Chief Branding Officer

The Highlights:

Key responsibilities will include overseeing the development and implementation of a brand strategy and storytelling initiative designed to further distinguish DePaul from their key competitors in education, as well continue to build its reputation with the Chicago community. In addition, there is a strong desire to create a stronger presence for the institution among its core constituencies that would include, faculty, student body, alumni and business communities. In an effort to operationalize some of the key marketing initiatives, the CBO will be responsible for further refining the roles and responsibilities of his/her staff, particularly in the area of integrated marketing, data and analytics, advertising, digital marketing and creative. Finally, given the matrix nature of this institution, it is imperative that the individual develop strong, credible relationships with all of the appropriate departments as well as key faculty to ensure cohesive support of all marketing initiatives. The CBO will have access to a supportive work environment that values collaboration, innovation, and creativity. As the CBO of DePaul, this executive will be an integral part of something extraordinary - the chance to build an organization from the ground up.

What You'll Do:

-Partner with the leadership team to develop annual marketing plans and comprehensive branding strategies that aligns with DePaul's goals to authentically connect with prospective students and their families and engage diverse communities locally, nationally, and globally.

-Execute a clearly defined marketing and branding strategy that aligns with DePaul's objectives and enhances brand equity. 

-Shape the future direction of the brand and bring it to life in a way that's fun, organic, engaging, healthy and separates DePaul University from the conventional pack. 

-Work creatively and collaboratively to partner with academic affairs, advancement, enrollment management and university athletics marketing teams to ensure consistency, leverage unique strengths, and promote synergy.

-Drive brand awareness in new and existing markets that results in improved brand equity and affinity.

-Identify new, innovative strategies to actively engage DePaul University student, alumni, faculty and community via a diverse and complex marketing mix. 

-Elevate the portfolio of high-quality, affordable academic programs using a data driven approach to meet student, workforce, and societal needs. 

-Conduct marketing research to identify potential competitive innovations for the university that can be coordinated among its many colleges in a collaborative way. 

-Develop and maintain key performance metric reports that track performance and test efficiency of marketing efforts. Deploy a marketing dashboard that makes KPIs more accessible and delivers performance metrics on the marketing efforts of each college. 

-Define and build the right data sets to improve marketing analytics and drive engagement through value, brand health, media and performance marketing.

-Build and deploy robust predictive analytics that inform branding campaigns and messaging and enable a deep understanding of target audiences and the student journey.

-Strengthen digital competencies across the campus community to increase adoption of a broad range of traditional and new media strategies and tools. 

-Promote and protect DePaul's reputation and commitment to its Catholic, Vincentian, and urban mission.

-Provide support and counsel for crisis and emergency communication. 

What You'll Need:

The ideal candidate is a marketing leader with a proven track record of driving brand awareness and affinity. This leader is a results-oriented and creative brand builder who is obsessed with elevating a brand and driving engagement through owned and paid channels. The ideal candidate will possess strategic skills to identify opportunities to grow the brand but also the ability to drive execution and results through the team. This leader will have demonstrated a track record of leading brand strategy and messaging, building brand affinity, and increasing marketing return on investment.

This leader will be able to document for themselves and the University how marketing spending connects to engagement, enrollment, donations, and retention. This leader will have a depth of experience across digital, social, and mobile marketing and bring a strong understanding of how to deliver best-in-class omnichannel experiences. S/he will be adept at leveraging consumer insights, market research, and data analysis to build marketing programs that drive brand awareness and affinity.

The candidate will be able to attract, develop, and energize a high-performance team, providing feedback and
developing people to their highest potential. S/he will have strong collaboration and teamwork acumen and be a cultural fit with alignment to the DePaul mission. This leader will possess impeccable communication skills, supporting strong relationships among key stakeholders across the school. This CBO must be a capability-builder who can influence and bring others along with insight and data to help stand up new tools and teams.

Perks:

• Working for a stable and well-known University that values diversity and inclusion.
• Top choice medical, dental, and vision benefits.
• Retirement plan matching contribution of 10%.
• Tuition waivers for employees and dependents.
• Generous paid time off, sick time, holidays, floating holidays, and more!
• Full-Time Benefits

For consideration, please include a resume and cover letter.

Required Background Check:

Employment at DePaul University is contingent on passing a background check. Only final candidates who are extended an offer of employment will undergo a background check.

Mandated Reporting of Child Abuse & Neglect:

Upon accepting an offer of employment with the university, you will also be required to sign an Acknowledgement of Mandated Reporter Status at the time of hire. A mandated reporter is required to make a report to the Illinois DCFS Hotline whenever there is reasonable cause to believe that a child known to them in their professional or official capacity may be abused or neglected. For more information, please visit the following pages:

Illinois Department of Children & Family Services (DCFS)
Illinois Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act

DePaul University is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, genetic information or any other legally protected status, in accordance with applicable federal, state and local EEO laws.

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