Assistant Director, Manufacturing Advancement Marketing & Communications

About IALR
The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) serves as a regional catalyst for economic transformation. The mission will be accomplished through applied research advanced learning economic development advanced manufacturing and conference services. Driving Economic Transformation is at the heart of everything we do at the Institute for Advanced Learning and breakthroughs create opportunity grow innovation power progress and host greatness. Each of our divisions plays a critical role in daily preserving and delivering this mission.

About the Role
The Assistant Director of Manufacturing Advancement Marketing & Communications at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) will develop implement and lead strategic marketing and communications initiatives that support the Manufacturing Advancement (MA) divisions mission of transforming Southern Virginia into a hub for manufacturing advancement and workforce development. This leadership role requires a dynamic innovative professional who can translate technical advancements and workforce initiatives into compelling stories and data-informed marketing strategies that engage stakeholders partners and the broader community. While not executing every task directly the role will lead the development of a scalable MA marketing and communications team architecture including staff partners and systems to deliver on key goals. The MA marketing and communications team will be part of IALRs Marketing and Communications Department which is responsible for promoting IALR as a whole.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Strategic Marketing & Communications Leadership
  • Lead the strategy development implementation and evaluation of internal and external marketing initiatives aligned with IALRs mission market trends and budget.
  • Set and monitor KPIs and timelines; manage the MA marketing budget and external vendor relationships.
  • Guide the use of digital tools (e.g. Teams Asana Salesforce Marketing Cloud) for project and performance management.
• Team Leadership
  • Build and oversee a scalable marketing and communications team structure. Provide leadership mentorship and performance oversight to team members and partners.
• Market Research & Analysis
  • Direct market research initiatives to inform strategic decisions and refine competitive positioning.
• Brand Management
  • Enforce MA brand standards and provide tools and training to ensure organization-wide consistency.
• Reputation & Crisis Communication
  • Manage PR strategies media relations and brand reputation efforts. Lead crisis communication planning and execution. Monitor news and social media for public sentiment and business intelligence.
• Innovation & Compliance
  • Integrate emerging marketing trends technologies and AI tools into strategy. Ensure compliance with branding guidelines and internal/external policies.
• Content & Digital Strategy
  • Develop and manage a cohesive content plan to support ATDM CMA and other initiatives across platforms. Maintain high-quality marketing assets including websites publications social media and podcasts. Lead multi-channel marketing strategies (digital social SEM email SMS) using data-driven approaches and campaign analytics.
• Event & Community Marketing
  • Oversee brand presence and communication strategies for events job fairs and trade shows. Represent MA at external events to build awareness and partnerships.
• Industry Positioning & Thought Leadership
  • Advise leadership and key partners on marketing goals. Promote MA as a thought leader in workforce technology and manufacturing through media engagement and public speaking.

Work Location
We are looking for staff to work onsite in Danville VA.

The Ideal Candidate

• Bachelors degree in Marketing Communications Public Relations or a related field
• A minimum of seven (7) years of demonstrated experience with at least three (3) years of leadership
• Proven experience in strategic marketing brand development public relations and communications
• Ability to translate technical and workforce development concepts into engaging communications
• Strong project management and organizational skills with attention to detail and deadlines
• Significant experience developing and successfully executing marketing plans and campaigns including proficiency in web analytics and other marketing evaluation tools
• Experience managing publication and digital content projects including strong writing and editing skills; working knowledge of graphic design principles/photography; and use of the internet
• Proven experience in website oversight including content strategy UX/UI best practices SEO and leadership of web developers or CMS platforms (WordPress etc.)
• Experience in leading evaluating and reporting on the use of social networking tools in communications and/or marketing programs

Preferred Experience:

• A masters degree in Marketing Communications Public Relations or a related field
• Marketing and communications leadership experience in a technical or workforce-focused environment for governmental agencies/entities and/or higher education providers
• Experience providing professional counsel to senior leaders at local regional state and national levels
• Experience managing marketing platforms/analytics/reporting within a CRM
• Significant experience managing contractors and subcontractors

Salary & Benefits
IALR will offer salary that is commensurate with your experience. IALR offers unique career opportunities in an innovative environment all to support the economic transformation of Southern Virginia. Eligible employees are afforded excellent medical dental and vision coverage with lower-than-expected costs and participate in the Virginia Retirement System to save for their future.

IALR is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race color religion sex sexual orientation gender identity national origin disability or protected veteran you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process please contact Requests will be kept confidential and handled in accordance with applicable laws.