Job no: 508314
Work type: Staff Full Time
Location: UMass Amherst
Department: University Relations
Union: Non-Unit Exempt
Categories: Public Relations, Marketing, Communications

About UMass Amherst

UMass Amherst, the Commonwealth's flagship campus, is a nationally ranked public research university offering a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, and offers a rich cultural environment in a bucolic setting close to major urban centers. In addition, the University is part of the Five Colleges (including Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College), which adds to the intellectual energy of the region.

Job Summary

The Marketing & Communications (Marcom) group leads and coordinates strategic marketing efforts for UMass Amherst to raise the institution’s global visibility and deepen its reputation as one of the nation’s great public research universities. It tells the university’s stories through a wide array of platforms and builds strong relationships with important audiences through a variety of traditional and new marketing tactics. Additionally, the Marcom group provides leadership, consultation, partnership, and coordination for marketers and communicators across campus, collaborating with all colleges, schools, and units.

As a champion of the UMass brand, this newly created position will report to the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and will be a member of the Marcom leadership team. Together, with a talented group of marketing experts, this role will create innovative, game-changing, and visionary marketing programs that will maximize opportunities to build UMass’s reputation, enhance brand visibility, and drive actionable results across the university. In a highly collaborative environment, they will spearhead brand campaigns, cross-university messaging programs, and strategic initiatives that promote UMass on regional, national, and global levels.

Essential Functions

• Strategic Planning: Lead a central strategic market planning process from ideation to tactical execution, measurement, and improvement, which includes working collaboratively with schools/colleges/units to consult with, help build and execute on their synergistic plans that map to UMass’s strategic plan and their specific goals.
• Managing and Mentoring: Lead team that delivers state of the art content strategy, research marketing and communications, data analytics, and social media campaigns. Build a culture of collaboration and marketing excellence within the team and across UMass. Take an engaged approach to coaching, mentoring, and guiding the marketing team to increase the capabilities and effectiveness of this group, including setting clear performance management objectives.
• Brand: In collaboration with the CMO be a champion of the UMass brand. Help design, run, measure, and tune integrated brand initiatives for the Be Revolutionary campaign that increase awareness and positive perceptions of UMass.
• Content: As part of brand building, and to meet UMass strategic goals, create and run an overall content plan in collaboration with the Director of Content Strategy and partnering with University Relations (UR) colleagues and schools, colleges, and units.
• Data and Analytics: Lead and manage end-to-end marketing analytics in collaboration with the analytics lead, Marcom teams, UR, schools/colleges/units, and third-party vendors. Develop a strong measurement strategy to improve the return on our brand marketing and specific programmatic efforts. Lead efforts around business planning including goal setting. Help stakeholders use analytics to define goals/KPIs and monitor performance to identify trends and opportunities.
• University Without Walls (UWW): Provide marketing leadership and strategy for all UWW programs. Work collaboratively and closely with UWW executive team to define clear marketing goals that align with their overall strategy. Create, execute, measure, and tune marketing strategies, plans, and tactics to increase reputation and drive enrollments.
• Admissions: Work directly with Admission/Enrollment leadership to refine and build marketing strategies and tactics to support their goals and objectives by leveraging the UMass brand.
• Advancement: Collaborate with Advancement leadership to leverage the university brand in fundraising efforts as well as build strategies and tactics that increase the university’s engagement with alumni and donors. Partner and collaborate with Advancement in support of the public phase of the next capital campaign.
• Office of Research and Engagement (ORE): Partner with the Director of Research Communications to ensure research-related content is being marketed to relevant audiences to drive engagement and increase funding.
• As a member of the Marcom group leadership team, will participate in planning and resource allocation. Will be involved in sensitive matters including employee relations, act as a grievance hearing officer, and participate in labor relation matters.

Other Functions

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure)

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 10 plus years of demonstrated success in relevant leadership roles in marketing required; Data-driven expertise in marketing, branding, and digital tactics.
• Proven expertise as both a strategic thinker and a project manager with a keen ability to synchronize the two.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement innovative marketing techniques that utilize budget resources effectively and efficiently.
• Catalyst for change: someone who is willing to challenge the status-quo and has well thought out recommendations and ideas.
• Effective leader who is adept at managing change, can build strong relationships with people from diverse areas of the university and inspire those outside their direct sphere of control.
• Intellectual horsepower to drive and reward new ideas and calculated risk-taking.
• Talent to work in an organization with multiple “divisions.” Ability to work at a very high level with leadership across the university on academic and non-academic efforts.
• Team player: ability to work collaboratively with others; good listener. Someone who has high energy/drive and a relentlessly positive attitude.

Preferred Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure)

• A solid mix of public/private industry, higher-education, and nonprofit experience desired.
• Master’s degree highly desired.

Work Schedule

Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5:00pm. May require some nights and weekends.

Salary Information

Salary commensurate with experience.

Special Instructions to Applicants

Along with your application, please submit a resume, cover letter, and the names and contact information of three professional references by May 28, 2021 to ensure priority consideration. The position may remain open until filled.

UMass Amherst is committed to a policy of equal opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, age, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, disability, military status, or genetic information in employment, admission to and participation in academic programs, activities, and services, and the selection of vendors who provide services or products to the University. To fulfill that policy, UMass Amherst is further committed to a program of affirmative action to eliminate or mitigate artificial barriers and to increase opportunities for the recruitment and advancement of qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and covered veterans. It is the policy of the UMass Amherst to comply with the applicable federal and state statutes, rules, and regulations concerning equal opportunity and affirmative action.

Advertised: May 13 2021 Eastern Daylight Time
Applications close: