Associate Director of Marketing and Communications

Position Summary:

The Associate Director of Marketing and Communications at Rice University’s Center for Career Development (CCD) acts as the department's communications and brand strategist. Reporting to the Director of Employer Engagement & Experiential Learning, the role provides strategic leadership across all marketing and communications initiatives. This includes overseeing website management, digital and print communications, content strategy, analytics, and institutional storytelling, as well as supervising the Marketing and Communications Specialist to ensure a compelling, consistent brand presence.

Working closely with CCD leadership, students, employers, alumni, faculty, staff, donors, and external partners, the Associate Director translates institutional priorities into high-impact campaigns. These targeted marketing efforts are designed to increase student engagement, strengthen employer and campus partnerships, and support broader goals, such as experiential learning, student success, institutional advancement, and fundraising.

This position plays a central role in elevating the CCD's visibility and positioning it as the primary hub of the university's career ecosystem. Through cohesive brand management and data-informed storytelling, the Associate Director amplifies the CCD’s impact and reinforces Rice University’s reputation as a leader in student success and talent development.

Special Instructions to Applicants:

All interested applicants should attach a resume and cover letter in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in a PDF format to avoid any formatting issues.

Workplace Location: 

This position is offered as a hybrid role, combining both in-office and remote work to provide flexibility and support collaboration. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

Hiring Range: $75,000 - $80,000 annually, dependent upon qualifications and experience.

Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime. 

Minimum Requirements: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Digital Media, or related field.

• Minimum of three (3) years of comprehensive professional experience within marketing, brand stewardship, or strategic communications sectors, demonstrating a trajectory of increasing responsibility.

• Proven track record of direct supervision and mentorship of professional staff for at least one year.

• Superior command of oral, written, and multimedia presentation modalities.

• Demonstrated proficiency in leveraging data-driven insights and engagement analytics to inform organizational outreach strategies. 

• Skills:

  • Expertise in strategic marketing, integrated communications, institutional branding, and brand stewardship.

  • Experience developing content strategy, institutional storytelling, and integrated marketing campaigns that strengthen engagement and organizational impact.

  • Exceptional written, verbal, visual, and presentation communication skills, with the ability to tailor messaging for diverse audiences.

  • Strong knowledge of digital marketing, website management, content management systems, email marketing, social media, artificial intelligence (AI), and emerging communication technologies.

  • Ability to leverage AI, marketing technologies, analytics, and performance metrics to enhance content development, improve operational efficiency, inform strategy, measure results, and communicate organizational impact.