Associate Director, Communications (Marketing)

Job Summary

Rhode Island School of Design's Office of Institutional Engagement is pleased to announce an opening for an Associate Director, Communications (Marketing) to serve a two-year term appointment. In this unique opportunity, t he Associate Director, Communications (Marketing) will develop communications initiatives to advance RISD Institutional Engagement’s (IE) strategy and work to foster lifelong relationships with alumni, parents, friends, donors, and organizations to strengthen goodwill and philanthropy. Reporting to the Executive Director of Campaign Planning and Strategy, this position produces engaging and persuasive messaging across digital and print platforms to promote and communicate IE’s initiatives to its constituencies. Communications initiatives must increase brand awareness; elicit affinities and connections, and mobilize resources and support. As well, we seek a culturally competent candidate who will thrive in a campus environment that advances principles of social equity and inclusion, environmental and climate justice, and equal access to resources and opportunities.

Essential Functions

• Write effective communications and marketing copy and deliver other creative services to drive engagement across websites and other platforms and to support the Communications team within Institutional Engagement. Promote and market a wide range of programmatic initiatives in formats suitable for digital and print platforms, including but not limited to: web pages, e-newsletters, solicitations, letters in the voice of volunteers, donor acknowledgements, donor reports, social media posts, event invitations, promotional collateral, and other development and engagement communications. Acquire, select, and recommend appropriate visual materials to enhance and enforce effective storytelling.
  
  
• Develop and provide content for IE’s main websites and pages, including but not limited to alumni.risd.edu, families.risd.edu, engage.risd.edu, and risd.edu/giving. Build and execute emails and newsletters for RISD Fund fundraising appeals and Alumni + Family Relations programming. Serve as the primary executor of email campaigns related to event invitations, stewardship communications, and other deliverables as needed.
  
  
• Develop, recommend, and execute a social media strategy for all offices within IE and within the context of RISD, and serve as primary content producer and coordinator for all digital channels. Collaborate with the Media Group as well as IE’s Development and Alumni + Family Relations teams to build and execute social media strategies and campaigns to enhance multi-channel communications for fundraising and engagement.
  
  
• Coordinate and manage detailed calendar and production schedules for all communications projects and campaigns using project management tools to ensure their accurate and timely completion.
  
  
• Build and foster cooperative and collaborative relationships with other content developers within IE and across the college to amplify coordination and reuse of content across multiple channels and properties within strategic, thematic' and branding frameworks.
  
  

Required Knowledge/Skills/Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in related field or equivalent combination of education and experience. Graduate degree preferred.
  
  
• Demonstrated experience in writing fundraising communications, media relations, public relations, communications, and/or a related field. Strong writing, editing, and proofreading skills with expertise in use of English grammar, punctuation, and syntax. Proven ability to write persuasively and to create concise marketing copy for a broad range of audience types and individuals with diverse personal backgrounds utilizing strategic institutional messaging.
  
  
• Demonstrated expertise in the use of Google (G Suite) collaboration tools, Microsoft Office suite, experience with Adobe Creative suite, email marketing software, project management tools (Asana), website content management systems (Drupal preferred), and CRM/databases.
  
  
• Knowledge of communications research methods and analysis.
  
  
• Experience working with designers to produce digital and print materials.
  
  
• Ability to manage complex communications projects with multiple internal and external stakeholders.
  
  
• Superlative diplomatic and communication skills, including an ability to work and communicate effectively with a broad spectrum of constituents (individual donors, alumni, business leaders, public figures, faculty, and staff), within an environment that values diversity as defined by but not limited to race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation/identity and/or socioeconomic status.
  
  
• Ability to manage multiple projects, priorities, and deadlines. Capability to work independently and collaboratively with moderate supervision.
  
  

Union:

No



Work Schedule:

35 hours per week

Employment Status:

Full-time, Exempt

Two-year term



Grade:

10/AD



Documents Needed to Apply:

Resume

Cover Letter

Writing Sample

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please upload all required documents.

The successful candidate will be required to meet our pre-employment background screening requirements.

RISD recognizes diversity and inclusivity as fundamental to its learning community and integral to an art and design education. We welcome candidates whose experience has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to diversity and excellence. RISD is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetics, or any other protected characteristic as established by law.

For internal use only - Job Family:

Development - Operations