Associate Director of Communications
Associate Director of Communications
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Job Description
Special Instructions to Applicants: In PDF form applicants should attach a resume and cover letter in the Supporting Documents section of the application.
About Rice
Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston Texas Rice University is ranked among the nations top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio and a residential college system which supports students intellectually emotionally and culturally through social events intramural sports student plays lecture series courses and student government. Developing close-knit diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.
Rice is also a wonderful place to work. Rice faculty staff and students share values that are essential to our success as a healthy community. Those values guide our decisions and behaviors and shape Rices culture. They come through in how we treat each other and the welcome we extend to our visitors. These values can be recalled simply by our name RICE Responsibility Integrity Community and Excellence.
Position Summary
The Rice School of Architecture seeks a strategic and creative Associate Director of Communications to lead the development and execution of communications and events that enhance the schools mission visibility and impact.
The Associate Director will lead content strategy implementation and storytelling across web social media email and print; manage and actively contribute to content creation and production from writing and editing (image and text) to posting and publishing; coordinate the production of promotional materials both printed and digital that promote the schools pedagogical and scholarly agenda; manage the schools brand ensuring consistency in messaging and visual identity across all platforms; collaborate with faculty staff and students on programming and outreach initiatives; and support executive messaging and strategic communications for the Dean. The Associate Director is the schools primary media liaison and public relations contact advancing its voice within the university and beyond. As a team lead for the schools communications unit the Associate Director also supports the planning and promotion of schools public eventsincluding lectures exhibitions symposia alignment between programs events and their media presence from planning and production to execution and archiving.
We seek exceptional candidates with relevant experience in architecture culture and the arts who can design and write beautifully and effectively translate communication strategy into well-crafted storytelling both visually and textually. The ideal candidate is a forward-thinking and well-rounded communicator with a refined design sensibility and deep understanding of the architectural and cultural landscape exceptional writing and editorial skills and experience managing multifaceted communications efforts and creative teams.
The Rice School of Architecture is a uniquely sized and highly selective design program known for its exceptional student work engaged faculty and meaningful community connections. We welcome ambitious and driven candidates whose backgrounds and lived experiences will contribute to a richer understanding of architecture in a global context.
Workplace Requirements
This position is exclusively on-site necessitating that all duties be performed in person at the School of Architecture. Per Rice policy 440 work arrangements may be subject to change.
Hiring Range
This is a full-time benefits-eligible position and the salary will be commensurate with experience and qualifications. *Exempt (salaried) positions underFLSA are not eligible for overtime.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelors degree in architecture art design art history or related field.
- 4 (four) years of professional experience in communications programming publishing editing public relations or related field.
Skills:
- Design experience with Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign and Photoshop in particular).
- Strong photography image- and video-editing skills.
- Excellent management skills and ability to manage multiple projects.
- Ability to craft inspiring messages for various platforms and audiences: academic and public; internal and external; alumni and friends etc.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills including storytelling and editorial skills that have the clarity quality and exactitude of expression.
- Understanding of narrative and visual modes of communication specific to architectural culture including schools firms and other organizations.
- Attention to craft and detail.
- Experience with social media accounts and digital communication channels.
- Experience with management systems for web (e.g. Drupal etc.) social media scheduling/analytics tools (e.g. Zoho Sprout) and e-mail and CRM management tools and HTML builders (e.g. BBIS Blackbaud Mailchimp Befree etc.).
- Experience with digital asset management systems and archiving
- Knowledge of architecture art design and other related fields including their leading institutions (schools museums publishers foundations firms etc.).
- Ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment managing multiple deadlines and production schedules.
- Ability to manage multiple programs people and projectsincluding vendors and freelancersensuring consistency and accuracy of the various communication channels and events
- Editorial curatorial and/or teaching experience is a plus
- Collaborative mindset and ability to thrive in a mission-driven intellectually rich environment.
Preferred Qualifications
- Masters degree with a demonstrated track record of success in multiple institutional settings
- Experience in architectural professional and/or cultural organizations including academic and nonprofit settings
- Demonstrated ability to lead brand and communications strategy and manage complex multi-platform campaigns
- Familiarity with architecture and design disciplines
- Experience managing production timelines for communications initiatives
Essential Functions
- Develops and executes marketing strategies and marketing plans / programs to meet departmental and/or organizational objectives
- Leads the execution of communication and brand strategy for multiple programs incorporating appropriate channel
- Responsible for staff including the recruitment management development and retention of staff
- Sets budget goals and objectives in alignment with organizational goals
- Oversees event management as needed to support marketing objectives
- Manages vendor relationships
- Oversees market research and analysis
- Uses the results to inform decisions regarding strategic marketing direction product segmentation and customer targeting
- Assesses market opportunities and track market trends. Implement marketing improvements based on findings
- Performs all other duties as assigned
Additional Functions
- Develop and implement comprehensive communications and marketing strategies that elevate the School of Architectures visibility reputation and impact
- Define and maintain a consistent brand identity and messaging strategy across digital print and social media platforms
- Create write and edit compelling content tailored to a range of audiences including students faculty alumni media and the public
- Oversee the schools digital presence including regular website updates and content strategy for social media and email campaigns
- Manage the production of marketing and communications materials such as newsletters event promotions brochures and branded collateral
- Manage the communications and media archive printed and digital in alignment with the schools standards and best archival practices
- Plan and support strategic events that align with communications goals and reinforce the schools mission and values
- Advise school leadership and staff on communications strategy leveraging data and insights to shape priorities and outreach efforts
- Supervise communications staff and project-based collaborators fostering a collaborative creative and high-performing team culture
- Manage communications budgets and vendor relationships including designers writers printers and web developers
- Lead the schools crisis communications and media response efforts in close coordination with university communications
- Build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external partners including campus communications teams peer institutions and media contacts
- Represent the School of Architecture in university-wide communications initiatives and contribute as a strategic communications leader
Rice University HR Benefits: Mission and Values:Mission and Values Rice University
Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and welcoming the fullness of diversity into our candidate pools. Rice considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race color religion age sex sexual orientation gender identity national or ethnic origin genetic information disability or protected veteran status. Rice also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. If an applicant requires a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process please contact Rice Universitys Disability Resource Center at or for support.
If you have any additional questions please email us at . Thank you for your interest in employment with Rice University.
Required Experience:
Director
Employment Type
Full-Time
