Associate Director of Marketing and Communications

Rice University•Houston, TX

13d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Associate Director of Marketing and Communications at Rice University’s Center for Career Development (CCD) acts as the department's communications and brand strategist. Reporting to the Director of Employer Engagement & Experiential Learning, the role provides strategic leadership across all marketing and communications initiatives. This includes overseeing website management, digital and print communications, content strategy, analytics, and institutional storytelling, as well as supervising the Marketing and Communications Specialist to ensure a compelling, consistent brand presence. Working closely with CCD leadership, students, employers, alumni, faculty, staff, donors, and external partners, the Associate Director translates institutional priorities into high-impact campaigns. These targeted marketing efforts are designed to increase student engagement, strengthen employer and campus partnerships, and support broader goals, such as experiential learning, student success, institutional advancement, and fundraising. This position plays a central role in elevating the CCD's visibility and positioning it as the primary hub of the university's career ecosystem. Through cohesive brand management and data-informed storytelling, the Associate Director amplifies the CCD’s impact and reinforces Rice University’s reputation as a leader in student success and talent development.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Digital Media, or related field.
Minimum of three (3) years of comprehensive professional experience within marketing, brand stewardship, or strategic communications sectors, demonstrating a trajectory of increasing responsibility.
Proven track record of direct supervision and mentorship of professional staff for at least one year.
Superior command of oral, written, and multimedia presentation modalities.
Demonstrated proficiency in leveraging data-driven insights and engagement analytics to inform organizational outreach strategies.
Expertise in strategic marketing, integrated communications, institutional branding, and brand stewardship.
Experience developing content strategy, institutional storytelling, and integrated marketing campaigns that strengthen engagement and organizational impact.
Exceptional written, verbal, visual, and presentation communication skills, with the ability to tailor messaging for diverse audiences.
Strong knowledge of digital marketing, website management, content management systems, email marketing, social media, artificial intelligence (AI), and emerging communication technologies.
Ability to leverage AI, marketing technologies, analytics, and performance metrics to enhance content development, improve operational efficiency, inform strategy, measure results, and communicate organizational impact.
Experience managing creative services and ensuring consistent application of brand standards across print, digital, multimedia, and promotional communications.
Strong project management, organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and execute complex initiatives.
Ability to translate organizational priorities and data into compelling reports, presentations, executive communications, and marketing strategies.

Nice To Haves

Five (5) years of progressive creative leadership in an elite academic, corporate or premier agency environment.
Advanced professional background in higher education administration, student development, career services, or employer engagement.
Technical mastery of enterprise-level CRM systems, web architecture, and marketing automation ecosystems (ex. Canva, 12twenty, Salesforce, HubSpot, Google Analytics 4, Adobe Creative Cloud, Drupel, Storyblock).
Extensive experience in crafting executive-level messaging and high-impact institutional reporting.
Proven capacity for orchestrating cross-functional initiatives within sophisticated, multi-stakeholder organizational structures.
Comprehensive oversight of creative services, including print production, promotional collateral, vendor relationship management, and institutional brand stewardship.
Demonstrated success in leading integrated, multi-channel marketing initiatives across digital, print, and experiential landscapes.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute integrated marketing strategies that align with CCD priorities and Rice University's mission.
Lead the Career Readiness at Rice brand strategy, ensuring consistent messaging and visual identity across all platforms.
Advise CCD leadership as the communications strategist, translating organizational goals into high-impact initiatives that boost visibility and reputation.
Create annual marketing plans, editorial calendars, campaign objectives, and key performance indicators (KPIs) to support departmental goals.
Lead institutional storytelling to highlight student success, career outcomes, partnerships, and the CCD's overall impact.
Create executive communications, annual and impact reports, and strategic publications for leadership and external stakeholders.
Translate institutional data (such as career outcomes and employer engagement) into compelling narratives to demonstrate effectiveness and support decision-making.
Direct the CCD's digital ecosystem, overseeing website strategy, user experience, email marketing, social media, SEO, and digital advertising.
Execute multi-channel campaigns to increase awareness, engagement, and utilization of CCD programs among students, staff, and external partners.
Evaluate and implement AI and emerging technologies to optimize content creation, streamline workflows, and enhance analytics ethically and responsibly.