Freelance Project Manager Jobs in Arizona (NOW HIRING)

Salary: $58,968.00 - $76,668.80 Annually
Location : Prescott Campus, Prescott, AZ
Job Type: Full Time
Job Number: 2026-00144
Department: Marketing
Opening Date: 06/11/2026
Description of Position
This position supports the mission and vision of Yavapai College by leading the strategy, development, and execution of creative and digital communications initiatives. This includes oversight of all social media platforms, emerging digital channels, and the College's digital signage network (external displays and internal campus screens). The Manager provides vision and direction for digital storytelling, brand voice, and audience engagement while supervising a team of student employees and a part-time content creator.
The role is responsible for shaping compelling, multi-channel content strategies that advance enrollment, retention, institutional initiatives, and community engagement. This position plays a key leadership role in elevating the College's digital presence through innovative storytelling, photography, video production, and integrated marketing efforts. As the lead visual storyteller, the Director captures and produces high-quality creative assets that support institutional priorities and strengthen the College's brand.
The work of this position directly contributes to achieving the College's goals related to enrollment growth, student success, community connection, business development, and workforce advancement.
Key Responsibilities:

• Provides strategic leadership and oversight of all official college social media channels; establishes institutional standards, training, and best practices.
• Develops and executes a comprehensive, data-informed digital communications and social media strategy across all platforms.
• Serves as the lead photographer and videographer for college events and key initiatives, ensuring high-quality visual documentation and storytelling.
• Directs and produces video projects that support marketing, recruitment, and storytelling objectives.
• Partners with all Marketing and Communications Department Directors to plan, implement, and evaluate integrated marketing and communications campaigns that leverage digital channels.
• Leads the creation and curation of engaging, high-quality content across platforms, including social media, photography, video, and digital signage.
• Monitors digital channels to ensure brand alignment, positive engagement, and timely response to inquiries; escalates and reports inappropriate or harmful content as needed.
• Oversees the strategy, development, placement, and performance analysis of paid digital and social media advertising campaigns at both institutional and program levels.
• Collaborates with Marketing leadership and creative team members to execute local, regional, and national digital outreach and publicity efforts.
• Maintains a visible presence across campuses and centers to capture authentic, engaging content that reflects the student experience.
• Manages relationships with advertising agencies, freelance photographers, videographers, and other creative vendors.
• Collaborates with academic and administrative departments to identify and promote stories that support recruitment, enrollment, retention, and institutional priorities.

Minimum Expectations & Requirements
Education:

• Bachelor's degree in public relations, journalism, communication, marketing, film and media arts, graphic design, business, or a closely related field.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Ability to work independently to create internal and external communication through appropriate resources.
• Ability to work with other team members across multiple departments.
• Has an in-depth understanding of social media platforms, their functionality, and which platforms work best for specific projects.
• Knowledge of marketing research to place advertising with appropriate social media channels.
• Skills that support the creation of social media, graphic design, and video content.
• Shows an understanding of current trends in communication and best practices within the industry.
• Strong interpersonal and oral/written communication skills. The ability to write for different audiences, such as the media, internal employees, externally to students, etc. is crucial.
• Plan, organize, and multitask in a deadline-intensive environment.
• Attention to detail and accuracy.
• Must work in person regularly to collaborate and execute plan.

Preferred Skills & Abilities
Experience:

• Professional experience in a community college/higher education work environment.
• Professional experience working with the media, third-party vendors, businesses, and the community

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Understanding of college academic programs and other divisions.

Essential Functions
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements and competencies listed represent the required knowledge, skill, and ability. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and talk or hear. The employee must frequently use hands to finger, handle, or feel. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, and reach with hands and arms. In addition, the employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.
Work Environment
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.
Yavapai College offers its full-time employees a comprehensive benefit package:
HEALTH/LIFE BENEFITS

• Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance: College's partial payment of premiums toward medical with pharmacy and/or dental plan options picked by employees for themselves (and eligible dependents)
• Flexible Spending Accounts: Pre-tax pay deductions to use for eligible medical or dependent daycare costs
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Counseling and referral services for employees and their immediate families for depression, stress, family/marital conflict, and alcohol/drug issues
• Vision: Provides an amount per plan year for eligible expenses such as vision exams, lenses, frames, prescription sunglasses, and contact lenses
• Life Insurance: The College provides Basic Life Insurance coverage at twice of the employee's annual salary. Dependents have automatic coverage of $2,000/spouse and $1,000/per child if enrolled in medical plan.
• Voluntary Individual And Family Term Life Insurance: Additional term life insurance coverage available for employee, spouse and children.
• Other Insurance Coverage: Short Term and Long Term Disability (replacement income insurance), and Workers' Compensation (compensation, medical expenses and death benefits for on-the-job injuries or occupational diseases)

RETIREMENT BENEFITS

• Retirement Benefits: Arizona State Retirement System or Optional Retirement Plan, and Social Security (which provides a basic retirement annuity based on age and years of contribution)
• Tax Deferred Annuities: Employees' contributions to designated tax-deferred annuities
• Unemployment Compensation: Employees who are laid off or terminated may receive benefits in covered wages meet requirements

LEAVE BENEFITS

• Vacation : 15 days of Vacation leave annually. NOTE: For employees who work an amount of contractual days, there will be no earned vacation.
• Sick Leave: 12 days sick leave annually. NOTE: Employees working less than full time or an amount of contractual days will receive a proration of sick leave.
• Personal Leave: Use of up to three personal leave days per year which are charged against accumulated sick leave to take care of items of personal business
• Other Leave: Bereavement leave, Civic Duty Leave (Jury duty, active military duty, military training), and Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
• Holidays: 24 days during the year as paid holidays for full-time employees which include Independence Day, Labor Day, Veteran's Day, 3 days at Thanksgiving, 10 days at Winter/year-end break, Martin Luther King Day, Spring Break, Memorial Day, and Juneteenth.

OTHER BENEFITS

• Breaking Bread: 32 meal swipes for use at the Prescott Campus Eatery. All Other Campuses and Sites receive a $140 credit each semester (fall and spring) to be used at the Open Market on campus/center
• Spanish Interpreter Incentive Program: Employees interested in additional compensation for their Spanish speaking skills agree to assist YC by attending two recruiting events and being available for Spanish Interpretation needs as they arise. Compensation is added to the employee's regular pay at the rate of $175 per month. Employees that are interested in participating let your HR Business Partner know, so they can schedule you for the ACTFL language proficiency test at the YC testing center.
• Direct Deposit: Paychecks deposited directly into the employee's bank account(s)
• Tuition Waiver: Eligible Full-time Faculty and Staff, their legally married spouse, and eligible dependents may enroll in a partial or full program of coursework without payment of tuition, exceptions may be lab fees and market-based additional fees
• Sabbatical: Faculty, professional, and administrative staff may apply for compensated leave of up to a year after six years of continuous service
• Professional Development Opportunities
• Additional Benefits and Services: Local community discounts to faculty and staff, computer loan program, mail and notary service.

01
Do you have the minimum required education listed in the job description?

• Yes
• No

02
Do you meet all other minimum requirements listed in the job description?

• Yes
• No

Required Question