Digital Media Producer

Location: Hickory, North Carolina (on-campus position)

Lenoir-Rhyne University offers a generous benefits package that includes vacation and sick time, health, dental and vision insurance, retirements benefits, free undergraduate tuition (tuition remission) for spouse and dependent children and free graduate degree tuition for employees. Additional benefits include two weeks of paid vacation around Christmas, access to university fitness center and discounts from local university partners and community businesses.

Position Summary

The Digital Media Producer is a member of the Marketing and Communications team and reports to the Associate Vice President for Marketing and Communications. The position serves as both a creative collaborator and a hands-on producer, contributing ideas and supporting content direction aligned with the university's brand while leading the execution and delivery of high-quality photography and video assets. The role requires initiative, creativity and a collaborative, service-oriented approach, with the ability to manage multiple responsibilities independently and as part of a team while meeting deadlines and adhering to brand standards and best practices.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Conceptualizes, plans, and produces high-quality photography and video content that reflects and reinforces Lenoir-Rhyne's brand and supports the university's marketing and communications strategy, from initial concept through final delivery.
• Leads all phases of photo and video production, including pre-production planning, on-location or studio production, and post-production editing, ensuring content is visually compelling, on brand and delivered on schedule.
• Develops professional photography and video assets for use across multiple platforms, including the university website, digital and print publications, social media channels, university news and marketing campaigns.
• Collaborates with campus partners and marketing and communications colleagues to identify storytelling opportunities, gather information and build relationships with faculty, staff, students and alumni to highlight individuals, achievements and success stories through visual storytelling.
• Contributes creative ideas and visual storytelling input during content planning to support social media, digital and marketing initiatives, including short-form and platform-native video formats.
• Produces video content across a range of timelines and formats, from longer-form, highly produced projects to timely, short-form visual storytelling designed for social and digital platforms, with an understanding of when speed, authenticity and platform relevance are priorities.
• Attends university events to capture and tell the story of the institution through photography and video, coordinating coverage as needed to produce timely, purposeful visual content aligned with marketing and storytelling goals.
• Partners with departmental staff to plan, schedule and maintain an up-to-date digital media calendar aligned with campaign timelines and editorial priorities.
• Provides supervision and mentorship to student employees and graduate assistant and offers training and guidance to faculty and staff on photography and video best practices in support of brand-aligned content.
• Maintains and manages photography and video equipment and digital asset management libraries, ensuring proper operation, organization, tagging and upkeep, and reporting technical issues as needed.
• Ensures all visual content adheres to university brand standards, graphic guidelines, accessibility requirements and established best practices.
• Participates in professional development opportunities to remain current with emerging trends, technologies and creative approaches in photography, video and digital storytelling.
• Manages special projects and other duties as assigned by the Associate Vice President for Marketing and Communications or designee.
• Work schedule may include occasional evenings and weekends to support university events, with flexibility to adjust hours accordingly or coordinate coverage through student employees or graduate assistant when appropriate.
• Serves on university and division committees as appropriate and performs other duties as assigned.

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in digital media, film, marketing, communications, journalism or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Two to five years of professional experience producing photography and video content, demonstrated through a strong portfolio of professional work; higher education experience preferred.
• Demonstrated expertise in video storytelling, digital editing and photo retouching.
• Proficiency with industry-standard photo and video production tools (e.g., Adobe Creative Cloud or comparable platforms).
• Strong written and oral communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with a wide range of campus constituents.
• Demonstrated project management, planning and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines.
• Ability to think strategically and creatively while adhering to brand standards and best practices.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and general computing tools used in a professional office environment.
• Strong attention to detail, sound judgment and the ability to handle confidential information appropriately.
• Collaborative, service-oriented approach with excellent interpersonal, teamwork and customer service skills.
• Strong work ethic and ability to work independently and as part of a team.

Application Process

Applicants must submit a resume, cover letter and a link to a professional portfolio. The portfolio should include examples of video work, photography or other relevant digital media projects. Selected candidates may be asked to provide additional materials, including writing samples and professional references, during the interview process.

Lenoir-Rhyne University promotes a welcoming campus environment that is integral to the university's commitment to excellence in engagement and education. We are particularly interested in candidates who have demonstrated experience nurturing a welcoming community, working with faculty, staff and/or students from all walks of life and/or incorporating varied perspectives and traditions in their current or previous positions. This commitment is rooted in our Lutheran tradition of fostering wisdom, nurturing vocation and preparing students for lives of purpose while serving the common good.

About Lenoir-Rhyne University

Lenoir-Rhyne University is a co-educational, private, comprehensive liberal arts institution founded in 1891, with its traditional campus located in Hickory, North Carolina, a city of more than 40,000. The university has additional graduate centers in Asheville, N.C., and Columbia, S.C. Situated in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Lenoir-Rhyne is less than an hour's drive from Charlotte, and the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area has a population of about 365,000. The university now offers more than 45 undergraduate and 20 graduate degree programs to approximately 2,400 students. Lenoir-Rhyne University seeks to liberate mind and spirit, clarify personal faith, foster physical wholeness, build community, and promote responsible leadership for service to the world. Affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Lenoir-Rhyne is open to people from all religious and non-religious backgrounds.

Non-Discrimination and Equal Opportunity Policy

Lenoir-Rhyne University is committed to providing a workplace and educational environment, as well as other benefits, programs, and activities that are free from discrimination, harassment and retaliation.

LR is committed to creating a safe campus environment for all members of the LR community, including, but not limited to, those who identify as transgender and gender non-conforming. To that end, LR does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex (including sex stereotypes and sex characteristics), ethnicity, national origin, physical or mental disability, age, marital status, pregnancy or related conditions, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran or military status or any other characteristic or status protected by applicable law.

To ensure compliance with federal and state civil rights laws and regulations and to affirm its commitment to promoting the goals of fairness and equity in all aspects of the educational program, activity and employment, LR has developed internal policies and procedures that provide a prompt, fair and impartial process for those involved in an allegation of discrimination or harassment, and for allegations of retaliation.

LR values and upholds the equal dignity of all members of its community and strives to balance the rights of the parties in the grievance process during what is often a difficult time for all those involved.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.