Associate Director, Marketing and Communications

University of Washington•Seattle, WA

2d•$120,216 - $132,732•Hybrid

About The Position

The Associate Director for Marketing & Communications for Academic & Student Affairs Advancement (ASA Advancement) is a senior strategic leader responsible for shaping, positioning and advancing the narrative of one of the University of Washington’s most impactful and mission-critical portfolios. This role operates at the intersection of institutional strategy, philanthropy, and public impact. The Associate Director crafts compelling, donor-focused narratives that reflect UW’s academic priorities and dedication to students, aiming to inspire support, encourage investment, and build lasting trust. Reporting to the Assistant Vice Provost for Academic & Student Affairs Advancement and partnering closely with senior academic leaders, advancement teams and communicators, the Associate Director ensures ASA Advancement communications are integrated with units, enterprise-aligned and campaign-ready, while elevating the visibility and value of higher education’s impact on students and communities.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree AND five years of progressively senior marketing and communications experience.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated success in advancement, higher education, or mission-driven communications within a complex organization.
Proven ability as a strategic advisor to senior leaders.
Exceptional editorial judgment and ability to synthesize complex information into compelling narratives.
Experience leading teams and managing cross-functional partnerships.

Responsibilities

Define and operationalize message architecture, audience segmentation and value propositions that translate complex ASA priorities into clear, donor-centered communications across internal and external channels.
Lead the development of an integrated marketing and communications strategy that advances the University’s strategic vision, academic business plan and campaign priorities.
Serve as a strategic advisor to ASA Advancement leadership on narrative risk, reputational alignment and the communications implications of emerging institutional priorities. Recommend approaches that protect coherence, credibility and long-term impact.
Design and execute communications strategies that directly support fundraising priorities, donor journeys and pipeline development.
Partner closely with advancement leaders and frontline fundraisers to produce high-impact donor materials, including campaign and initiative prospectuses, donor engagement toolkits, talking points, stewardship narratives and impact storytelling.
Strengthen alignment between communications strategy and frontline fundraising priorities, donor journeys and stewardship needs.
Support stewardship strategies that demonstrate the impact of philanthropy on student success, access and academic excellence.
Lead development of high-quality, donor-centric content, including executive-level briefs, white papers, donor engagement guides, discussion frameworks, digital storytelling and impact narratives. Ensure content accessibility, clarity and consistency across platforms and audiences.
Serve as a leader across ASA Advancement, unit MarCom, and University Marketing & Communications, ensuring ASA priorities are positioned in advancement communications, presidential/provost messaging and campaign narratives.
Lead enterprise-aligned storytelling by defining priorities, aligning to institutional moments and elevating ASA initiatives across high-visibility platforms to strengthen donor-centered communications.
Build team and system capacity by setting clear workflows and decision frameworks, mentoring for strategic and editorial excellence and developing scalable tools that drive consistency, efficiency and quality.
Establish and track success metrics tied to advancement outcomes (engagement quality, donor readiness, narrative penetration), using data and feedback to continuously refine strategy and evaluate effectiveness.
Leverage data and predictive insight on donor behavior to inform messaging, prioritize opportunities and guide allocation of resources.
Provide strategic oversight of the ASA Advancement MarCom budget.