AVP, Marketing & Communications

Summary

Position Title

AVP, Marketing & Communications

Department

Marketing & Communications

Status

Full Time/Exempt

Job Summary

The Associate Vice President for Marketing and Communications (AVPMC) shall, under the direction of, and in consultation with, the Senior Vice President, Strategic Operations, develop, implement and maintain the brand identity, brand integrity, and brand voice for Jacksonville University, its colleges and schools, its various entities and the communities they serve. The AVP will lead a team of marketing and communications professional staff in developing marketing plans and messaging that tells the College's story, internally and externally, while promoting the institution's mission, vision and goals. The AVP leads these efforts with a proactive and collaborative approach to supporting both strategic organizational and targeted departmental initiatives through a comprehensive and innovative program. This position calls for someone who is as adept a marketer as they are a public relations pro.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Strategy and Marketing Planning

• With the Senior Vice President, Strategic Operations, develop a fully integrated strategic marketing program to meet institutional priorities.
• Plan must include mechanisms for developing ROI, reporting on successes, and specific recommendations on optimizing campaigns for future success.
• Comprehensive campaigns across all media should include, but not be limited to, publications, video, web, digital, and social media.
• Serves as the senior advisor to the Senior Vice President, Strategic Operations for brand and development, enrollment marketing, integrated marketing plans, brand awareness, fundraising campaign marketing, use of media, including paid and earned media as well as overall marketing programs.
• Provide budget updates for "big picture" reports and individual project analysis.

Leadership

• Direct supervision of team leads with overall, but indirect, supervision of all staff.
• Mentorship and strategic liaison leadership to college/area marketing collaborators maintaining efficiency of resources and consistency of overall University message tactics.
• Provide marcom leadership to University committees as required throughout the JU system. Either serve on committees when necessary or assign appropriate marcom staff.
• Act as gatekeeper for new hires and staff training in consultation with the Senior Vice President and appropriate staff. Also, evaluate staff performance with timely feedback at set intervals. Plan professional development for all employees and support their participation. Provide discipline and/or termination when warranted and according to University policy.
• Manage student worker program.

Budget, Financial Management

• Manage projects to ensure that they, and publications, are produced on time and budget.
• Have smaller projects/publications available to train staff on best practices for managing schedules, budgets.
• Track time and expenses for individual projects. Also, track workflow for the same impact

Creative Services and Marketing Services

• Responsible for the brand integrity of the JU brand, consistency of message, continuity oflook of publications, and their distribution.
• Also responsible for the University website and work with the University Webmaster to plan and execute all new website development in keeping with brand standards.
• Brand expert for Jacksonville University.
• Maintain a review checklist for marcom team members to be sure there is consistency of look and message.
• Lead social media platforms. Develop and execute social media campaigns to spread positive, honest brand messages.
• Supervise both traditional and digital marketing programs with direct supervision of marcom personnel and management of outside vendors and consultants when warranted.
• Plan and produce still photo and video production as needed.

Duties/Responsibilities

Analytical and Strategic. The successful candidate for this position will have strong analytical and strategic skills. In this role, the AVP will be expected to analyze industry trends to determine the most promising strategies for the University's messaging to result in measurable positive results.

This person is an Excellent Communicator. The AVP in this position must communicate with a wide range of constituents: students, faculty, staff, parents, trustees, the community at large, donors, etc. A deft communicator is extremely important.

Creativity. This covers many skills on many levels. Creativity has many forms and they are almost all beneficial to the AVP.

Curiosity about the University community and the world beyond. There are so many possibilities of stories to be told about the university experience. It just takes a moment to discover them. And then time to develop and tell them to the right audience at the right timefor the right reasons. Curiosity is the seed that starts this process growing.

Interpersonal Skills. Being a good marcom professional requires competence in "interpersonal skills." The day-to-day duties of an AVP will rely on this skill, as managers must work with a range of people in different roles, both inside and outside the organization.

Highly Organized. Organizational skills are essential for this position.

Required Skills/Abilities

• Strong leader who enjoys the role of mentoring others.
• Conversant in marketing, social media, public relations, printing, and graphic design terminology.
• Problem solver who takes ownership.
• Strong attention to detail and respect for budgets and deadlines.
• Great interpersonal skills and can build excellent working relationships.
• A juggler who can wear multiple hats and keep all the balls in the air.
• A solid writer who likes to write.
• Highly creative who loves to develop the concept alone or with a team of people.
• Team player who can step up to lead when needed..

Education, Certificates, Licenses, & Experience

Professional Experience

Successful candidate will have:
Work experience (5-10 years) in a marketing capacity in:

• Educational Institution, preferably at the secondary or college/university level.
• Professional organizations such as legal, healthcare, and research.

Or, work experience (5-10 years) in public relations capacity in:

• Educational Institution, preferably at the secondary or college/university level.
• Professional organizations such as legal, healthcare, and research.

Or, a position or positions that required you to work (5 to 10 years) in both marketing and public relations for:

• an educational institution or
• professional organization or
• a communications firm.
• Minimum Education Requirement: Bachelor’s Degree Required; Master’s Degree Preferred
• Minimum Work Experience: Five years of marketing experience
• Preferred Qualifications: Seven years of marketing experience including higher education marketing experience

Physical Requirements

• Must be able to lift and carry equipment and supplies weighing up to 20 pounds.
• Must be able to bend, stoop, and reach.
• Manual dexterity to efficiently operate a computer keyboard and other business machines.
• Adequate hearing to communicate effectively in person and by phone.
• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.

Important Note

This is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and/or skills required for this position. The University reserves the right to amend and change responsibilities to meet organizational needs.

To Apply

To apply for this position, please send a resume, two writing samples and a cover letter to: Mary Bennett Harvey at mbhconsults@gmail.com.