edit and post engaging content for diverse audiences.

• Mentor student employees or interns, when applicable.

• Adapt to new tools, platforms and processes as needed.

Learn more and apply here.