Senior Director of Marketing & Communications

Saint Louis Zoo • Saint Louis, MO

3d • Onsite

About The Position

The Sr. Director of Marketing & Communications is the leadership role responsible for building and driving the integrated brand voice, marketing strategy, and public narrative of the organization. This leader oversees three high-impact functions — Marketing Communications, Creative Services, and Public Relations — and serves as the connective tissue between storytelling, brand, reputation and overall communications. Reporting to the Chief Experience Officer, this role is responsible for how the organization shows up in the world. The ideal candidate brings deep cross-functional expertise - a bias toward measurable outcomes - and the operational command to lead large teams, manage complex vendor and agency relationships, and deploy marketing technology to scale impact. The candidate should be a strong communicator and collaborator.

Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive marketing and communications experience, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role managing multi-function teams
• Proven track record leading integrated campaigns across digital, traditional, and earned media channels
• Experience managing and evaluating external agency relationships across advertising, PR, and digital disciplines
• Demonstrated success managing large budgets ($3M+) with full P&L accountability
• Strong media buying and planning background, including digital performance media, programmatic, and traditional channels
• Experience in public relations, crisis communications, and media relations at an organizational or brand level
• Proficiency with modern marketing technology platforms (e.g., Salesforce/HubSpot, Google Analytics, Meta/Google Ads, marketing automation, CMS, Black Blackbaud)
• All successful candidates for this position will be required to undergo a criminal background check
• Bachelor's degree required in Marketing, Communications, Journalism, Business, or a related field

Nice To Haves

• Experience in a mission-driven, consumer-facing, or cultural institution environment (zoo, museum, tourism, attractions, hospitality, or similar)
• Familiarity with AI-assisted marketing tools, content generation platforms, or advanced analytics applications
• Experience working in a matrixed or enterprise organization with cross-functional stakeholders
• Background in membership, ticketing, or revenue-generating marketing programs
• Agency-side background in addition to in-house leadership experience
• Master's degree or MBA preferred

Responsibilities

• Lead, develop, and inspire a team of directors and staff across Marketing Communications, Creative Services, and Public Relations
• Establish clear performance standards - provide regular coaching, and cultivate a high-accountability, high-creativity team culture
• Manage hiring, onboarding, professional development, and succession planning across all three functions
• Foster cross-departmental collaboration and serve as a key liaison to organizational leadership
• Develop and execute an annual integrated marketing and communications strategy aligned to organizational goals and audience priorities
• Lead campaign planning across paid, earned, owned, and shared channels with clear KPIs and ROI accountability
• Oversee media planning and buying strategy, ensuring cost-effective reach and frequency across digital, print, out-of-home, and broadcast
• Align Marketing Communications with Events, Membership, Sales, and Experience teams to ensure consistent messaging at every guest touchpoint
• Lead agency reviews, RFP processes, scoping, contracting, and ongoing performance management
• Ensure agency output reflects organizational priorities and brand standards while delivering measurable business outcomes
• Champion the organization's brand identity across all channels, ensuring consistency in voice, visual language, and positioning
• Oversee Creative Services to deliver high-quality assets on time and within budget, from campaign creative to environmental and digital design
• Partner with the Director of Creative Services to build scalable production workflows and maintain creative standards
• Guide brand evolution and refresh initiatives in response to organizational strategy and market shifts
• Partner with the Director of Public Relations to lead all earned media strategy, press relations, and crisis communications in partnership with communications leadership
• Ensure PR team is cultivating and maintaining key media relationships across local, regional, and national outlets
• Oversee executive communications, spokesperson preparation, and message platform development
• Support crisis communications protocols where needed.
• Assist Director of Public Relations with Management of PR agency relationships, retainers, and deliverables with a results-oriented lens
• Help develop, manage, and report on an annual marketing and communications budget spanning all three departments
• Drive fiscal discipline through rigorous budget tracking, forecasting, and reallocation processes
• Identify efficiencies and cost savings without sacrificing quality or strategic impact
• Partner with Finance to align marketing investment to organizational revenue and attendance targets
• Oversee the marketing technology stack including but not limited to email platforms, marketing automation, social media management, and analytics tools
• Champion data-driven decision-making by establishing dashboards, attribution frameworks, and regular performance reporting in partnership with data teams
• Identify and evaluate emerging MarTech and AI tools to increase efficiency and competitive advantage while best keeping these aligned with our mission
• Partner with the Insights/Data team to translate audience and campaign data into actionable strategy
• Oversee and guide how the privacy policies affect communications.

Benefits

• The Saint Louis Zoo is committed to the Three Keys (Animals Always, People Matter, and Operational Excellence) and Core Values (Community, Creativity, Openness, Integrity, and Life-Work Balance.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior