Director of Marketing and Communications, College of Natural Resources and Environment

Virginia Tech•Blacksburg, VA

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Marketing and Communications for the College of Natural Resources and Environment (CNRE) is responsible for developing, planning, executing, and measuring a comprehensive, strategic marketing and communications program for the College of Natural Resources and Environment. This role aligns with university-level communications, marketing, and branding priorities. The program will embody CNRE's core values and principles, reflecting its unique attributes and offerings to enhance the broader understanding of Virginia Tech. The Director will collaborate with various teams, including the CNRE Dean’s Office, senior leadership, the CNRE advancement team, marketing and communications directors across the university, and colleagues in the Advancement and Marketing and Communications divisions. The Director will also work with university leadership, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and external partners to support marketing and communications initiatives. Currently, the Director leads a team of two marketing and communications professionals, providing direction, support, professional development, and performance management. The Director also collaborates with department heads and center directors to align marketing and communications efforts with college and university priorities. The marketing and communications program will encompass a wide range of tactics such as communications plans, news and feature stories, speeches, message alignment, marketing campaigns, media relations, publications, photography, videography, social media, and advertising. Specific platforms include websites, news and information sites, an email newsletter, and social media channels. The Director will possess a strong record of progressive experience in marketing and communications, including strategic program development and implementation, strong communication, interpersonal, presentation, and marketing skills, and proficiency in word processing, image processing, content management systems, and social media tools. Ideal candidates will have experience leading a team, a strong understanding of graphic design and branding, proficiency with the internet as a communication medium, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic environment. The Director is designated as emergency personnel and the position is based at the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. The position reports to both the Senior Director of Marketing and Communications and the Assistant Dean of Advancement for the College of Natural Resources and Environment.

Requirements

Master's degree in communications, marketing, journalism, or related field; or bachelor's with experience equating to an advanced degree.
Demonstrated professional experience in communications, marketing, or related field.
Demonstrated familiarity with a range of communications principles including messaging, writing, editing, graphic design, visual communications, branding, marketing, advertising, electronic communications, and social media.
Demonstrated strong communications, leadership, and interpersonal skills.
Self-motivated and capable of working in a complex matrix management environment.
Experience developing, implementing, and evaluating a comprehensive, strategic communications and marketing program.
Experience defining goals and objectives, identifying target audiences, and measuring progress toward communications and marketing goals.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated experience supervising communications professionals
Familiarity with environmental and natural resource issues and research, and the ability to communicate technical content to a general audience.
Experience in executing marketing initiatives and the analysis and application of market research.
Experience working with business/industry, alumni engagement, or development initiatives.
Demonstrated budgetary supervision experience.
Experience in a higher education, independent school, scientific organization, or nonprofit environment.
Strong skills using technology in the workplace, familiarity with content management systems and email platforms; social media competencies.
Significant prior communications experience writing and producing publications and developing and placing stories with external media.

Responsibilities

Develop, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive, strategic marketing and communications plan that supports CNRE’s and university’s mission and priorities.
Oversee and manage the creation of high-quality, engaging content, and create such content, for CNRE and university digital and print platforms.
Ensure that content is consistent with the university brand and standards such as editorial, messaging, and graphic design guidelines.
Exercise oversight of all marketing and communications activities throughout the college and departments.
Leverage metrics to gauge the effectiveness of marketing and communications strategies and make data-informed decisions to improve marketing and communications efforts.
Collaborate with various teams, including the CNRE advancement team, the CNRE leadership team, the Council of the senior-most marketing and communications professionals from colleges and units across campus, university communicators, Marketing and Communications, and others.
Oversee the quality of CNRE content as an editor across various platforms, including websites, social media, newsletters, reports, promotional materials, and more.
In collaboration with the university’s media relations team, develop and manage a comprehensive media relations program targeting strategic regional, trade, and national media outlets.