Director of Communication & Marketing -Innovation Campus

Job Description

The Virginia Tech Innovation Campus in the greater Washington D.C., metro area -- a bold, new vision for graduate tech education announced as part of the Commonwealth’s successful bid to attract Amazon’s HQ2 -- is hiring a director of communications and marketing. This position will be on site in Alexandria at the new Innovation Campus HQ.

The director serves as the lead communications and marketing advisor for the Vice President and Executive Director of the Innovation Campus, providing strategic and day-to-day guidance on a wide range of topics, issues, and strategies for positioning the campus, upholding high ethical standards and advancing its mission and elevating the university.

The director will lead and implement a comprehensive, integrated communications and marketing program to increase the visibility and brand awareness of the start-up campus and develop, execute, measure, and refine multi-channel marketing and communications campaigns that align with the strategic goals of the Innovation Campus and university.

Strategic marketing and communications will attract new students, engage with public and private partners, promote diversity and inclusion and inspire philanthropic support. The director will lead branding, marketing, design, digital, editorial, messaging and public relations efforts for the new campus and its academic programs to elevate the visibility and understanding of the Innovation Campus’s unique vision.

The director will also:
Develop and lead execution of the campus communications strategy; effectively emphasizing core campus strengths and priorities across platforms including content creation.

Advance the visibility of the campus and highlight its unique assets through placemaking and marketing activities.

Create, execute and evaluate a wide variety of communications assets and materials -- including Web sites, social media content, data informed marketing strategies, news and feature stories, speeches, media pitches, publications, and similar items.

Collaborate with the Assistant Vice Provost for Enrollment Management for Strategic Initiatives and the university’s Senior Director of Marketing and Brand Management to enact effective strategies that will achieve the graduate and enrollment degree goals of the Innovation Campus and the university’s commitment to Virginia’s Tech Talent Investment Program.

Collaborate with members of the D.C. area advancement team and team members in the D.C. metro area, to pursue and promote the overall institutional goals related to fundraising, and partner engagement.

Work across Virginia Tech locations around the Commonwealth to develop a multi-year plan, including metrics, for advancing the visibility and understanding of the Innovation Campus and its impact to targeted audiences.

Advance the visibility of the campus and highlight its unique assets through placemaking and marketing activities.

Oversee internal communications for the campus in collaboration with campus leadership.

Work collaboratively with University Relations and campus leadership on crisis communications.

Foster on-going relationships with Government Relations to keep current on key issues, current projects and accomplishments.

Collaborate with communicators across the university to help direct and coordinate joint projects that advance the goals of the Innovation Campus.

Manage contracts with outside freelancers, public relations, marketing or other strategic communications vendors.

Required Qualifications

Demonstrated leadership experience in communications or marketing for higher education, government, nonprofit, corporate or educational and/or professional media organizations.

Demonstrated experience planning and developing content for digital platforms, including the Web, electronic newsletters and email and social media.

Demonstrated experience defining goals and objectives, identifying target audiences, interpreting analytics and data and developing and implementing strategic communications and/or marketing plans to accomplish goals.

Experience developing public presentations and external communications strategies.

Proven commitment to diversity and inclusion with evidence of multicultural competencies.

Experience coaching senior leaders on messaging, as well as directly, addressing the public through audio, video, and the written word.

Experience working professionally on confidential issues.

Comprehensive understanding of the print, electronic, digital, and social news cycles.

Experience planning, monitoring, and overseeing budgets to meet goals.

Experience representing and incorporating diverse constituencies and perspectives in communications.

A master's degree in public relations, communication, journalism, marketing, or a related field, or bachelor's degree with relevant experience that equates to an advanced degree.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in communications and marketing for a research-based organization.

Experience coordinating vendor estimates and contracts.

Experience in public relations or marketing management in higher education.

Ability to benchmark and analyze campaign performance to produce campaign reports.

Experience with Google Analytics.

Experience partnering with public relations officials in research sponsoring agencies.

Experience planning, purchasing, and measuring social and digital advertising, as well as traditional advertising.

Experience in alumni relations and fundraising communications and strategies.

Experience working with Slate.

Pay Band

N/A

Appointment Type

Regular

Salary Information

Commensurate with Experience

Review Date

May 21.2021

Additional Information

The successful Candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check

About Virginia Tech

Dedicated to its motto, Ut 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 an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in eight undergraduate colleges , a school of medicine , a veterinary medicine college, Graduate School , and Honors College . The university has a significant presence across Virginia, including the Innovation Campus in Northern Virginia; the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke; sites in Newport News and Richmond; and numerous Extension offices and research centers . A leading global research institution, Virginia Tech conducts more than $500 million in research annually.

Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status, or otherwise discriminate against employees or applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or the compensation of other employees or applicants, or on any other basis protected by law.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Brandi Barnett at brandib@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to the event.

Advertised: April 22, 2021
Applications close: