Associate Director for Marketing and Communications - Enrollment Management Group (EMG)

Duquesne University•Pittsburgh, PA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Seeking an enthusiastic, proactive and strategic professional to join the EM marcom team as Associate Director for Marketing and Communications. The associate director will demonstrate support for meeting and exceeding enrollment goals through enrollment marketing and communications efforts, in alignment with best practices, the pillars/priorities of the Enrollment Management (EM) strategic enrollment plan and University Vision 150: Strategic Plan 2024-2028. Develops and/or manages messaging and plans for multiple audiences, goals and channels throughout the enrollment funnel, including: admissions, financial aid and other Enrollment Management webpages, DU Parent & Families Portal – enrollment segment, internal newsletters, reports and other communications, external partner sites and portals, and Slate Deliver CRM. Attends EM and University meetings, as well as external meetings with vendors and other partners, to represent EM and/or EM marcom, work on strategic efforts and report on EM marcom.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited educational institution and 3-5 years of work-related experience.
Experience writing communications for multiple audiences for multiple channels required.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to develop, edit, proofread and tailor engaging content for diverse audiences across digital and print channels.
Impeccable attention to detail and accuracy.
Experience working with brand guidelines, storytelling and inclusivity.
Success in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships; excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.
Experience with vendor collaboration and management.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with the University Community.
Enthusiasm to develop extensive knowledge about the admission process and student journey, target audiences, enrollment management, and best practices and current + future trends in enrollment marketing.
Ability to analyze and report on performance metrics and use data to inform strategy and improve outcomes.
Demonstrated planning and organizational skills to accommodate multiple priorities; ability to work under pressure, prioritize tasks, and work efficiently in a fast-paced environment with tight deadlines; familiarity using project management tools (Teams, Planner), MS Office and Adobe Acrobat.
Ability to work with diverse populations and sensitivity to the need of each individual to be treated with dignity and respect as it relates to diversity in general and the Mission of the University specifically.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with the University Community.
Ability and willingness to contribute actively to the mission of the University and to respect the Spiritan Catholic identity of Duquesne University, including efforts to enliven and uplift the mission. The mission is implemented through a commitment to academic excellence, a spirit of service, moral and spiritual values, sensitivity to world concerns, and an ecumenical campus community.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in business, communication, writing or marketing from an accredited educational institution preferred.
Web content management experience, including writing for the web, the use of web content management system/s, leveraging web analytics (GA4) strongly preferred; familiarity with SEO, GEO, AEO and accessibility/ADA compliance.
Higher education enrollment and/or marketing experience preferred but not required.
Alternatively, the successful candidate may possess any equivalent combination of experience and training, which provides the knowledge, skills and abilities required to perform the essential job functions.

Responsibilities

Primary writer/editor for enrollment communications; develops and maintains multi-channel, multi-year content and content calendar to support the student and family experience and goals throughout the enrollment funnel. Incorporates storytelling and inclusivity.
Maintains working knowledge of University brand guidelines and messaging as well as enrollment-specific key messages; maintains and distributes annual EM messaging document to internal and external partners.
Primary EM web lead/content manager for all EM web pages (est. 200, including undergraduate and graduate admissions, financial aid and scholarships, military/veteran services, dual enrollment and summer session). Writes and maintains web content that is ADA-compliant and continually optimized for AEO, GEO, SEO. Stays current on evolving web content and tool trends (e.g., AI, chatbots). Maintains and expands knowledge of analytical tools (i.e., Google Analytics GA4) to leverage for web content and messaging refinement, compare activity levels, etc. Liaison to University Division of Marketing and Communication (DMC) web team.
Establishes, analyzes and reports on key metrics in support of assessing ROI; leverages analytics to make data-driven recommendations and decisions.
Coordinates departmental communications and reporting, including enrollment newsletter, reports and other initiatives. Synthesizes ideas and information from internal subject matter experts and stakeholders and external research to develop content and plans.
EM marcom vendor liaison, including for DU parent and families enrollment portal and EM vendor partner campaigns.
Represents AVP-MC at select meetings and/or with select departments. Serves as designated alternate if AVP-MC marcom unavailable.
Serves as subject matter expert for EM colleagues related to enrollment and prospect management communications, communicating in plain language. Attends internal cross-functional team and University partner meetings, as well as external meetings with vendors and other partners, to represent EM and/or EM marcom. Support ongoing and new initiatives including ad hoc campaigns, special and priority requests, cycle prep/cyclical activities.
Works regularly with Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Teams, Planner and other tech tools.
Participates in professional development and performs other duties and projects as assigned. Participates in large admissions recruitment events - mandatory (i.e., DUQ Days, etc.). Allocates expenses in Chrome River for University procurement card.
Supervises the work of others, including planning, assigning and scheduling work, reviewing work and ensuring quality standards, training staff and overseeing their productivity. May offer recommendations for hiring, termination and pay adjustments, but does not have responsibility for making these decisions.
Completes other duties as assigned.