| Position Summary |
The Assistant Director for Marketing, Communications and Content reports to the Chief of Staff and Director of Marketing and Communications and is responsible for developing, implementing and assessing marketing and communication strategies for the university.
This person will act as a backup for the director and assist in the development of presidential and university communications, the university’s content strategy, as well as marketing plans. This individual will advance institutional and presidential leadership team priorities, strategies and university communications goals through expert communications while maintaining and protecting the university’s brand and voice. This includes collaborating with internal and community stakeholders to effectively execute strategic marketing, as well as communication for crisis situations to maintain positive reputation management.
It is the responsibility of the individual in this position to oversee marketing and communications strategies that align with Gannon’s strategic priorities across multi-faceted earned, owned, shared and paid platforms. This individual is responsible for various university publications, including the Annual Report of the President and the Strategic Plan, working with necessary team members to complete all aspects of production and ensure that exceptional content exists alongside a visually engaging design experience.
This person will be a liaison for key areas across campus to develop and manage marketing and communications strategies that positively position the university’s academic, community, economic and philanthropic impact through fulfillment of its Mission. This role will lead strategy and concept development, as well as implement and manage integrated marketing campaigns in support of academic programs and university enrollment.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
Integrated Marketing
- With the Director and other colleagues, this individual formulates a strategic marketing and communications vision that enhances institutional goals based on market research, data and the expressed needs of the university.
- Develops, maintains and evaluates marketing campaigns and brand strategies to ensure they are current with industry trends, and then reports on key marketing metrics to appropriate internal audiences.
- Coordinates with institutional stakeholders on opportunities for increasing brand awareness.
- Collaborates with various institutional units and senior leadership to plan, develop and manage marketing and communications that meets strategic objectives, including university enrollment.
- As a liaison for the College of Engineering and Business, this individual develops, implements and manages marketing, advertising, public relations, communications and related special events on behalf of the college.
- Manages relationships with third-party advertising and marketing vendors to ensure optimal performance of paid marketing initiatives and analytic insight.
- Supervises the creation and implementation of comprehensive advertising campaigns, as well as digital marketing and communications strategies to effectively communicate the priorities and mission of client areas and the university.
Communications and Content
- Manages and develops advanced writing assignments for senior leadership and institutional priorities to keep campus informed of key updates and maintain positive reputation.
- Provides leadership and direct support on all functions of crisis communications and reputation management for the university, working closely with the crisis communications team and senior leadership. On-call 24/7 for crisis response as needed.
- Serves as a lead content developer for the university across a variety of mediums to create quality content that is on-brand and cohesive in voice.
- Assists the director in content development on behalf of the university president and institution, as well as developing updates and presentations for the Board of Trustees.
- Manages the development of university publications, including the Annual Report of the President and Strategic Plan through all stages of production while collaborating with necessary colleagues across the organization.
- Provides leadership in public relations and communication, coordinating media inquiries and interviews with university experts and students as needed.
- Builds relationships with students and employees to encourage user-generated content and the organic dissemination of key marketing messages.
- Supports client and organizational goals by analyzing and improving internal and external communication messages and methods.
- Oversees and support production of communication and marketing collateral on behalf of client areas to ensure brand alignment across all channels.
Reports
- Produces regular reports and apply analytic insights to drive improved performance and return on investment of institutional and departmental initiatives.
- Develops dashboards and measurement reports for regular updates on effectiveness for key internal stakeholders to inform marketing strategy.
- Provides weekly updates to the Chief of Staff and Director of Marketing and Communications on job functions, achievements, challenges and expenditures.
Additional Functions
- Provides leadership and representation to various college strategic committees and taskforces with respect to specific marketing and communications projects.
- Manages student employees, engaging students in meeting departmental objectives while supporting their personal development and transformation.
- Attends and works events related to areas of responsibility as needed.
- Provides assistance and back-up colleagues within the department as necessary.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
- Well-qualified applicants will have experience in higher education, journalism, and an understanding of public relations, media and communications.
- Able to develop and manage marketing and communication plans.
- Strong analytical skills and an ability to gather and consolidate data in a meaningful and insightful manner for reporting purposes.
- Proficient in a variety of earned, owned, shared and paid channels, analysis and distribution.
- Have strong leadership, critical-thinking and problem-solving skills; is a highly self-motivated employee with customer service orientation; and has outstanding judgment and interpersonal skills.
- Excels at meeting deadlines with great attention to detail and high-quality results.
- Able to manage high-volume, competing, and often time-sensitive priorities with exceptional organizational and communication skills.
- Superior writing and editing skills with the ability to write in a variety of styles/voices and in time-sensitive scenarios for technical, creative and crisis writing and editing.
- Talent in storytelling using words, images or audio, and an understanding of how to create content that draws an audience and conveys brand to target audiences.
- Knowledge of strategic planning and various communications vehicles to strengthen institutional communication.
- Ability to quickly analyze situations, identify and troubleshoot problems, recommend solutions and use sound judgment in making decisions.
- Ability to communicate with a wide variety of personalities in a professional manner.
- Ability to contribute individually, take direction and participate in cross-functional teams.
- Ability to work in a mobile manner and after-hours as digital communication is required.
- Willing to embrace change and to adapt strategies on the fly.
- Must handle confidential information with tact and discretion.
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| Required Qualifications |
QUALIFICATION-EDUCATION:
Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Communication Arts, Multimedia, Marketing or a related field
QUALIFICATION-EXPERIENCE:
- Five years of work experience in marketing, multimedia journalism or a related field
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to create engaging, informative and influential content in a variety of mediums
- Proficient knowledge of AP style and excellent writing and editing skills
- Exceptional project management skills; proven ability to plan, develop and deliver content across multi-channels
- Able to simplify and distill complex messages into relevant, engaging content
- Expert experience writing for a variety of audiences and channels (with a portfolio of writing samples available for review)
- Resourceful, problem-solving style that thrives in a fast-paced environment and fosters collaborative relationships
- Solid project management, with ability to independently manage multiple projects on-time with exceptional quality
- Proficiency with Office suite of products (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook)
- Experience in Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator) a plus
UNIVERSITY MISSION:
Must be able to support and promote the University’s Mission
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