Senior Associate Vice President for Marketing and Communications

Virginia Tech•Blacksburg, VA

About The Position

Reporting directly to the Senior Vice President for Advancement, the SAVP enjoys direct and unfettered access to university leadership. This individual will lead the development and execution of an integrated marketing and communications strategy that advances institutional priorities, strengthens stakeholder engagement, supports fundraising objectives, and elevates Virginia Tech's visibility and influence among key audiences. Central to this work is the ability to position and promote Virginia Tech as a destination of choice for exceptional faculty, staff, and students, leveraging strategic communications and brand stewardship to strengthen recruitment and enrollment outcomes. The successful candidate will bring a strong marketing orientation, ensuring the University not only communicates effectively but also differentiates itself in an increasingly competitive higher education landscape through intentional brand stewardship, audience engagement, and reputation management. This is a rare opportunity to shape the voice, brand, and reputation of a globally recognized public research university at a pivotal moment in its history. Virginia Tech's next SAVP will lead a talented and evolving organization through a period of institutional transformation, presidential transition, and growing national visibility. This leader will be a brand visionary who embraces innovation and is prepared to explore how emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence can strengthen storytelling. Working closely with university leadership and partners across the institution, the SAVP will define a bold strategic vision for marketing and communications, coordinate a complex and distributed communications ecosystem, and develop innovative approaches that strengthen audience engagement, institutional reputation, and measurable results. The successful candidate will serve as a key strategic advisor, helping to position Virginia Tech locally, nationally, and globally, for continued growth, distinction, and impact while building a high-performing, collaborative culture that advances the University's most important priorities. To succeed, the next SAVP must possess the professional acumen, leadership experience, and instincts necessary to operate in a large, complex, and highly visible organization. This individual will be an accomplished marketing and communications executive with experience leading enterprise-wide initiatives, advising senior leaders through challenging and high-profile situations, and driving meaningful organizational change. They will bring a demonstrated ability to foster coordination across diverse stakeholders, establish accountability in distributed environments, and leverage data, analytics, and emerging technologies to inform strategy and measure impact. The next SAVP should bring an entrepreneurial orientation – someone who can spot opportunities, build new approaches, and move quickly in a competitive environment.

Requirements

A master's degree in marketing, communications, journalism, business administration, higher education, public administration, or a related field; or a bachelor's degree combined with significant professional experience that equates to advanced education.
Extensive and progressively responsible leadership experience in marketing, communications, public affairs, brand strategy, or related disciplines.
Demonstrated success in developing and implementing integrated marketing and communications strategies that advance institutional priorities and measurable outcomes.
Significant experience in brand development, audience engagement, reputation management, and strategic storytelling.
Expertise in digital communications, social media, content strategy, artificial intelligence applications, and emerging communications technologies.
Demonstrated understanding of global marketing and communications trends, issues, and strategies within complex organizations operating across diverse audiences and markets.
Proven ability to utilize data, research, analytics, audience segmentation strategies, and marketing technologies to inform decision-making, personalize engagement, and evaluate effectiveness.
Demonstrated success leading, mentoring, and developing high-performing teams.
Experience advising senior executives, elevating leader visibility and thought leadership, and navigating complex, high-profile communications challenges.
Strong understanding of media relations, journalism standards, and the contemporary communications environment.
Exceptional written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.
Experience managing significant budgets, resources, and organizational priorities.

Nice To Haves

Understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing major public research universities.
Experience supporting fundraising, advancement, alumni engagement, or constituent relations initiatives.
Experience within higher education or other complex mission-driven organizations.
Experience overseeing or partnering with media organizations, public broadcasting, journalism, or related enterprises.
Demonstrated success leading large-scale reputation, branding, or institutional visibility initiatives, ideally with a global reach.
Experience leveraging marketing technologies, CRM platforms, and advanced analytics capabilities.

Responsibilities

Lead the development and execution of an integrated marketing and communications strategy that advances institutional priorities, strengthens stakeholder engagement, supports fundraising objectives, and elevates Virginia Tech's visibility and influence.
Position and promote Virginia Tech as a destination of choice for exceptional faculty, staff, and students.
Leverage strategic communications and brand stewardship to strengthen recruitment and enrollment outcomes.
Differentiate Virginia Tech in the higher education landscape through intentional brand stewardship, audience engagement, and reputation management.
Lead a talented and evolving organization through institutional transformation, presidential transition, and growing national visibility.
Explore how emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, can strengthen storytelling.
Define a bold strategic vision for marketing and communications.
Coordinate a complex and distributed communications ecosystem.
Develop innovative approaches that strengthen audience engagement, institutional reputation, and measurable results.
Serve as a key strategic advisor, helping to position Virginia Tech locally, nationally, and globally.
Build a high-performing, collaborative culture that advances the University's most important priorities.
Lead enterprise-wide initiatives.
Advise senior leaders through challenging and high-profile situations.
Drive meaningful organizational change.
Foster coordination across diverse stakeholders.
Establish accountability in distributed environments.
Leverage data, analytics, and emerging technologies to inform strategy and measure impact.
Spot opportunities, build new approaches, and move quickly in a competitive environment.
Lead, mentor, and develop high-performing teams.
Elevate leader visibility and thought leadership.
Navigate complex, high-profile communications challenges.
Manage significant budgets, resources, and organizational priorities.