Executive Director of Marketing and Communications

The University of Virginia Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy (the Batten School) seeks an experienced, creative, and energetic professional to serve as the Executive Director of Marketing and Communications (the ED).  This position plays a critical role by leading and supporting comprehensive branding, market assessment, new educational program positioning, marketing, strategic engagement, and communication strategies that advance the mission and priorities of the Batten School.  As a member of the senior leadership team and a direct report to the Dean, the ED will facilitate development and execution of a comprehensive marketing and communications plan that advances strategic objectives in key school audience areas including student prospects, students, and alumni; academic research and impact; donor prospects and fundraising; as well as internal Batten School and UVA audiences with available resources and capabilities. This is an incredible opportunity to work at an iconic and global institution with a relatively new school dedicated to leadership and public policy.

The ED reports to the Dean of the Batten School, manages the marketing and communications team, and collaborates extensively with the senior leadership team, faculty, staff, students, the Batten School Foundation Board, and others to both implement strategic initiatives and support ongoing marketing and communication services to the school community.  Collaborating with key audience owners, e.g., admissions for student prospects and advancement for donor prospects, etc., the ED will partner to understand markets, shape products, develop marketing strategies, build capacity, and execute specific workplans to achieve stakeholder goals and objectives. This work will involve:

• Leading a marketing and communications team that includes direct reports, matrixed staff, partners, and vendors;
• Shaping and developing the overall brand position of the school;
• Partnering with school functional leaders to develop and implement robust marketing campaigns and communication strategies that generate measurable results with key target audiences; and
• Enabling core capabilities such as content creation, market research and analytics, marketing, advertising, creative services, media relations, and executive & crisis communications. 

This role will also have significant involvement in engagement partnerships and events with both other UVA schools and units and well as with external organizations and employers to raise the profile of the school. The ideal candidate will have a broad marketing and communications skillset, be able to envision and plan strategically, and be operationally focused with experience launching and growing new programs and products. With the importance of developing relationships across the university and interacting with the key stakeholder groups, this role is located on UVA grounds in Charlottesville, Virginia with some limited travel to key markets expected.

Qualifications:

• The individual will have a bachelor's degree and at least 8 years of professional experience in marketing or related field or an advanced degree and 6 years of related experience.

• Mission Commitment and Alignment: Visible and genuine passion for the Batten School’s mission, including embracing addressing and solving the world’s toughest public policy challenges.

• Deep Domain Expertise: Proven and successful track record of developing, implementing, and evaluating the results of a comprehensive and holistic strategic marketing and communications program.

• Collaborative, Open, and Transparent Interpersonal Style: An ability to forge collaborative relationships with a wide variety of constituencies deploying a transparent style. Service-minded and flexible. The person must be confident presenting ideas and solutions and be humble enough to take constructive feedback and comments.

• Staff and Budgetary Leadership: A proven track record of attracting and mentoring staff and inspiring employees to perform at their highest level. The person must have relevant budgetary management experience.

• Excellent Communication Skills:  Strong written and presentation skills are a must, including proven ability to shape messaging in the school’s tone and style with a detail-oriented editing and proofing approach.

• Business Savvy and Financial Acumen: Strong business and budget/cost planning skills and fiscal acumen. An appreciation of grant reporting requirements is a plus.

TO APPLY:

 Please visit UVA job board: https://jobs.virginia.edu and search for “R0