Director of Marketing and Communications, Veterinary Medicine

Virginia Tech•Blacksburg, VA

23d•$95,000 - $110,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Marketing and Communications for the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine (VMCVM) develops, plans, executes, and measures a comprehensive strategic marketing and communications program for VMCVM, aligning it with university communications, marketing, branding priorities, and initiatives. The program reflects VMCVM’s core values, principles, strategic goals, priorities, and distinct attributes in support of broader understanding of Virginia Tech. The Director collaborates with VMCVM’s dean and senior leadership, its advancement team, marketing and communications directors across the university, university leadership, faculty, staff, students, alumni, friends, grateful clients, and external partners. The Director directly leads and supervises four marketing and communications professionals, including performance planning and evaluation, direction, support, and professional development. The role also works with VMCVM department heads and teaching hospital administration to align communications work with college and university priorities. The program encompasses communications plans, news and feature stories, leadership speeches, message alignment, marketing campaigns, media relations, publications, photography, videography, social media, advertising, websites, news and information sites, and email newsletters. The Director oversees content and activities across VMCVM, ensures consistency with university standards, uses metrics to assess effectiveness, and works with the university media relations team on regional, trade, and national media outreach. The position is based at the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, and supports initiatives in Blacksburg, Roanoke, and the greater Washington, D.C. metro area, including VMCVM’s teaching hospitals in Blacksburg, Roanoke, and Leesburg. It reports to both the Senior Director of Marketing and Communications, Virginia Tech, and the Assistant Dean of Advancement of VMCVM. The Director is designated as emergency personnel. Occasional regional and national travel, including overnight and weekend travel, may be required. The role may also require nights and weekends and participation in college or university programs when possible. The position is exempt from overtime, regular appointment, and listed at 40+ hours per week. Salary information is $95,000–$110,000.

Requirements

Master’s degree in communications, journalism, or a related field; or a bachelor’s degree with experience equating to an advanced degree.
Demonstrated ability to develop, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive strategic marketing and communications program.
Ability to define goals and objectives, identify target audiences, and measure progress toward communications and marketing goals.
Demonstrated strong communications, leadership, and interpersonal skills.
Familiarity with communications principles including messaging, graphic design, visual communications, branding, marketing, advertising, electronic communications, and social media.
Ability to be self-motivated and work in a complex matrix management environment.
Safe driving record.
Ability and willingness to travel using standard commercial and/or personal modes of transportation.
Ability to work nights and weekends and participate in college or university programs when possible.
Successful completion of a criminal conviction check.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with veterinary medicine teaching and research techniques and ability to communicate highly technical content to a general audience.
Demonstrated experience supervising communications professionals.
Experience executing marketing initiatives and analyzing and applying market research in veterinary medicine, a medical school, hospital, or higher education setting.
Experience working with business or industry, alumni engagement, or development initiatives.
Demonstrated budgetary supervision experience.
Experience in a higher education, independent school, scientific organization, or nonprofit environment.
Strong workplace technology skills, familiarity with content management systems and email platforms, and social media competencies.
Significant communications experience writing and producing publications, developing and placing stories with external media, and collaborating with medical professionals.
Strong record of progressive experience in marketing and communications, including development and implementation of a strategic comprehensive program.
Proficiency with word processing, image processing, content management system, and social media tools.
Experience leading a marketing and communications team; understanding of graphic design and branding principles and the internet as a communications medium; ability to manage multiple competing priorities in a dynamic environment.

Responsibilities

Develop, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive strategic marketing and communications plan supporting VMCVM’s and the university’s missions and integrating their priorities.
Oversee and create high-quality, engaging content for VMCVM and university digital and print platforms, communicating their vision, mission, and achievements to key audiences.
Ensure VMCVM content adheres to university brand and standards, including editorial, messaging, and graphic design guidelines.
Exercise oversight of marketing and communications activities throughout VMCVM.
Use metrics to gauge the effectiveness of strategies and make data-informed decisions to improve marketing and communications efforts.
Collaborate with the VMCVM advancement and leadership teams, campus marketing and communications leaders, university communicators, and other teams.
Edit and oversee the quality of VMCVM content across websites, social media, newsletters, reports, promotional materials, and other platforms.
Work with the university media relations team to develop and manage a comprehensive program targeting strategic regional, trade, and national media outlets.
Directly supervise a team of four marketing and communications professionals, providing performance planning and evaluation, direction, support, and professional development opportunities.
Work with VMCVM department heads and teaching hospital administration to align marketing and communications work with VMCVM and university priorities.