Director of Communications, Marketing & External Relations, School of Law

Job Posting:

JR101351 Director of Communications Marketing & External Relations School of Law (Open)

Department:

UBalt Law Marketing & Communication PM

Position Type:

Regular

Open Date:

0

Close Date:

$110000 - $130000

Job Description:

The Director of Communications Marketing and External Relations serves as a key senior leader at the law school who oversees the Communications & External Relations team.

This position is responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive communication and marketing strategy to enhance the schools reputation and the reputation of its programs and faculty and to promote its image with a variety of internal and external audiences including prospective and current students alumni donors and local national and international legal conjunction with the Dean Associate Dean for Administration Communications and External Relations team as well as other law school and university alumni relations communications and development partners the Director helps develop and implement the strategy for the law schools engagement with key stakeholders to build a sense of pride and a culture of support for the law school.

Key Functions/Responsibilities:

Communications & Marketing Strategy/Team Management

• Build the profile and reputation of the law school among its key constituents: prospective and current students staff and faculty alumni the legal academy community partners and the broader local national and international legal community. Lead and manage all aspects of the marketing and communications functions for UBalt Law. Supervise assign and evaluate the work of the External Relations team including the Associate Director of External Relations and Web and Technical Support Specialist to accomplish the profile-building goals of the law school. Ensure the departments work is integrated mutually supportive and aligned with institutional goals.
• Develop and implement strategic public relations and communications plans to shape the organizations image and brand reputation.
• Collaborate with alumni relations and development leadership regarding alumni and external constituencies and collaborate with other internal stakeholders (e.g. faculty programs other departments) regarding strategic marketing and communications.
• Develop and manage ongoing campaigns and one-time efforts designed to create general awareness promote programs connect with donors and engage applicants while working to build deeper relationships with both existing student and alumni audiences.
• Establish online marketing goals growth strategies and measurement metrics for various online audiences.
• Lead crisis communications planning and oversee responses to issues or incidents that require PR intervention.
• With Law Admissions and other partners craft the marketing strategies for law school programs including its video and print viewbook website and social media campaign to support recruitment and enrollment efforts for JD and Graduate Tax Programs as well as other reputation enhancing initiatives.
• Develop promote and manage webinar panels and oversee the editing and posting of recordings on YouTube to share on social media.
• Oversee the creation and distribution of various publications and other materials (e.g. annual magazine program newsletters press releases presentations) to effectively engage target audiences. Serve as project manager and oversee work when outside vendors are procured for communications and/or marketing support.
• Produce at least one digital magazine issue per year which involves writing editing graphic design and management of freelance writers and photographers. This involves idea generation with the Dean and Associate Dean alumni engagement development and career services colleagues as well as vendor management (hire manage ensure timely payment of writers photographers and designers) and shepherding deliverables through to a final edit and published product.
• Coordinate with law school and university colleagues and others on the production of other publications and implement other promotion and publicity initiatives for the law school.
• Provide ongoing research on peer institutions to measure law school presence in critical areas such as recruitment and admissions alumni communications and relations donor relations and philanthropy communications efforts and global positioning.
• Gather and create news from law school stakeholders with a specific focus on the work of faculty and faculty scholarship clinics centers programs and law alumni and identify and implement the most impactful ways to promote it through appropriate platforms to key constituents.
• Develop and maintain relationships with media outlets and within the academy and community to inform strategy and placement of law school news. Look for and respond to media opportunities.
• Serve as an all seeing eye of the law school calendar encompassing of all the events programs and distinguished visitors to ensure that communications and alumni engagement coordination opportunities are maximized.
• Write speaker bios and collect content for and prepare draft speeches/remarks as needed.
• Brief the Dean and Associate Dean for Administration on key contacts attending events or otherwise identified through research and maximize opportunities for leadership to connect.
• Develop and manage budget for marketing and communications activities; track and make adjustments to plans as required.
• Serve as a primary contact for university communications and marketing colleagues. Represent UBalt Law through participation in campus meeting and special projects. Build effective relationships with a broad range of members of the UBalt community provide guidance on a wide range of publication needs in both print and electronic media and coordinate use of constituent data with other departments.

Departmental Newsletters Faculty Accolades and Scholarship Promotion

• Edit and distribute annual newsletters from centers programs and clinics including Center for Criminal Justice Reform Center for International and Comparative Law Fannie Angelos Program and the Clinics and continuously engage to find and implement ways to highlight the work of all centers programs and clinics.
• Work with the Associate Dean for Faculty Scholarship OAA and Library Director and Faculty Scholarship Librarian to best create content to highlight faculty scholarship internally and throughout the academy to celebrate faculty scholarship and academic achievements and awards.

Alumni Engagement and Partnership Management

• Oversee and closely direct the work of the Associate Director of External Relations to lead alumni and community engagement initiatives that bring important constituencies together raise the profile of the law school and its community members and build a sense of pride and a culture of support for the law school.
• Closely coordinate with alumni engagement partnership management and development colleagues to set strategy and ensure communications and other project needs are met.
• Ensure that alumni newsletter class notes and other alumni focused communications are issued regularly.
• Serve as the primary contact for a portfolio of media and community partnerships (ex: OAG OPD city and state governments partner institutions (Hopkins Loyola other USM institutions etc.)).
• Serve as a primary contact for and key collaborator with the Office of Advancement and External Relations and other university communications and marketing staff and serve on the university communications team.

Online Presence and Internal and External Digital Content & Promotion

Plan create execute and oversee the development of the law schools strategy for its online presence and content.

• The Director has primary responsibility to assure the law schools website is updated and that the content is concise organized navigable and consistent with the overall branding and positioning of the law school and university.
• Develop manage and grow social media presence and outreach across all social channels as well as proactively develop and plan editorial content calendar including all of UBalt Laws areas of focus such as key school milestones alumni achievements rankings and competitive performance donor campaigns and other elements of a preeminent learning institution. Set the tone and voice across platforms and outward communication of messaging and responses including monitoring of conversations and proactively managing potential issues.
• Engage with faculty members staff and students to understand their needs and improve the content of the website and the law schools presence in all aspects of the law schools website.
• Promote key law school events. For major law school events provide promotion and media relations support signage and VIP and alumni engagement management as needed.

Other duties as assigned by the Dean or Associate Dean to support the law school.

Support Commencement publicity and communications needs as needed.

Required Education and Experience

Education: Bachelors degree

Experience: 7 years of work related to the communications and/or marketing fields.

Preferred Education and Experience

Education:Masters Degree

Experience:10 years work experience in the communications and/or marketing field.

Required Knowledge Skills & Abilities:

• Requires excellent writing editing organizational communication and interpersonal skills.
• Must be able to successfully multitask and keep track of several varying responsibilities and timelines at once.
• Must be able to work collaboratively and with the highest degree of professionalism with a range of stakeholders including students faculty staff university colleagues alumni and the general public.
• Traditional media as well as social media proficiency (e.g. LinkedIn Facebook Instagram etc.).
• Experience managing and updating websites.
• Experience with creation and production of publications and/or marketing materials and campaigns.
• Deep understanding of online marketing fundamentals.
• Familiarity and experience with email service providers email segmentation targeting and A/B testing tools to maximize response rates.
• Familiarity with quantitative and qualitative data collection.
• Highly collaborative and skilled manager capable of leading a team to meet demanding deadlines.
• First-hand experience managing digital marketing in particular strategic planning brand building website management content generation and marketing digital advertising social media management and managing digital asset development.
• Knowledge of partnering with alumni engagement and development teams and overall understanding of website design with regard to functionality and navigation.
• Knowledge of business strategies as well as managing and maintaining content for social channels.
• Familiarity with Google Analytics graphic design software and web content management systems. Strong MS Office Suite Skills (Excel Word and PowerPoint).

Additional Job Information:

The University of Baltimore (UBalt or University) does not discriminate on the basis of sex gender race religion age disability national origin ethnicity sexual orientation gender identity or other legally protected characteristics in its programs activities or employment practices. UBalt is an Equal Opportunity/ADA Compliant Employer & Title IX Institution.