Director of Marketing and Communications

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign•Urbana, IL

6d•$90,000 - $105,000•Hybrid

About The Position

University of Illinois Extension seeks an accomplished, visionary, and collaborative communications leader to serve as Director of Marketing and Communications. The successful candidate will provide strategic leadership for Illinois Extension's statewide marketing, communications, and brand enterprise. As part of the Land Grant system, the University of Illinois was established not only to provide world class education and pioneer research and discovery, but to put learning and discovery into practice, to benefit the health and wellbeing of residents and communities in every part of Illinois. Extension is the university’s statewide network of educators, faculty experts, and staff dedicated to that mission. The Director develops and executes an integrated communications and marketing strategy that advances Extension's mission, strengthens organizational reputation, increases public awareness and engagement, and demonstrates the value of Extension's research-based programs to stakeholders throughout Illinois and beyond. Serves as the organization's chief communications strategist, leading statewide initiatives in brand management, marketing, media relations, digital communications, executive communications, storytelling, crisis communications, and public engagement. The Director cultivates a culture of innovation, creativity, collaboration, and continuous improvement while ensuring communications efforts align with the strategic priorities of Illinois Extension, the College of ACES, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Requirements

Master’s degree in communications, marketing, or other relevant field. Candidates with a Master’s degree in progress may be considered for interviews, but degree must be completed by hire date.
Minimum of five (5) years of professional experience in communications and/or marketing.
Experience in developing and evaluating the effectiveness of print and digital materials.
Demonstrated success in the promotion/reporting of educational programs.
Experience with crisis communications.
Knowledge of issues/best practices for science communications; knowledge of social media best practices, analytics and SEO strategies; ability to work with public and private organizations; mission of University of Illinois Extension, the land-grant system, and University of Illinois policies and procedures.

Nice To Haves

Public sector communications and marketing.
Supervision and evaluation of personnel working in creative services, publicity and promotions, public affairs, and/or government relations.
Valid driver’s license.

Responsibilities

Provide visionary leadership for Illinois Extension's statewide marketing and communications enterprise by developing long-term strategies that strengthen organizational reputation, increase public awareness, and position Illinois Extension as the trusted source of research-based information for the people of Illinois.
Develop and implement an integrated statewide marketing and communications strategy aligned with the Illinois Extension Strategic Plan as well as Extension, Extension Units, college and university priorities.
Serve as steward of the Illinois Extension brand, ensuring consistent messaging, visual identity, voice, and positioning across all communications channels as well as alignment with Extension Units and Unit goals.
Advise leadership on executive communications, organizational messaging, media strategy, reputation management, and issues management.
Lead organizational communication during periods of change, crisis, or emerging public issues.
Foster and support deeper partnerships with the 27 off-campus Extension Units across Illinois.
Represent Illinois Extension in university-wide communications initiatives and serve as liaison with ACES Marketing and Communications, University Strategic Communications and Marketing, and other campus partners.
Develop communication policies, governance, and standards that support organizational excellence.
Develop comprehensive marketing campaigns that measurably increase awareness of Extension programs and expand participation among new audiences.
Lead statewide brand strategy and positioning initiatives.
Support legislative outreach, advancement initiatives, donor engagement, workforce recruitment, volunteer recruitment, and strategic partnerships through coordinated communications both for statewide Extension and Extension Units.
Guide audience research, market segmentation, customer experience, and outreach strategies.
Oversee annual impact reports, multimedia storytelling initiatives, statewide campaigns, and organizational publications both for statewide Extension and Extension Units.
Provide leadership for creative services, publications, digital communications, web strategy, social media, multimedia production, media relations, and content development.
Guide adoption of emerging communications technologies, including artificial intelligence, marketing automation, and accessibility best practices.
Use analytics, website metrics, campaign performance, and audience engagement data to lead continuous improvement.
Establish standards for editorial quality, accessibility, and content strategy.
Lead, supervise, coach, and develop the statewide Extension Marketing and Communications team.
Develop organizational capacity through mentoring, succession planning, and professional development.
Promote collaboration across Extension Program Teams, Regional Offices, Unit Offices, and University Partners with Extension MarCom.
Remain current on emerging trends in strategic communications, integrated marketing, science communication, analytics, artificial intelligence, and higher education communications.
Represent Illinois Extension through professional organizations and national collaborations.
Assist unit staff with gathering program participant demographic information to ensure compliance with civil rights reporting requirements.