Executive Director, Marketing Strategy & Partnerships Strategy & Partnerships

Boston University•Boston, MA

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Executive Director Marketing Strategy & Partnerships serves as a senior leader and primary connection between Boston University's schools, colleges, and administrative units and the External Affairs division. This role collaborates across the institution to define and build individual marketing and communications strategies that align with university priorities and messaging. The Executive Director is responsible for ensuring communications and marketing efforts are strategic, focused, on-brand, meet institutional goals and have defined measuring strategies. Acting as a trusted advisor and partner, the Executive Director builds and sustains deep, strategic, and collaborative partnerships across the University, engaging early with senior leaders and communications staff to shape priorities, define objectives, and translate needs into cohesive, high-impact marketing and communications strategies with measurement objectives. The Executive Director leads a team of Marketing & Communications Strategists while operating within a matrixed model that brings together strategy, creative, digital, and communications expertise. The individual is responsible for leading and mentoring the team in relationship building, strategic planning and messaging and follows alongside key projects and initiatives led by the team to ensure productive collaboration and institutional alignment. Boston University is a leading private research and teaching institution with more than 38,000 students, 11,000 faculty and staff, 300 programs of study, and 130 research centers and institutes. Our scholars are at the forefront of innovation, successfully competing for more than $574 million in sponsored research awards last year. Our students come from all 50 states and more than 140 countries, and nearly 20 percent of our undergraduates are first-generation college students.

Requirements

Master's degree with 8+ years of direct experience and 5+ years of management experience or equivalent.
Proven ability to lead, mentor, and develop high-performing marketing, communications, or strategy teams.
Strong leadership presence with experience influencing and advising senior stakeholders and institutional leaders.
Demonstrated expertise in developing and leading integrated marketing and communications strategies aligned to organizational priorities.
Ability to translate complex goals into clear, actionable plans, briefs, and measurable objectives.
Experience implementing structured intake, planning, and prioritization processes to ensure work is strategically aligned before execution.
Proven problem-solving capabilities.
Able to be flexible and adaptable, juggling multiple tasks under deadlines.
Exceptional relationship-building skills, with a track record of establishing and sustaining partnerships across a matrixed organization and a large, decentralized institution.
Strong cross-functional leadership skills, with experience aligning strategy, creative, digital, and communications teams.
Ability to drive operational excellence by improving workflows, prioritization, and resource allocation.
Excellent communication and facilitation skills, including the ability to manage competing priorities and resolve challenges.
Ability to use data, insights, and stakeholder feedback to evaluate effectiveness, continuously refine strategies, and make strategic recommendations.

Nice To Haves

Experience in higher education, healthcare, nonprofit, or other complex, mission-driven organizations.

Responsibilities

Serve as the front door to External Affairs for deans, vice presidents, and communications leaders across the University, engaging early to understand partner goals, target audiences, and obstacles.
Translate partner goals into clear objectives, sharp briefs, and marketing and communications plans that connect to University priorities.
Lead the development of annual and campaign-based strategies, ensuring strategic definition, prioritization, and positioning before production.
Lead and mentor a group of Marketing & Communications Strategists, coaching them in relationship building, strategic planning, and messaging.
Advise the team on leveraging institutional connections for successful initiative promotions and stay close to team-led projects to ensure collaboration, alignment with University messages and priorities.
Act as a connector within the External Affairs matrixed model, partnering closely with creative leadership to ensure work is on brand, inventive, and well-told from concept through execution and evaluation.
Utilize a broad view of the University to identify overlaps, reduce duplication, amplify shared initiatives, and unite units on larger priorities.
Define success metrics before work begins, assess effectiveness, gather feedback, and use insights for continuous improvement in planning.
Represent Strategy & Partnerships on the External Affairs leadership team, setting standards for engaging and advising University communications partners.
Own and improve team processes, workflows, and resource decisions to ensure effective delivery.