Senior Manager, Content and Editorial Strategy (34-month contract), OCCM

Job Description

• This position is forOffice 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 alignment with institutional marketing goals and brand positioning.
• Lead editorial planning and governance for content hubs, campaign pages, and thought leadership pieces, ensuring a consistent narrative voice, high-quality storytelling, and strategic relevance in both English and Simplified Chinese.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders and agency partners to shape content that supports student acquisition, brand storytelling, and reputation-building across SMU's priority markets.
• Bilingual Content Development and Chinese Digital Platforms
• Lead the creation, adaptation, and governance of Chinese-language content across SMU's digital presence, with working knowledge of the Chinese digital ecosystem as a whole including but not limited to WeChat (official accounts, Moments, and mini-programmes), Weibo, Xiaohongshu, Douyin, Bilibili, Zhihu, and Baidu-facing content formats. The candidate is expected to understand how audiences move across this ecosystem, how platform conventions and content norms differ, and how institutional content can be positioned effectively within it.
• Develop original Chinese-language content, not translated derivatives that is tailored to platform norms and resonant with Chinese-speaking audiences across Singapore, China, and the broader region.
• Advise on culturally appropriate messaging strategies for Chinese-speaking markets, ensuring content aligns with SMU's positioning and the expectations of prospective students and stakeholders in these segments.
• Review and quality-assure all Chinese-language content produced by team members, freelancers, or agency partners before publication.
• 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 in both English and Simplified Chinese.
• Adapt messaging across channels to ensure platform-specific resonance, audience relevance, and bilingual content cohesion.
• Provide expert copywriting for campaign messaging, social captions, ad copy, and email flows with clear calls-to-action and consistent brand alignment across languages.
• Campaign Storytelling and Social Content Execution
• Collaborate with the Assistant Director, Content and Social and broader OCCM team to develop and execute integrated campaign narratives across digital and social channels.
• Translate institutional priorities including student recruitment, programme launches, research visibility, and alumni engagement into compelling content that resonates with priority audience segments.
• Ensure campaign storytelling maintains brand voice integrity across both English and Chinese language outputs.
• Community Engagement and Monitoring
• Engage with online communities across the region, responding to audience queries and comments in a culturally appropriate manner in both English and Chinese.
• Monitor brand mentions and address emerging issues, escalating potential reputational risks to the Social Lead when needed.
• Performance Analytics and Reporting
• Measure and analyse content effectiveness using tools such as Google Analytics, HubSpot, Emplifi, or equivalent, with particular attention to engagement patterns on Chinese platforms.
• Monitor key performance indicators including reach, engagement, lead quality, and conversion rates, applying data to refine editorial and channel strategy.
• Develop content dashboards and performance reports and communicate insights and recommendations to stakeholders to demonstrate marketing ROI.
• 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 bilingual 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 in both English and Chinese.
• Any other duties 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 Business Chinese Test (BCT) Advanced or higher.
• Bilingual Content Proficiency - Simplified Chinese (Mandatory, Minimum 3 years)
• This is a mandatory requirement. Candidates who do not meet it will not be considered.
• High proficiency in both written and spoken Simplified Chinese, with demonstrated ability to produce editorial-quality content - not machine-translated or adapted copy - for Chinese-speaking audiences.
• Minimum 3 years experience working in or directly with the Chinese digital market, with demonstrated hands-on experience developing and managing content across the Chinese digital ecosystem. This goes beyond platform execution: the candidate should understand how Chinese digital audiences discover, consume, and share content how platforms such as WeChat, Weibo, Xiaohongshu, Douyin, Bilibili, and Zhihu serve different functions and audience segments and how content strategies need to be structured differently for Chinese-speaking markets compared with English-language ones. Familiarity with Baidu search behaviour and how it differs from Google is an advantage.
• Ability to adapt institutional tone and brand voice into Chinese-language content that reads as culturally authentic rather than translated, with appropriate register for the context (prospective student acquisition, research communication, or employer/partner engagement).
• Editorial and Content Development Expertise (Minimum 5 to 7 years)
• Strong writing and editing skills across formats - blog articles, web copy, email campaigns, and social media content - with a clear, audience-first approach in both English and Simplified Chinese.
• Proven ability to craft compelling narratives and adapt messaging for different platforms, while maintaining brand voice and institutional credibility.
• Content Performance and ROI Measurement (Minimum 3 to 5 years)
• Experience using tools such as Google Analytics, Truescope, HubSpot, Emplifi, or equivalent to assess content impact across traffic, engagement, and conversion metrics, including platform-specific analytics for Chinese social media.
• Ability to derive content insights from data and translate them into optimised editorial strategy and reporting narratives.
• Platform Adaptability and Channel Knowledge (Minimum 5 years)
• Hands-on experience creating and adapting content across web, email, and social channels, including both English-language platforms (LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok) and the Chinese digital ecosystem (WeChat, Weibo, Xiaohongshu, Douyin, Bilibili, or equivalent).
• Candidates with direct experience of the Chinese market - including lived or professional experience within mainland China or with organisations actively targeting Chinese-speaking audiences - are strongly preferred.
• Working understanding of platform trends, engagement formats, and algorithm behaviour, with the ability to optimise bilingual content for different devices and audiences.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration and Workflow Management (Minimum 5 years)
• Proven ability to collaborate with internal teams, freelancers, and agency partners to deliver timely and effective bilingual content.
• Strong project management and organisational skills, with the ability to juggle multiple content streams and campaign deadlines across languages and markets.

• This position is forOffice 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 alignment with institutional marketing goals and brand positioning.
• Lead editorial planning and governance for content hubs, campaign pages, and thought leadership pieces, ensuring a consistent narrative voice, high-quality storytelling, and strategic relevance in both English and Simplified Chinese.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders and agency partners to shape content that supports student acquisition, brand storytelling, and reputation-building across SMU's priority markets.
• Bilingual Content Development and Chinese Digital Platforms
• Lead the creation, adaptation, and governance of Chinese-language content across SMU's digital presence, with working knowledge of the Chinese digital ecosystem as a whole including but not limited to WeChat (official accounts, Moments, and mini-programmes), Weibo, Xiaohongshu, Douyin, Bilibili, Zhihu, and Baidu-facing content formats. The candidate is expected to understand how audiences move across this ecosystem, how platform conventions and content norms differ, and how institutional content can be positioned effectively within it.
• Develop original Chinese-language content, not translated derivatives that is tailored to platform norms and resonant with Chinese-speaking audiences across Singapore, China, and the broader region.
• Advise on culturally appropriate messaging strategies for Chinese-speaking markets, ensuring content aligns with SMU's positioning and the expectations of prospective students and stakeholders in these segments.
• Review and quality-assure all Chinese-language content produced by team members, freelancers, or agency partners before publication.
• 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 in both English and Simplified Chinese.
• Adapt messaging across channels to ensure platform-specific resonance, audience relevance, and bilingual content cohesion.
• Provide expert copywriting for campaign messaging, social captions, ad copy, and email flows with clear calls-to-action and consistent brand alignment across languages.
• Campaign Storytelling and Social Content Execution
• Collaborate with the Assistant Director, Content and Social and broader OCCM team to develop and execute integrated campaign narratives across digital and social channels.
• Translate institutional priorities including student recruitment, programme launches, research visibility, and alumni engagement into compelling content that resonates with priority audience segments.
• Ensure campaign storytelling maintains brand voice integrity across both English and Chinese language outputs.
• Community Engagement and Monitoring
• Engage with online communities across the region, responding to audience queries and comments in a culturally appropriate manner in both English and Chinese.
• Monitor brand mentions and address emerging issues, escalating potential reputational risks to the Social Lead when needed.
• Performance Analytics and Reporting
• Measure and analyse content effectiveness using tools such as Google Analytics, HubSpot, Emplifi, or equivalent, with particular attention to engagement patterns on Chinese platforms.
• Monitor key performance indicators including reach, engagement, lead quality, and conversion rates, applying data to refine editorial and channel strategy.
• Develop content dashboards and performance reports and communicate insights and recommendations to stakeholders to demonstrate marketing ROI.
• 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 bilingual 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 in both English and Chinese.
• Any other duties assigned.