Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Darden School of Business

UVA Health•Charlottesville, VA

38d•Onsite

About The Position

The University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business seeks a visionary, enterprise-level strategist to serve as Chief Marketing & Communications Officer (CMCO). Operating under the bold brand mantra, "Not business school as usual," the CMCO will step into a high-visibility, enterprise-wide role. This opportunity comes at a moment of historic momentum for the school as Darden welcomes its 10th dean, Yael Grushka-Cockayne. The School is celebrating record enrollments; the growth of UVA Darden DC Metro in Rosslyn, Virginia; a triumphant $632 million campaign; the execution of an ambitious master plan; and a sustained position as the No. 1 global public Full-Time MBA program. As a core member of the Dean’s senior leadership team, the CMCO will shape, protect and project the global narrative of this premier business school, ensuring its faculty thought leadership, academic excellence and transformational impact are powerfully articulated on the world stage. Darden’s footprint is global — anchored by its residential Grounds in Charlottesville, its newer Grounds in Rosslyn with views of the nation’s capital and strategic representation in Shanghai, China and Mumbai, India. Reporting directly to the Dean, this position will lead a high-performing team of experienced professionals. The CMCO leads a centralized Marketing Hub of Excellence — a high-performance “hub” designed to: optimize resources; scale creative assets; and deploy leading-edge marketing technologies, including generative AI tools and automated workflows. The CMCO provides the strategic vision, enterprise leadership and governance required to manage and elevate this premium global brand. Moving beyond traditional functional leadership, the CMCO sits at the intersection of institutional strategy, program growth and enterprise leadership. In alignment with the UVA brand, the leader sets the School’s global brand standards that govern School units and the Darden School Foundation. The CMCO also provides direction for data analytics, creative, media buying and user experience methodologies, providing Darden leaders with excellent and scalable tools to drive enrollment and engagement. The role works closely with senior leaders of the School and Foundation and the marketing and communication faculty to build a shared understanding of the School's long-term reputation and growth goals and actions aligned with the strategic plan.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree and 10+ years of relevant professional experience required.
5+ years of formal managerial experience required.
Proven track record of senior leadership experience directing integrated marketing and communications portfolios within higher education, professional services, corporate environments, or highly complex, multinational global organizations.
Demonstrated experience counseling and collaborating with executive boards, trustees, and C-suite leaders on high-stakes branding and reputation matters.
Proven success establishing shared services models, internal agencies, or centers of excellence that scale operations through technology, standard operating procedures, and clear ROI metrics.
Exceptional emotional intelligence, cross-cultural competence and judgment, with a track record of serving as a trusted advisor to chief executives in navigating complex international reputation matters, global media and change management.
Proven ability to build, lead, and inspire high-performing, multidisciplinary teams by fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, continuous learning, and professional growth.
Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States.
The University will not sponsor or consider candidates requiring sponsorship for employment visas now or in the future.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree (MBA, Master's in Communications, Marketing, Journalism, International Relations, or a related field) is highly preferred.

Responsibilities

Elevate Darden’s intellectual capital and brand equity worldwide; strategically position the School within the highly competitive peer set and global rankings.
Craft the foundational narrative for the School and its affiliated fundraising efforts. Oversee executive communications and global thought leadership platforms for the Dean and other key leaders. Provide media training and ensure internal alignment.
Lead a high-profile strategic initiative to merge Darden’s flagship print magazine and two distinct digital publications into a single, AI-enabled world-class media asset. Oversee the editorial direction, content strategy and digital architecture of this new omni-channel platform, transforming it into the definitive global vehicle for the School’s news, thought leadership and faculty research.
Champion a cutting-edge content strategy that leverages multi-platform social media management, high-impact video production, and influencer and content strategies tailored to diverse global audiences.
Drive proactive, international public relations and media strategy. Partner with Advancement and Alumni Services to inspire philanthropic investment and lifelong affinity among a global network of 20,000 alumni across 90 countries.
Serve as the strategic architect for global issues management and crisis communications. Safeguard institutional equity across different regulatory and media environments.
Champion the visual identity and overarching brand experience of Darden, ensuring absolute consistency and premium positioning across all marketing efforts.
Lead a high-velocity, full-funnel marketing machine for degree programs that is powered by predictive data analytics, AI-driven lead scoring, and dynamic personalization to maximize quality lead generation. Direct cutting-edge digital advertising and optimize national and international recruitment and retention marketing to secure top-tier global talent.
Oversee the evolution of Darden’s digital ecosystem in the age of AI. Drive a sophisticated web and mobile strategy rooted in advanced UX/accessibility and high-performing, multi-region SEO strategy.