Associate Director, Communications

University of Chicago•Chicago, IL

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

As a part of the Communications and Marketing team within Chicago Booth’s Office of Advancement, the Associate Director, Communications, is responsible for creating, curating, procuring, and tailoring compelling, impact-focused content to activate, motivate, and inspire the department’s core audiences (alumni, donors, volunteers) to engage with and invest in Booth. This position oversees the content slate for the biweekly alumni newsletter, the Booth Briefing. It develops engagement and fundraising collateral, including proposals for major gifts, and provides messaging and creative support for campaign initiatives, as well as Advancement-driven events. It also produces stories about alumni, donors, and volunteers, as well as gift announcements. The Associate Director closely collaborates with Communications and Marketing team members, as well as with many partners from Advancement and Chicago Booth Marketing and Communications. This position is not eligible for employer-sponsored employment authorization.

Requirements

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree.
Degree in communication or marketing.
Direct experience in a marketing/communications position or in a related job discipline.
Background in higher education or advancement.
Knowledge of and moderate skills in InDesign, Canva, or other graphic design software.
Demonstrated experience working with both internal and external partners.
Skills in navigating a fast-paced, deadline-driven, highly collaborative environment.
Self-motivated and work well with colleagues from across a variety of job functions and levels.
Strong attention to detail and editorial skills.
Flexibility and adaptability to work with new programs in an emerging and changing environment.
Outstanding interpersonal, presentation, and communications skills, characterized by the ability to listen, speak, and write well, with a strong commitment to customer service.
Manage confidential information with discretion and tact.

Responsibilities

Oversees the content slate for the biweekly alumni newsletter, the Booth Briefing, and partners with the team’s marketing vertical to adapt the newsletter content strategy based on performance metrics.
Partners with the Senior Associate Director, Communications, to create engagement and fundraising materials, such as one-page overviews, gift and program FAQs, and major gift proposals as requested, and provides light design support for said materials.
Evaluates and leverages appropriate opportunities to apply AI tools to ensure optimal efficiency in producing selected development collateral, while preserving accuracy, quality, and a human touch.
Works and communicates with colleagues from across the school to develop and deliver products such as gift announcements and stories about alumni, donors, and volunteers to achieve Advancement and Booth’s strategic program goals.
Partners with the Director, Communications and Marketing, and the Senior Associate Director, Communications, to develop and update campaign messaging and collateral, such as on a website or one-pagers.
Contributes to messaging development for core Advancement-driven events. This involves the development of a broad range of content and assets, such as event recaps, talking points, and marketing copy.
Works with the Senior Associate Director, Communications, to edit materials for Advancement partners, as assigned.
Collaborates with Chicago Booth Marketing and Communications as appropriate to make recommendations and support content and messaging development.
Practices a standard of communication that is uniform and consistent with the school’s branding and priorities.
Develops, plans, and disseminates information designed to keep the public informed of the organization's programs, accomplishments, or point of view.
Solves moderate to complex problems related to the writing, preparation, and/or delivery of information from or about the unit.
Performs other related work as needed.