Job Details

Assistant Vice President, Marketing Communications
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Position Number: 6040111
Location: Worcester, MA
Position Type: Public Relations, Marketing and Communications

JOB TITLE
Assistant Vice President, Marketing Communications

LOCATION
Worcester

DEPARTMENT NAME
Marketing Communcations

DIVISION NAME
Worcester Polytechnic Institute - WPI

JOB DESCRIPTION SUMMARY
The Assistant Vice President of Marketing leads an in-house team of specialists in marketing strategy, messaging, creative, social media, multimedia, and production management. Under the AVP's direction-and in collaboration with campus partners-this team develops WPI's integrated brand strategy and the campaigns that support it. With a heavy focus on reputational goals, enrollment targets, brand visibility, and fundraising, this individual is also responsible for developing adherence to brand standards that unify and distinguish WPI. The assistant vice president works closely with the division head, peer leaders, and colleagues across partner functions.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Collaborates with Chief Marketing and Communications Officer and team leads on division strategy and budget by:

Leading, with the CMCO, the development of an integrated brand strategy for WPI, inclusive of brand architecture, brand standards, and brand expression (e.g. creative and messaging)
Collaborating across the university on strategic initiatives, representing division and providing marketing and creative leadership.
Collaborating closely with stakeholders internally and throughout WPI to achieve buy-in and alignment on marketing priorities and resource allocation.
Planning, on an annual basis, the campaigns and actions needed to meet or exceed the university's overall business goals, as measured by key performance indicators (e.g. enrollment outcomes, reputational metrics, revenue).
Analyzing historical and past year performance to identify key learnings and indicated actions.
Understanding broader trends affecting higher education, the competitive landscape and public perception of colleges and universities.
Breaking down internal silos through enhanced communication, work processes and transparency.
Supporting a culture of operational excellence and creative daring.
Leading, managing, and mentoring the marketing and creative teams.
Recruiting and retaining a motivated, highly skilled workforce.

Supervise the marketing strategy team; support integrated marketing campaigns for reputation, student recruitment, and advancement by:

Partnering with strategic leads within the WPI administration, graduate and undergraduate admissions, and advancement to clarify priorities, goals, target audiences, resources and timelines.
Advising on campaign strategy, including creative approach, specific deliverables, budget and distribution channels.
Marshaling appropriate internal resources, including public relations, digital marketing, social media, multimedia, and strategic/internal communications to produce integrated campaigns (e.g. paid, earned, owned, shared).
Advising campus partners on budget investment for marketing and branding to improve return on investment and promote the careful stewardship of university funds.
Collecting, measuring, and sharing data and best practices to inform decisions and influence constituencies.

Supervise the creative team; support a distinctive and consistent brand expression for WPI across all media and campaigns.

Direct the integrated design, multimedia services, content creation and management, and creative projects management in collaboration with production/traffic management.
Provide "freedom within boundaries" for creative staff, who should feel empowered to develop original and unexpected creative campaigns that adhere to the university brand while inviting audiences to "think, feel, and act" in ways beneficial to WPI.
Oversee execution of creative process, with a focus on balancing priorities, resources, budgets, and impact.
Provide counsel and coaching on creative, editorial, photography, and videography.
Ensure that creative is an authentic representation of the WPI community and upholds our university's inclusive spirit in messaging, visuals, outreach, and platforms.
When appropriate, ensure that creative concepts are focus tested with external audiences to ensure alignment between brand expression and student/parent/alumni needs and desires.
Ensure through competitor benchmarking that WPI's creative remains distinctive and qualitatively superior to its immediate peer set.

Protect, preserve, extend, and drive revenue from the university brands, sub-brands, and associated marks.

Champion the university brand and the value of consistency in interactions and engagements with leadership, peers, and the broader academic and administrative campus community.
Establish, communicate, iterate, and enforce brand standards, policies, extensions, supporting tools and templates.
Manage relationships, contracts, and licensing requests with licensing vendor to uphold brand integrity and optimize licensing revenue.

Lead the university's efforts around reputation and rankings, in collaboration with leadership team.

With the CMCO, create and execute a multi-year strategy for capitalizing on WPI's strengths (e.g. project based learning, research 1 status, AI leadership) to drive visibility and recognition among WPI's peers on rankings surveys.
Oversee high-level governance and policies for WPI's social media programs, content, engagement, monitoring. Monitor engagement and sentiments to proactively identify and engage partners to address potential issues, involving the crisis communications and public relations teams as needed.
Periodically survey WPI audiences and communities to establish a clear picture of brand health, reputation and perceptions.

Performs all other duties and responsibilities as assigned or directed by the supervisor.

Requirements:

Bachelor's degree required or Graduate degree preferred in Marketing, communications, business, related
10+ years of increasing responsibility
5 years of supervisory experience
Proven ability to lead a marketing/creative team, driving innovation and brand differentiation
Hands-on experience strategically developing creative solutions and campaigns across digital, print, social media, and events
Demonstrated ability to lead conceptual planning
Adept at creative processes and ability to use creative software tools.
Exceptional presentation skills; able to articulate a compelling vision and strategy
Be a keen evaluator of potential, and an adaptable leader capable of motivating through high pressure deadlines and demands for excellence; committed to the career and professional development of individuals and the team
Ability to set priorities and work concurrently on multiple projects and provide a creative and strategic approach to problem-solving
Strong track record managing external agencies/independent talent
Obsession with accuracy and quality assurance in marketing materials

Salary: $149,200 - $165,000. WPI's benefits package includes a robust retirement match, wellness perks, tuition assistance and more!

Please include a resume and cover letter for consideration.

FLSA STATUS
United States of America (Exempt)

WPI is an Equal Opportunity Employer that actively seeks to increase the diversity of its workplace. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or disability. It seeks individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences who will contribute to a culture of creativity, collaboration, inclusion, problem solving, innovation, high performance, and change making. It is committed to maintaining a campus environment free of harassment and discrimination.

To apply, visit: https://wpi.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/WPI_External_Career_Site/job/Worcester/Assistant-Vice-President--Marketing-Communications_R0003098

About WPI
WPI is a vibrant, active, and diverse community of extraordinary students, world-renowned faculty, and state of the art research facilities. At WPI, we have competitive and comprehensive benefits, including health insurance, long-term care, retirement, tuition assistance, flexible spending accounts, work-life balance and much more.

Diversity & Inclusion at WPI
WPI is committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and respected; a place where every student, faculty and staff member can be themselves, so that they can study, live, and work comfortably, to reach their full potential, and make meaningful contributions in order to meet departmental and institutional goals. WPI thrives on innovative practice and welcomes diverse perspectives, insight, and people from diverse lived experiences, to enhance the community environment and propel the institution to the next level in a competitive, global marketplace.