Director of Marketing and Communications, Graduate School of Social Work

The Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW) is a vibrant community of scholars and teachers committed to advancing quality social work education and to meeting and upholding the standards and core values required by their accrediting body, the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). The School’s curriculum, research, and community partnerships embody those principles via an intellectual, collegial, and supportive environment that fosters interdisciplinary and international educational opportunities. GSSW engages in collaborative research projects locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally.

Position Summary

The Director of Marketing and Communications develops, executes and analyzes the marketing and communication strategy for the GSSW. The position is responsible for all marketing activities, including content strategy, digital advertising, website strategy and maintenance, user experience, email communication and traditional communication for a variety of target audiences, including prospective/admitted students, alumni, faculty/staff, community members and other stakeholders. The Director of Marketing and Communications will work closely with the University’s office of Marketing and Communications, DU IT, GSSW institutes and centers, external vendors (including advertising and design firms), the Office of Enrollment and other stakeholders to maintain and build brand loyalty and awareness. The Director for Marketing and Communications will create effective processes to support the long-term communication objectives of the GSSW and the University of Denver. The position reports to the Associate Dean for Operations and supervises the Marketing and Communications Coordinator positions.

Essential Functions

• Develop, implement and manage the marketing and communication strategy for the school including content strategy, creative design and usability through communication channels including the school’s website, social media, collateral, and email.
• Work closely with all faculty to understand, catalog, and showcase areas of research and specialty. Build and execute a communications strategy to promote faculty work through GSSW channels.
• Develop, monitor and analyze key performance indicators for communication and marketing efforts and tailor future efforts accordingly.
• Manage internal and external partners to drive, engage, and grow traffic, acquire and retain subscribers and generate inquiries (leads).
• Manage external design firms and copywriters to creatively build and grow the GSSW brand and develop meaningful content and visual design for the school.
• Create and execute digital advertising plans in concert with an outside vendor and own the day-to-day relationship with the vendor and monitor the marketing budget to maximize return on investment.
• Hire, Train, and Manage all Marketing and Communications team members and assign tasks that align with the GSSW strategic communication plan.
• Pitch the impactful work of GSSW to the DU central Marketing and Communication office to expand local and national media coverage and reach. Serve as a unit subject matter expert for DU’s central marketing office.
• Approve and guide the marketing and communication strategy and outreach process for GSSW institutes and centers, office of community engagement, office of career development, office of field education, and others.
• Create annual marketing and promotional plan for new student admissions, including data-driven recruitment efforts, paid ads, social media placement, texting, and email campaigns for the entire enrollment funnel. Establish and build reports alongside the Office of Enrollment and utilize data to generate a lead scoring-strategy for inquiry outreach. Develop and execute innovative, personalized digital experiences for GSSW target audiences—including the integration of a chatbot and behavioral-based content.
• Establish data governance across the school for customized outreach.
• Supervise the Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications and Communications Coordinator
• Supervise, train and mentor team members and foster their professional growth.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Skilled in developing creative and innovative communication and marketing strategies.
• Understanding branding importance and techniques and experience implementing branding via digital vehicles.
• Experience with and knowledge of social media sites, tools and applications.
• Digital expertise in all related areas: SEM/SEO, mobile, responsive design, website creation and governance.
• Basic graphic design skills with familiarity of graphic design software (Photoshop, InDesign, illustrator, etc.).
• Ability to effectively communicate with and market to a variety of audiences.