Assistant Director, Marketing and Communications

Job Category: Director of Marketing
Job Type: Full Time
Job Location: Durham - NC

Duke University

The Assistant Director, Marketing & Communications oversees direct marketing, fundraising campaigns, and promotion for a wide range of programs and partners within Duke Alumni Engagement and Development (AED) and Marketing, Communications & Stewardship (MCS). This individual will work to design and implement marketing strategies and communications plans that aid in achieving fundraising and/or program goals and ensure alumni, donors, students, and friends continue to support and stay engaged with the university. This individual also contributes strategic thinking, project planning, and discrete efforts across all MCS initiatives.

 

Position responsibilities

 

MARKETING LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

  • Lead development of strategic marketing. fundraising, or communications plans that drive engagement and giving to Duke.
  • Build and manage long-term relationships with assigned partners within AED, schools, and units across campus to set long-term marketing objectives, identify strategies, define audiences, create timelines, and implement tactics across email, social media, direct mail, and other platforms as identified.
  • Manage discrete partner projects aligned with overall marketing, fundraising, and communications plans.
  • Oversee and/or contribute to successful execution of MCS partner fundraising programs, such as the Duke Annual Fund’s Central Communications Plan (CCP)
  • Develop and implement integrated event marketing plans to maximize attendance at key AED engagement and donor events, such as Homecoming, Reunion, Women’s Weekend, volunteer programs, and others. Attend and participate in events as necessary.
  • Oversee AED advertising objectives across all media channels, including Duke Chronicle, Duke Magazine, social media, digital, campus signage, and others. Collaborate with creative teams to make recommendations and execute tactics.
  • Integrate individual marketing, communications, and fundraising efforts into larger AED operating plans and communications.
  • Work with MCS teams to develop videos, websites, messaging, written communications, social media, and other resources that support marketing efforts to drive engagement, fundraising, and stewardship.
  • Coordinate multi-channel marketing efforts with all MCS partner teams and MCS program leads, including the director of fundraising communications, Duke Magazine staff, and University Communications colleagues as appropriate.

MARKET RESEARCH AND PLANNING

  • Lead market and audience research – including primary and secondary methods – to gather insight that informs marketing plans, fundraising, event execution, messaging, and creative work. Efforts may include writing and distributing alumni surveys, organizing online and in-person focus groups, extrapolating learning opportunities from case studies and peer universities, etc.
  • Research and implement engagement and fundraising best practices for nonprofits and universities.
  • Identify opportunities for testing of marketing materials and make recommendations to internal partners for new projects or tactics, based on results.
  • Work with the digital teams to review web and social media analytics to make marketing recommendations.
  • Work with other communications staff members in support of operating plans, quarterly reports, and mid-year analyses.
  • Collaborate with the MCS analytics team and AED Business Intelligence team on data needs and oversee planning, for marketing data tracking, collection, and aggregation, as needed.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

  • Plan and lead meetings, working sessions, timelines, budgets, and asset creation in collaboration with project manager and creative team.
  • Prioritize work, meet deadlines, and actively communicate progress and deliverables with the executive directors of marketing and communications and AED partners.
  • Manage development and secure appropriate approvals of marketing materials across a range of mediums, including print, digital, and social.
  • Work with AED partners to facilitate discussion, gain consensus, approvals, and manage expectations in difficult or ambiguous situations.
  • Maintain organized records and files including work product, timelines, plans, etc.
  • Ensure that projects that fall under the position’s oversight are compliant with departmental and university branding standards and policies.
  • Establish relationships with and work with vendors on ongoing basis to ensure smooth project workflows.
  • Perform other duties as assigned.

Preferred Qualifications

 

Technical

  • Bachelor’s degree and 5 -7 years of relevant marketing and/or communications work with increasing levels of responsibility required.
  • Demonstrated excellence in messaging and brand development.
  • Experience developing and implementing effective direct marketing campaigns across multiple channels. (required)
  • Experience and comfort managing design, video, and other multimedia production projects. (required)
  • Experience in event marketing, digital marketing, social media, and market/audience research to develop communications plans preferred.
  • Knowledge of educational engagement or fundraising, higher education issues, research universities, and Duke University preferred.
  • Agency experience preferred.

Behavioral

Candidate must:

  • Be able to set schedules, prioritize work, and manage deadlines effectively.
  • Be able to deal with ambiguity and shift gears comfortably when situations change.
  • Effectively and clearly communicate thoughts, ideas, and facts through writing and oral presentations.
  • Develop positive relationships and work collaboratively with a variety of campus partners and AED stakeholders to achieve shared objectives.
  • Demonstrate an ability to influence and persuade others.
  • Demonstrate a careful attention to detail.
  • Share knowledge.
  • Display curiosity and information seeking ability.

Minimum Qualifications

 

Education

 

Work requires a general business background generally equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in a business related field.

 

Experience

 

Work requires four years related business or administrative experience to acquire competence in a variety of activities related to marketing and planning or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.

 

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