Vice President for Marketing & Communications

University of Oklahoma•Norman, OK

About The Position

Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma (OU) is a comprehensive public research university with campuses in Norman, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa. OU offers more than 180 majors at the baccalaureate level, roughly 200 at the master's level, and about 90 doctoral majors. The university is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Activity" and is working towards Association of American Universities (AAU) membership. The OU Health Campus in Oklahoma City is central to the university’s education, research, and public service missions. The university is executing a data-driven strategy to elevate its standing among the nation's leading public research universities, guided by President Joe Harroz's strategic plan, Lead On, University. Key commitments include achieving AAU membership, keeping OU degrees affordable, advancing health outcomes statewide through OU Health, and unifying the university's campuses under a single strategic identity. The university has also launched a historic $2 billion fundraising campaign, which has already secured more than $1.9 billion. The Vice President of Marketing & Communications reports to the Vice President of Executive Affairs & Chief of Staff and serves as a member of the President’s leadership team. This role works closely with the President and his leadership team to develop and execute communications strategies that advance presidential priorities, support enterprise-wide initiatives, and strengthen the university’s reputation. The position serves as a strategic advisor on institutional messaging, executive communications, emerging issues, and matters affecting the university’s public profile. This leader oversees internal and external communications for OU’s colleges, campuses, and business units, ensuring an integrated approach and a consistent, compelling expression of the university’s brand. The Vice President provides strategic reinforcement and services across OU’s Norman, Health, and Tulsa campuses, ensuring each campus’s distinct mission, audiences, and priorities are represented within a cohesive university-wide strategy. This includes elevating the OU Health Campus’s contributions while coordinating closely with the OU Health system on shared priorities and brand alignment. The Vice President brings together a broad and complex portfolio under a unified strategy, including marketing and communications for OU’s three campuses, global and extracurricular programs, and Trademark & Licensing. The role collaborates regularly with OU’s Department of Athletics to integrate the Sooners athletics reputation into the brand of the entire university. The Vice President will lead the development and execution of innovative, measurable, and data-informed marketing and communications programs aligned with Lead On, University: The Next Phase, OU’s refreshed strategic plan. As a trusted advisor and subject-matter expert to senior university leaders, the Vice President will play a critical role in articulating and advancing OU’s mission, priorities, and impact among internal and external audiences.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, public relations, marketing, or a related field, with at least 10 years of progressively responsible leadership experience.
Demonstrated success developing integrated marketing, communications, and branding strategies that strengthen institutional reputation, engage varied audiences, and produce measurable results.
Experience advising a president, chief executive officer, or other senior leaders on executive communications, institutional priorities, sensitive issues, and crisis management.
Exceptional judgment, communication skills, and political acumen, including experience managing media relations, navigating high-profile or sensitive situations, and serving as an organizational spokesperson.
Proven ability to lead and develop high-performing teams, manage resources effectively, and build productive relationships across a complex organization.

Nice To Haves

An advanced degree is preferred.
Experience working within a multicampus university, academic health center, research institution, health system, or similarly complex organization is preferred.

Responsibilities

Strategically position and advance OU’s priorities while leading integrated marketing and communications that reflect the distinct missions, audiences, and contributions of the Norman, Health, and Tulsa campuses.
Provide counsel and coaching on potential threats and vulnerabilities, as well as tactics to respond to, redirect, or mitigate those challenges.
Facilitate the relationships between MarComm and the colleges/departments it supports through the still-young centralization of most all campus marketing and communications.
Work closely with the university’s Department of Athletics to predict and shape its responses to the volatile and continuously evolving world of college athletics.
Serve as a strategic advisor to the President, Chief of Staff, and university leadership on executive communications, institutional priorities, emerging issues, and opportunities to strengthen OU’s reputation.
Partner with academic leaders, Health Campus deans, researchers, and OU Health executives to elevate the university’s contributions to education, research, clinical training, workforce development, and the health of Oklahoma.
Strengthen OU’s national and global visibility through compelling storytelling, strategic media relations, brand management, and coordinated communications across its colleges, campuses, athletics programs, and affiliated organizations.
Build and maintain strong relationships with local and national media outlets.
Lead crisis and emergency communications, serve as a university spokesperson, and protect the institution’s reputation during sensitive or high-profile situations.
Shape effective internal communications that inform and connect faculty, staff, and students while reinforcing a shared university identity across all three campuses.
Use audience insights, performance metrics, emerging technologies, and innovative marketing approaches to expand engagement and support institutional growth.
Lead and develop a high-performing marketing and communications team of nearly 70 employees, managing an $8 million budget and aligning staffing and resources with university-wide priorities.
Oversee university brand standards, Trademark & Licensing, and related governance, including leadership of the Trademark Administrative Committee.