Executive Director for Marketing and Communications

Job Description
As Whitman publicly launches & executes its 2030 Transformation Plan a bold vision to become a top 25 undergraduate business school in the next five years elevating the schools brand visibility reputation & strategic communications will be critical. The Executive Director will serve as the senior leader and oversee a team responsible for aligning all messaging with Whitmans strategic priorities academic excellence & market positioning. This role is critical to driving awareness of our distinctive programs promoting faculty thought leadership improving student recruitment & deepening engagement across all stakeholders including alumni donors families & industry partners. With national rankings rising and new investments in faculty research & student outcomes Whitman must magnify its voice nationally through coordinated high impact marketing & storytelling. The Executive Director will lead the schools transformation of our communications infrastructure modernizing digital strategy strengthening media relations & merging messaging across departments. This position ensures Whitman is consistently represented as a forward-thinking innovative business school committed to excellence & impact. As we enter our next phase of growth this role is vital to our long-term reputation national & global reach & relevance.

Responsibilities
Branding storytelling and communications leadership: Lead brand strategy in support of recruiting enrollment job placement philanthropy & partnerships. Oversee the marketing & comms program to align with Whitmans strategies & priorities. Promote Whitman to internal & external stakeholders with messaging that differentiates & elevates our program. Implement best practices & evaluate resources to maximize return on investment. Work in collaboration with SUs central team to achieve strategic coverage & align with brand standards. Optimize web & digital platforms. Oversee creative services & content for digital social print & other materials. Organizational leadership: Supervise and lead a team of marketing and communications professionals including assessing identifying and addressing the needs or gaps in staffing budget infrastructure critical capabilities and external resources. Effectively communicate to direct reports and the team as well as key internal constituents (e.g. students faculty and staff) in conveying the overall organizational vision plan and execution. Lead direct and manage the transition of department and unit goals into priorities and the work of individual team members; regularly communicating about long-term goals to reinforce the larger vision and priorities. Effectively delegate projects assignments and specific areas of responsibility to staff while ensuring consistent communication efficiency and production amongst the department. Support and monitor progress of staff members. Deliberately develop pathways for professional growth and future leadership needs of the department. Collaboration with other units: Lead the collaboration with the universitys central marketing and communications teams as well as Advancement and External Engagement teams as needed to ensure overall brand management and alignment strategy and execution. Manage selection oversight and relationships with external vendors agencies and consultants to extend and make efficient use of staff and resources for MARCOMM purposes. Work closely with advancement to align a development communications plan to drive donor awareness and engagement through compelling messaging and tools. Implement and oversee a structure with individual departments and programs to prioritize internal goals and requests structure operational procedures for communications and establish workflows in Whitman communications that foster productivity and efficiency. Create and execute on workshops and training sessions to increase internal capabilities in media relations social media communications and understanding of branding strategies. Translate broader strategies into clear specific objectives and plans for divisions and individuals. Communications: Lead the development of a strategic communications plan and process for the dean and senior leaders. Communicate priorities and successes to target audiences and support key initiatives through effective communications materials (digital content social media presentations videos emails etc.). Engage with leaders and department heads throughout Whitman to remain current on organizational strengths and priorities and to communicate and involve those leaders in the communications agenda Prepare regular reports for key stakeholders and partners on communication performance and impact including with key performance indicators identified in Whitmans transformation plan. Additional related duties as required or deemed appropriate to the accomplishments of the responsibilities and functions related to this position.