Director of Marketing and Communications

Summary

The School of Liberal Arts Director for Communications and Marketing will play a pivotal role in engaging the school’s students, faculty, staff, alumni, and donors, and externally elevate its reputation as a dynamic and creative scholarly and teaching powerhouse at one of the nation’s leading Research I institutions. By developing and managing brand-aligned communications, this role aims to strengthen the school and Dean’s overall strategy and enhance its reputation. The Director will design and execute creative and compelling stories (including serving as managing editor of an annual publication), multimedia content, and events to achieve this goal. Through these efforts, the Director will drive School-wide engagement, strengthen SLA’s reputation, and shape a cohesive culture rooted in collaboration, excellence, and pride.

The Director will serve as a senior advisor and decision-maker in shaping the School’s communications and marketing strategy, with authority to set priorities, allocate resources, and establish standards across departments. This role will regularly convene and collaborate with leaders from the Dean’s office, SLA faculty and departments, Advancement, University Communications and Marketing, and additional key campus partners to ensure cross-functional alignment and impact.

Reporting to the Chief Business Officer, the Director supervises (1) Associate Director, (1) Web Developer, (1) Communications Manager, and all external partners.

Required Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Experience successfully directing and leading a team to set and achieve long-term goals
• Experience successfully setting and managing budgets
• Proven ability to mentor and develop team members to achieve team and individual goals and to establish and sustain a productive team culture
• Expertise leading content, social media, digital marketing, web, and media relations strategies
• Exceptional relationship management and collaboration skills, with the ability to build consensus among diverse stakeholders and constituencies
• Impeccable judgment, discretion, and tact in a professional setting
• Entrepreneurial with the ability to proactively identify and maximize unique marketing and communications opportunities
• Expert project management experience, with proven ability to deliver complex projects on message, on time, and on budget
• Excellent attention to detail and organizational and analytical skills; as well as the ability to prioritize individual and team assignments

Required Education And/or Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree in English, communications, journalism, marketing, or humanities a related field
• At least 5 years’ experience in a marketing/communications/public relations role
• Proven supervisory and budget management experience
• Senior social media strategy and execution experience
• Expert writing and editing skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s Degree
• Experience in a university setting
• Experience managing all aspects of magazine planning and production