Director, Advancement Communications and Marketing

Reporting the Associate Vice President, Advancement Communications and Special Initiatives, the Director, Advancement Communications and Marketing is a strategic leadership role responsible for overseeing and guiding all communication and marketing efforts to support Emerson College's fundraising and engagement initiatives. The Director will manage a comprehensive portfolio of communications designed to engage alumni, donors, parents, and other key stakeholders in support of Emerson College. The Director will produce a suite of communications for all marketing channels and provide oversight for all Institutional Advancement (IA) written communications to ensure that invitations, gift proposals, fundraising appeals, newsletters, web and social media copy, magazine articles, donor stewardship reports, and announcements remain on brand with the appropriate style and voice applied. Additionally, this position will oversee the creation of all visual communications materials including photography and videography for Development and Alumni Relations, while ensuring materials remain on brand. This position is responsible for the planning and execution of communication and marketing activities that cultivate relationships, inspire support, and enhance the College's reputation.

ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES

• Create and execute a comprehensive communications and marketing strategy aligned with the goals and objectives of Institutional Advancement ensuring that all content reflects Emerson's brand, style, and voice.
• Develop and implement an annual communications editorial calendar, outlining key messaging, themes, and initiatives throughout the year in close partnership with Development, Alumni Relations, and Operations teams.
• Lead a team of advancement communications professionals who develop and execute all communications needs for the division. Coach and manage the team, assess staffing workloads and needs, hires new staff and/or reallocates project assignments as needed.
• Lead the production of compelling and impactful content that effectively communicates the College's fundraising and engagement initiatives formatted for various communication channels, including email, digital, print, social media, and video. Collaborate with Alumni Relations to identify alumni and produce the Making it Big in 30 Seconds podcast.
• Identify, draft and/or direct the creation and maintenance of internal communications guidelines, resources, and talking points for IA colleagues and volunteers.
• Assign, or execute as needed, the writing needs of the division including crafting news announcements, fundraising solicitation appeals, gift proposals, case statements, scripting event talking points for College and volunteer leadership and other high-level communications that require discretion.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams across Emerson to define criteria and parameters for recognizing noteworthy alumni accomplishments. Maintain annual research efforts to record, publish and celebrate achievements across all marketing channels.
• Oversee Institutional Advancement's social media presence, specifically @EmersonAlumni, ensuring alignment with communication strategy and brand standards.
• Partner with Emerson's Office of Communications and Marketing to execute project requests, guidance on seeking outside creative vendors, and review of produced materials. Collaborate with the Office to provide content and images for Expression magazine.
• Contract with and manage creative vendors to execute communications deliverables as needed, including but not limited to website development, graphic design, writers, marketing photography and videography for a variety of strategic needs.
• Review and edit materials produced by IA colleagues, ensuring adherence to brand guidelines, style, voice, and visual identity.
• Manage the annual budget for Advancement Communications and Marketing and maintain relationships with external vendors, serving as the primary point of contact for contractual discussions and issue resolution.
• Assess and advise on the cadence of IA's communications deliverables to Emerson's constituents. Establish and monitor key performance indicators to evaluate the effectiveness of communication strategies across all channels, utilizing data analytics and feedback to continuously refine and improve efforts.
• Stay informed about industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in communications and marketing
• Advance a range of special projects and key initiatives, as directed by the AVP of Advancement Communications and Special Initiatives and the VP of Institutional Advancement.

QUALIFICATIONS - Qualifications are deemed required or preferred and represent what is needed to effectively perform job.

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, Marketing, Public Relations, or a related field, Master's degree preferred.
• Minimum 10+ years of experience in fundraising and/or marketing communications, and/or a related field.
• Minimum 5+ years of experience managing a professional communications team.
• Proven experience in team management and leadership roles.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES - May be representative, but not all-inclusive, of those knowledge, skills, and abilities commonly associated with the job.

• Proficiency using Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, or other design software.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute comprehensive communication strategies.
• Familiarity with fundraising and advancement in a nonprofit or higher education setting is a plus.
• Proficiency in digital marketing and social media platforms.
• Experience with project management systems, such as Asana or Basecamp, to manage assignments and project flows to ensure timely delivery.

PHYSICAL ABILITIES - Activities commonly associated with the performance of the functions of this job. The physical demands described below 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.

• Ability to have continuous oral and written communication with co-workers and supervisors is essential.
• Repetitive movements, occasional lifting of up to 25 pounds, reaching, lifting, stooping and the ability to read a computer screen, detect color-coding and read fine print will be expected.

WORK ENVIRONMENT - Environmental or atmospheric conditions commonly associated with the performance of the functions of this job.

• Usual Office Conditions

This is a hybrid position, requiring both in-office and at-home work.

Compensation: $87,300.00 - $109,200.00 annually, commensurate with experience.

Grade of Position: 23-11E

Scheduled Weekly Hours: 36.25

Division:

In addition to a competitive salary, Emerson College is committed to the health and well-being of our employees and family members. We offer a generous benefits package to regular staff scheduled to work 20+ hours per week.

Benefits include outstanding health plans with limited out-of-pocket expenses, dental plans, generous time-off programs, and a 403(b) retirement benefit with a 9% employer contribution once eligible. Additional benefits such as life and disability coverage as well as commuter offerings are available.

Please refer to our benefits website for a full list of benefits and eligibility requirements.