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

Virginia Tech•Blacksburg, VA

1d•$80,000 - $90,000•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 and initiatives, embodying CNRE core values and principles. The Director will collaborate with various teams, including the CNRE Dean’s Office, advancement team, other college marketing directors, and university advancement and marketing divisions. The Director directly leads and supervises a team of two marketing and communications professionals, providing direction, support, and professional development. The marketing and communications program will encompass a wide range of tactics such as communications plans, news stories, speeches, marketing campaigns, media relations, publications, photography, videography, social media, and advertising across platforms like websites, newsletters, and social media channels. The Director will have progressive experience in marketing and communications, including strategic program development, strong communication and interpersonal skills, and proficiency in relevant tools. Experience leading a team, understanding graphic design and branding, and managing competing priorities are essential. The position is designated as emergency personnel and is based at the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Virginia.

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.