Senior Director of Digital Communications

*Please excuse any formatting issues. This is a known systems issue we are working on fixing.

Position Summary:

The Senior Director of Digital Communications serves as a key leader within Vanderbilt Universitys Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) responsible for advancing a unified strategic and donor-centered communications approach within the digital space (email web social media). This new strategic role partners closely with internal DAR teams and the universitys Division of Communications and Marketing (MarComm) to lead the development and execution of integrated digital marketing campaigns including DARs efforts in the universitys Salesforce Marketing Cloud platform. The Senior Director will guide digital strategy lead policy and procedures development manage priorities and resources and ensure consistency and excellence in this space. This role combines technical expertise with marketing strategy to optimize community engagement drive philanthropy and enhance overall marketing effectiveness.

About the Work Unit:

Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) secures the philanthropic and volunteer support required to advance Vanderbilt Universitys mission. DAR leads the identification cultivation solicitation and stewardship of individuals and organizations whose goals align with Vanderbilts strategic priorities. DAR strengthens lifelong engagement among alumni families donors and partners.

You can find more information here: Functions and Expected Performance:

• Lead DARs implementation of Marketing Cloud usage including assessing technology needs defining policies and building out processes in collaboration with DAR IT and MarComm partners to meet department objectives and community engagement goals
• Develop a comprehensive digital marketing strategy for DAR
• Design implement and optimize multi-channel marketing campaigns (email social media web)
• Create sophisticated marketing automation workflows to build journeys and improve community lifecycle management
• Plan strategic and comprehensive long-term digital marketing initiatives
• In collaboration with DARs data team develop advanced audience segments and targeting strategies based on available data and behavior analysis
• In collaboration with DARs creative team build and maintain the brand for DARs digital presence
• Build and maintain a comprehensive calendar of DARs digital communications efforts
• Monitor analyze and report on campaign performance metrics; provide actionable insights and recommendations
• Ensure maximum utilization of Marketing Cloud features and functionality; identify and implement platform improvements
• Mentor team members and provide guidance on platform best practices
• Manage integrations between Marketing Cloud and the departments Salesforce CRM in partnership with internal DAR teams
• Ensure all campaigns comply with GDPR CCPA CAN-SPAM and other regulatory requirements
• In partnership with the associate director of digital communications build and maintain DARs web properties
• Contribute to a culture of collaboration innovation and continuous improvement within DARComm across the broader advancement enterprise and across the university including with MarComm partners

• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned

Supervisory Relationships:

This position will have supervisory responsibility of two to three positions associate director positions to manage web properties and social media and one to two Marketing Cloud email designers.

This position reports to the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Internal Communications and Services.

Work Environment:

This position will be located in the Nashville TN area. It will be hybrid with an expectation of being in the office about one day per week or more depending on business needs.

Education and Certifications:

• Bachelors degree or the equivalent is required.

Experience and Skills:

• 8 years of relevant experience or the equivalent is required
• 5 years in digital marketing marketing automation or MarTech environments
• 3 years of hands-on experience with Salesforce Marketing Cloud (required) including serving as a Marketing Cloud administrator; priority to candidates that have implemented new Marketing Cloud systems processes and strategies in a department or organization
• Proficiency with marketing automation platforms email marketing and CRM systems
• Experience in branding and brand management to ensure consistency of visual identity and message
• Knowledge of SEO/SEM best practices
• Experience with content management systems (CRM) for website management
• Strong collaboration skills demonstrated across multiple departments/areas of an organization
• Demonstrated ability to lead change and influence partners
• Ability to interface with and manage external vendors or agencies
• Strong ability to analyze data interpret metrics and generate insights
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for both technical and non-technical audiences
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities build collaborative partnerships and work effectively across complex organizations.
• Strong project management skills including experience developing briefs managing workflows and aligning resources to strategic goals.
• Salesforce Marketing Cloud Consultant certification or equivalent
• Experience with additional Salesforce products (Sales Cloud Service Cloud Data Cloud) preferred
• Knowledge of HTML/CSS and basic SQL
• Experience with marketing analytics tools (Google Analytics Tableau Looker)