Marketing and Communications Specialist

Classification Title:

Communications Specialist

Classification Minimum Requirements:

Bachelor’s degree and two years of relevant experience; or an Associate’s degree and four years of relevant experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Job Description:

The Marketing & Communications Specialist plays a key role in advancing the University of Florida College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ external engagement and fundraising mission through strategic storytelling, compelling content creation, and creative campaign materials. This position plays a pivotal role in crafting persuasive, donor-centered messaging that inspires philanthropic engagement and deepen connections while elevating the college’s visibility and reputation. Reporting to the Associate Director of External Engagement, the Specialist will work as part of a collaborative, on-campus marketing team in the college’s Office of Advancement and Alumni Affairs.

Creative Content Production

• Conceptualize, develop, and produce written content to promote philanthropic giving, advance external engagement, celebrate donor impact, and build alumni connections.
• Craft original ideas and transform them into compelling stories to enhance audience engagement and support the college’s giving and engagement priorities.
• Write tailored marketing materials, including brochures, information sheets, proposals, concept papers, impact reports, and special campaign collateral. 
• Ensure all content aligns seamlessly with the college’s branding guidelines and organizational voice.
• Work with graphic designers and multimedia specialists to produce visually compelling assets such as graphics, banners, event promotions, and video content.
• Write press releases, media communications, and social media campaigns to promote the college’s achievements, celebrate donors, and engage stakeholders. 
• Support fundraising appeals and special projects by developing and executing print and digital campaigns as part of strategic multichannel campaigns and constituent journeys.
• Create content that highlights personal stories, donor impact narratives, and human-interest pieces to inspire giving and connect with stakeholders.
• Collaborate with other Advancement Strategic Communications, Marketing & Engagement teams and colleagues to produce campaign materials and leverage content on digital platforms as it aligns with an overall strategy.

Email Marketing & Digital Analytics

• Implement a robust email marketing plan, using the full marketing mix, to support the college’s strategic priorities, with a clear focus on relationship-building.
• Write and refine personalized, engaging, and donor-centric content for email copy and calls-to-action.
• Build robust end-to-end automated drip marketing campaigns for units throughout the college and campaign initiatives, ensuring consistent and engaging communication around key priorities.
• Leverage segmentation tools to target specific audience groups (e.g., alumni, donors, friends of the college) and tailor communication for maximum impact.
• Collaborate with Advancement and Marketing teams to align strategies with audience segmentation, donor journeys, and campaign objectives.
• Use data-driven insights to personalize messaging, enhance engagement, and improve donor retention.
• Monitor campaign performance metrics (e.g., open rates, click-through rates, conversions) via Salesforce reporting tools, optimizing workflows and automation for seamless transitions between email stages.
• Regularly review and refine campaigns based on analytics and donor engagement trends.
• Provide analytics reports and make strategic recommendations to improve the college’s digital strategy.
• Research standards, best practices, trends and breakthroughs in digital marketing to inform ongoing strategy adjustments.

Multimedia Production

• Participate in creative and artistic planning and execution of high-quality multimedia content for use across digital channels, including social media, websites, and email campaigns.
• Produce promotional, educational, and storytelling content that highlights the college’s programs, people, and strategic initiatives.
• Identify needs and facilitate planning, determine communications concepts and designs, and support strategic, long-term marketing objectives.
• Generate ideas for productions, develop new formats and shooting styles, and understand each project's story and narrative style to deliver the highest quality product.
• Work closely with teams from communications, marketing, advancement, and academic departments to gather project requirements and execute them effectively.

Strategic