Chief Communications and Marketing Officer

The Chief Communications and Marketing Officer (CCMO) is senior leader responsible for developing leading and continuously advancing a comprehensive and integrated communications and marketing strategy for Adler University as it continues through a critical period of institutional transformation. This role calls for an innovative/visionary hands-on strategist and go-getter who can assessbuild and manage. This role leads with clarity to complexity solves problems in real time and designs new ways to position the institution competitively.

Reporting directly to the President the CCMO serves as the Universitys most senior communications leader enhancing institutional reputation shaping public narratives and ensuring that every dimension of Adlers communications presence reflects and advances its mission strategic priorities and values. They will have a mandate to build and strengthen the Universitys communications and marketing apparatus with a commitment to innovation and excellence advancing the Schools newly established mission vision values and rebranding.

This is a role of strategic consequence and institutional leadership. The CCMO navigates a complex multi-stakeholder environment to align the needs and priorities of academic and administrative leaders the Board of Trustees faculty students external partners media and the broader public into a single coherent institutional strategy. The CCMO has a deep understanding of the media landscape the evolving role of communications technology and how new centers of social influence drive decision making.

• Develop own and continuously advance a comprehensive communications strategy that unifies institutional priorities institutional planning enrollment advancement academic excellence and community engagement into a coherent narrative framework.
• Serve as the central integrating voice for University communications translating the priorities of diverse stakeholders into a unified institutional strategy and consistent brand voice across all channels geographies and audiences.
• Play an active role in the Universitys strategic planning processes ensuring communications goals and resources are embedded from the outset not a tactical after thought
• Establish the institutional messaging architecture core narratives brand voice and audience-segmented key messages that anchors all University communications.
• Build and systematize the infrastructure standards and tools that make Adlers communications consistent scalable and coherent across all geographical hubs programs and channels.
• Elevate and advance academic achievements the voices of outstanding faculty experts and University-wide thought leadership to show Adlerian work in action and highly relevant public conversations.
• Serve as the senior steward of brand integrity making final determinations on the use of the Universitys name identity and narrative in high-stakes or diverse contexts.
• Serve as a full member of the Presidents executive team contributing communications expertise to institutional decision-making and serving as a strategic thought partner to fellow cabinet members.
• Represent Adler University at national higher education associations communications conferences and policy forums advancing the Universitys external profile and contributing to the field as appropriate and with a clear ROI.

• Shape and amplify the Institutions public presence through thought leadership and executive visibility in deliberate service of Adlers institutional mission strategic priorities and reputational goals.
• Develop and execute a multi-year presidential communications strategy that advances the Presidents visibility among national and international audiences as an expression of the Universitys leadership and impact.
• Prepare and advise the President for high-stakes engagements: major speeches media interviews accreditor and government interactions donor presentations and crisis moments.
• Serve as the primary communications advisor to the President on matters of institutional significance in close coordination with the SVP/COO Provost and VP for Advancement.

• Lead the development and execution of an integrated marketing strategy spanning digital paid content and CRM channels that drives awareness consideration conversion advocacy and retention across all of Adlers academic programs and audiences.
• Own Adlers integrated marketing strategy across owned earned and paid channels ensuring a cohesive data-informed presence that reflects the Universitys brand and advances enrollment and institutional visibility goals.
• Direct paid media strategy and investment including search social programmatic and display with campaigns that are audience-segmented performance-tracked and optimized against clear enrollment and awareness KPIs.
• Lead content marketing strategy overseeing the development of mission-aligned content that engages prospective students alumni donors and partners across the full funnel.
• Champion earned media storytelling as a strategic enrollment and reputation lever translating faculty expertise student outcomes and institutional milestones into narratives that reach and resonate with target audiences.
• Oversee CRM and marketing automation strategy ensuring prospect and constituent communications are personalized well-sequenced and integrated with broader institutional communications and advancement goals.
• Bring rigor and accountability to marketing investment by establishing clear performance frameworks and reporting cadences that translate data into actionable strategic decisions.
• Analyze and evaluate emerging communications technologies including digital innovations social media changes generative AI etc to ensure Adler is maximizing new tools with intention focus and integrity

• Provide executive oversight of Adlers enrollment marketing function supervising the communications and marketing leads responsible for prospective student engagement across all programs and geographies.
• Ensure enrollment marketing strategy is fully integrated with the Universitys broader communications brand and advancement priorities to unify various functions share assets and operate cohesively
• Partner closely with enrollment leadership internal communications and marketing leadership and the Provost to align marketing activity with recruitment goals program priorities and institutional targets ensuring the team is resourced and directed accordingly.
• Hold the team accountable to clear performance outcomes reviewing campaign results pipeline data and conversion metrics to inform ongoing strategy and resource allocation decisions.
• Establish enrollment marketing metrics and reporting standards leading ongoing analysis of campaign performance pipeline health and conversion trends to drive continuous improvement and ensure the team is consistently optimizing toward measurable outcomes.

• Own and actively manage Adlers external institutional strategy including senior media relationships with global national and regional outlets higher education press and issue-specific journalists.
• Lead proactive PR strategy: identifying high-impact story opportunities placing Adlers voice in relevant conversations and managing the Universitys press profile with strategic rigor.
• Serve as a senior spokesperson in high-stakes situations including crisis coverage and major announcements.
• Partner with the VP of Advancement to ensure institutional communications strategy supports robust development and advancement goals; serve as a critical strategic partner in alumni engagement and donor communications.
• Maintain proactive sustained and prioritized communications with Adlers key external stakeholders including donors alumni community partners accreditors peer institutions and government contacts.
• Lead communications strategy for major institutional milestones new programs campus development major gifts strategic partnerships etc to ensure precision and impact.
• Amplify the Universitys thought leadership ecosystem coordinating faculty executive student and alumni voices to ensure Adlers expertise shapes relevant public discourse.

• Serve as the Universitys primary cross-functional communications leader convening and aligning communications activity across academic and administrative divisions to ensure a unified institutional voice.
• Establish enterprise-wide communications policies standards and governance frameworks ensuring consistency compliance and institutional alignment across all campuses and channels.
• Provide strategic communications counsel to academic deans vice presidents and senior leaders ensuring major initiatives are supported by well-sequenced coordinated communications plans.
• Present communications strategy reputation updates and major initiatives to the Board of Trustees and University Senate maintaining transparent and active communications with both governing bodies.
• Serve as the Universitys lead communications executive during crises and reputational threats to managing media stakeholder communications and internal messaging with clarity and speed.
• Develop and maintain the enterprise crisis communications framework ensuring preparedness across reputational legal regulatory public health campus safety and political risk categories in close coordination with the Provost SVP/COO and legal counsel.
• Anticipate and monitor emerging issues through regular environmental scans of media policy and peer institution developments.

• Supervise communications and marketing team partnering with them to set clear priorities foster a culture of excellence and mission alignment and invest in the professional growth of all team members.
• Oversee and delegate management of relationships with external consultants agencies and communications firms directing their work managing contracts and ensuring external resources are strategically deployed and accountable to institutional goals.
• Manage resource allocation ($1M budget) monitor expenditures and ensure fiscal responsibility in alignment with institutional priorities.
• Build a high-performing collaborative team culture that integrates full-time staff and external partners into a cohesive strategically aligned communications operation

Required

• Bachelors degree in communications marketing public relations journalism public affairs or a closely related field; equivalent executive-level experience considered.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressively senior communications leadership at the enterprise or institutional level in complex organizations.
• Proven experience advising a CEO President or equivalent executive on communications strategy public narrative and brand including direct board-level engagement.
• Demonstrated track record in high-level public relations: senior media relationships national press strategy proactive story placement and high-stakes spokesperson experience.
• Expertise in digital strategy paid media content marketing earned media storytelling and CRM/marketing automation.
• Experience navigating complex multi-stakeholder environments and integrating competing communications needs into a coherent institutional strategy.
• Track record managing institutional reputation through major transitions politically sensitive situations or periods of significant organizational change.
• Demonstrated leadership of communications professionals cross-functional teams and external vendors and agencies in a matrixed environment.
• Experience managing budgets and allocating resources across a communications or marketing function.
• Exceptional executive presence public speaking and written communications skills.
• Familiarity with higher education large nonprofits government or mission-driven organizations including shared governance and accreditation contexts.
• Familiarity with international and cross-cultural communications and addressing a diversity of audiences

Preferred

• Experience leading communications through institutional transformation

Salary Range: $170000.00 - $200000.00

Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the policy of Adler University that all persons are entitled to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) protection. The University does not discriminate against any individual for employment because of age religion race color gender gender identity sexual orientation national origin ancestry marital status physical or mental disability military status (including unfavorable discharge from the military) or any other category protected by federal state or local law.

Required Experience:

Chief