Marketing & Audience Development Specialist

Job Description

Reporting to the Director School of Performing Arts and the Director Marketing and Communications for the College of Architecture Arts and Design (AAD) the Marketing & Audience Development Specialist executes integrated marketing publicity recruitment communications and ticketing/revenue strategy for the School of Performing Arts (SOPA) advancing visibility and enrollment while growing audiences for 150 public facing events annually (performances screenings lectures and festivals).

The Marketing & Audience Development Specialist owns SOPAs digital presence (website SEO e news and social media) and partners closely with the college/university marketing and communications network and VT News. The position also serves as the primary liaison to the Center for the Arts ticket office to optimize sales access and patron experience.

A smaller portion of the positions portfolio supports the School of Visual Arts (SOVA) primarily promoting exhibitions and public programs in the art gallery and other outward facing initiatives.

Evening/weekend work is expected during event periods.

Essential duties and expectations of the role include:
Creating season/production creative suites (key art thumbnails reels trailers posters programs digital signage).
Maintaining consistent brand voice and visual identity aligned with university and college standards; steward approvals across stakeholders.
Managing content calendars project trackers and workflows; prioritize high impact events and recruitment cycles.
Training and supervising graduate assistants and student employees; manage freelance/vendor contracts as needed.
Maintaining digital asset libraries; ensure rights/clearances for photos/video/music.
Overseeing captioning transcription and accessibility services for digital content and livestreams.
Coordinating with production technical and front of house teams to ensure cohesive patron experience.
Preparing season wrap ups and quarterly reports with recommendations for the next cycle.
Aligning work effort to support the goals and priorities of SOPA SOVA and the College of Architecture Arts and Design.
Following established brand guidelines university policies and procedures and accessibility standards.

About the School of Performing Arts
The School of Performing Arts (SOPA) along with the School of Architecture School of Design and the School of Visual Arts comprise the College of Architecture Arts and Design (AAD) which launched in July 2022. SOPA offers programs in music theatre and cinema at the graduate and undergraduate level. Programs are delivered in Virginia Techs Creativity and Innovation District which concentrates 11 performance spaces within a three-block area on the Blacksburg campus. Performance venues range from the 1300-seat Center for the Arts to a 101-seat experimental theatre.

Required Qualifications

Bachelors degree in marketing communications arts administration or related field (or equivalent experience) or significant professional experience.
Professional experience in marketing/communications for performing arts entertainment higher education or related sectors.
Demonstrated success managing multi channel campaigns social platforms and websites/CMS with strong writing editing and visual storytelling skills.
Working knowledge of GA4 email platforms and basic design/video tools.
Experience collaborating with a ticket office or ticketing platform and interpreting sales data to inform marketing.
Familiarity with accessibility standards (WCAG2.2) and privacy best practices (opt in/consent first party data).
Ability to work event driven hours (some evenings/weekends) and to supervise student staff.

Preferred Qualifications

Masters in arts administration marketing or related field.
Experience in higher ed recruitment marketing and coordination with admissions/graduate units.
Proficiency with marketing automation/CRM data visualization (e.g. Power BI) and basic HTML/CSS.
Motion graphics and short form video production skills; livestream or broadcast experience.
Media relations experience and on the record writing (advisories pitches talking points).
Demonstrated knowledge and experience of Virginia Tech and AP style.
Demonstrated commitment to audience development with community building.

Pay Band

4

Overtime Status

Exempt: Not eligible for overtime

Appointment Type

Regular

Salary Information

Salary range is $60000 - $65000 per year

Hours per week

40 evenings & weekends as needed

Review Date

October 27 2025

Application Materials

For full consideration in addition to their cover letter and resume candidates should upload or link to portfolio of select original works.

Additional Information

This position can accommodate a hybrid work arrangement of up to one day of remote work each week following a fully onsite onboarding period to support successful training and transition.

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

About Virginia Tech

Dedicated to its mottoUt Prosim(That I May Serve) Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world Virginia Tech is aninclusive communitydedicated to knowledge discovery and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36000 undergraduate graduate and professional students in eightundergraduate colleges aschool of medicine aveterinary medicinecollegeGraduate School andHonors university has a significant presence across Virginia including Blacksburg the greater Washington D.C. area the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke sites in Newport News and Richmond and numerousExtension officesandresearch institutes.A leading global research institution Virginia Tech conducts more than $650 million in research annually.

Virginia Tech endorses and encourages participation in professional development opportunities and university shared governance. These valuable contributions to university shared governance provide important representation and perspective along with opportunities for unique and impactful professional development.