Senior Associate Vice President for Strategic Marketing and Communications

Cal Poly Pomona•Pomona, CA

72d•$219,000 - $230,004

About The Position

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona) is seeking a Senior Associate Vice President for Strategic Marketing & Communications (SAVP). This role is crucial as a new president takes office and brings new energy and vision to the campus. The SAVP will have the opportunity to leverage a recent external assessment of marketing and communications resources to develop their vision for the university's priorities. The SAVP will serve as the university's chief communications leader and brand strategist, responsible for all communications, marketing, and branding activities across all media platforms. The goal is to ensure a clear, consistent, and coordinated brand narrative that advances Cal Poly Pomona's mission of student success and polytechnic excellence. This includes developing and implementing the university's brand vision, marketing strategy, and public relations campaigns to attract students, engage alumni and donors, recruit faculty and staff, and demonstrate the university's impact. The SAVP will also serve as the university spokesperson. In addition to leading the central marketing and communications team, the SAVP will provide strategic direction and coordinate marketing and communications efforts from other academic and administrative units, as well as three auxiliary organizations: Cal Poly Pomona Enterprises, Associated Students, Inc., and the Cal Poly Pomona Philanthropic Foundation. The SAVP will also coordinate periodically with counterparts at the CSU Office of the Chancellor. The role will align with the university's strategic directions and the CSU Forward plan, focusing on access, excellence, and innovation in service of student success.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in marketing, communications, public relations, or related field, or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
Minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible related experience in complex marketing and communications environments.
Demonstrated experience in crisis management and service as institutional spokesperson.
Strong record of effectively leading diverse, creative, and professional teams.
Demonstrated commitment to and understanding of diverse academic and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Advanced proficiency in strategic storytelling across print, digital, and social platforms.
The ability to lead through influence as well as through positional authority in a complex, multi-constituent environment.

Nice To Haves

Master's Degree or MBA with a concentration in marketing or related discipline.
Management level experience in higher education.
Familiarity with higher education CRM systems, web content management systems, and data analytics tools for measuring campaign effectiveness.
Contextual understanding of legislative affairs and public policy and the significance of communicating the university’s value to the state and government officials.
Commitment to student success, equity, and inclusive excellence.
Proven success in partnering with university advancement or development teams to support major capital campaigns.

Responsibilities

Define and evolve the university’s brand identity and messaging architecture.
Develop and execute comprehensive marketing campaigns aligned with the university's mission and strategic goals, overseeing brand consistency across all platforms.
Partner with communicators across various university units to align brand strategy with recruitment goals, fundraising initiatives, and key communications deliverables.
Develop effective and credible working relationships with senior leaders and campus communicators.
Lead institutional reputation strategy for industry and higher-ed leaders, prospective students, and external stakeholders through integrated marketing communications campaigns.
Serve as the official university spokesperson and primary advisor to senior leadership on public affairs, advising on reputational risk and opportunity.
Oversee proactive and reactive media relations to enhance the university’s regional and national earned media coverage.
Oversee and enhance crisis communications protocols.
Lead internal and executive communications strategies and drive organizational transformation to unify and elevate marketing and communications practices.
Manage the production of high-impact, brand-aligned multimedia content, including university magazines, social media accounts, and the official website.
Supervise a diverse team of communications marketing professionals.
Manage departmental budgets and external vendor relationships.
Lead a service-oriented team environment that fosters collaboration, operational excellence, teamwork, flexibility, and creativity.
Lead the content strategy and production through cross-functional teams in digital strategy, creative services, and editorial production.
Implement a data-informed culture by tracking performance outcomes, brand awareness metrics, and marketing ROI to inform planning.