Vice President for Marketing and Communications

Job Description

For a Full Job and Institution Profile, click here-  Position Profile- VP Marketing and Communications.pdf
The Vice President for Marketing and Communications is a strategic leadership role responsible for developing and executing comprehensive marketing and communication strategies to strengthen and enhance the university’s brand, drive growth and institutional visibility, and achieve the university’s top priorities. Reporting jointly to the President and Senior Vice President for Advancement, the Vice President for Marketing and Communications is the chief marketing and communications officer who serves as a strategic advisor on the university’s comprehensive marketing and communications plans. The Vice President is a member of the President’s Cabinet and a key member of the Advancement executive leadership team and collaborates closely with advancement leaders to ensure strong alignment and integration of the advancement model, comprising of development, engagement, and marketing and communications.

In addition to overseeing university communication strategies, this role will also focus on marketing initiatives, leveraging data-driven insights and innovative approaches to maximize institutional positioning, brand management, and reputation management. Through direct or delegated reporting lines, the Vice President oversees a broad team of marketing and communication professionals including: all college- and unit-based communications; media relations; primary and secondary university and college- and unit-based platforms; university-level marketing and advertising; advancement communications, including those targeted at major gift prospects, corporations, foundations, and principal gift prospects; The Virginia Tech Magazine; Photo and video production; design services; university-level websites and social media platforms; commercial and promotional licensing of branded merchandise; and the NPR member public radio station, WVTF and Radio IQ, which has signals that cover all of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

This role aligns campus marketing and communications efforts, plans, and staff through dual reporting lines shared by the units and central Marketing and Communications, which includes the lead communicators across all university leadership areas.

A member of the university’s leadership team, this position partners closely with the President and Senior Vice President for Advancement and fosters relationships with the University’s Board of Visitors to ensure strategies to meet internal and external marketing needs. As a senior leader on campus, the Vice President is expected to be visible and involved in various campus events and activities and advance a spirit of transparency and visibility internally and externally.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business Administration, Communications, or a related field.
• Extensive and progressive marketing and communications experience, with a proven track record of success in developing and executing effective marketing strategies within institutional environments.
• Experience in developing brand platforms and strategies.
• Extensive experience in digital, social media, and content marketing and market segmentation.
• Broad understanding of digital and emerging communications technologies and platforms.
• Strong analytical skills and proven experience using data to drive marketing and communications decisions.
• Proven ability to lead and manage a high-performing team.
• Experience in addressing the public through audio, video, and the written word.
• Experience with and understanding of contemporary journalism ethics.
• A comprehensive understanding of the print, electronic, digital, and social news cycles.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
• Fiscal acumen with proven experience developing and managing significant marketing and communications budgets.
• Demonstrated experience with CRM and marketing automation platforms.
• Strong understanding of brand management principles.

Preferred Qualifications

• A master's degree in marketing, higher education, public administration, business administration, communications, journalism, or a related field, or a bachelor's degree with relevant experience that equates to an advanced degree.
• Experience in marketing and communications within higher education.
• Experience with marketing analytics platforms.
• Experience with video production and editing.
• Experience in developing and executing glob