Brand Engagement Associate

University Communications is the strategic communications department for the University of Virginia. We are writers, editors, spokespeople, marketers, designers, photographers, video producers, social media and operations experts, web developers and more. We unite our skills for effective, engaging communications and marketing to showcase UVA as a model of excellence in higher education.

We inform. We inspire. And we serve as stewards of the University’s iconic brand, showing how UVA improves lives within our own community, across the commonwealth of Virginia and beyond.

Job Description:

University Communications seeks a Brand Engagement Associate to join a strategic and high-performing Marketing and Brand Strategy team. This role will act as an experienced professional to develop and manage marketing plans and programs supporting University Communications’ stewardship of the UVA brand. The Brand Engagement Associate will coordinate and execute projects that help guide, uphold and enable the consistent application of UVA’s brand standards across the University community.

Reporting to the Director of Marketing and Brand Strategy, the Brand Engagement Associate will coordinate day-to-day brand initiatives while also contributing to broader marketing priorities. Working closely with colleagues across the Marketing and Brand Strategy team, the associate will support longer-term campaign planning, project management, relationship and partnership management, program effectiveness monitoring and other strategic initiatives led by the Associate Vice President for Marketing and Brand Strategy.

Areas of focus include:

• Refreshing and maintaining BrandDot, which is University Communications’ online platform for brand resources, templates and guidance

• Providing consultation and support to members of the University community for application of the University’s brand standards

• Coordinating communications plans and educational programs that promote brand understanding and adoption

• Helping maintain the tools, processes and governance that enable consistent, excellent representation of the University's brand.

Responsibilities:

• Steward the University’s brand standards ecosystem, including oversight and continuous improvement of brand.virginia.edu (BrandDot), the brand@virginia.edu email inquiry system, the OnBrand e-newsletter and Brand Camp training programs.

• Maintain, update and perform day-to-day responsibilities for brand.virginia.edu, including overseeing account requests for the brand platform and other needs of the nearly 10,000 active users.
• Partner with members of the Marketing and Brand Strategy, Social Media, Digital Development and User Experience, Licensing and Creative Studios teams to manage the lifecycle to ensure brand resources, tools and guidelines remain current, user experience is strong and members of the University community are supported as they apply the brand to their work.

• Develop and implement approaches to bolster brand stewardship and compliance across University schools, units and departments, and advise communicators, marketers and other members of the University community on the appropriate application of brand standards across print, digital, environmental and multimedia communications.

• Monitor recurring brand inquiries and demand for brand tools and resources and recommend data-informed enhancements to brand guidance, templates and support services.

• Support the visual expression of the University brand in collaboration with others in University Communications across branded environment and fleet mark systems.

• Update and maintain contact lists of communicators and marketers and their leadership from across the University.

• Lead and participate in collaborative projects involving cross-functional University Communications teams.

• Collaborate with University Communications’ senior data analyst to measure the performance of brand programs.
• Provide marketing and communications support for events organized by the Marketing and Brand Strategy team.
• Work closely with others on the Marketing and Brand Strategy team and other University Communications teams to develop and deliver on marketing plans and programs in support of University Communications’ strategic plan, content strategy and work plan.

• Mentor and help guide the work of earlier-career Marketing and Brand Strategy team members.

Skills and Competencies:

• Strong professional and interpersonal skills, including demonstrated written and verbal communication skills with both internal partners and outside organizations

• Excellent organizational skills and proven ability to prioritize, plan and execute multiple short- and longer-term projects in accordance with established deadlines and budgets

• Collaborative and flexible team player

• Demonstrated skill at accepting and incorporating feedback from supervisors, co-workers and others inside and outside the organization

• Comfortable and capable in guiding and developing less-senior staff

• Familiarity with marketing principles

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Creative Suite and similar programs

• Experience with digital publishing, content marketing, email marketing or similar

• Familiarity with digital distribution platforms, such as Marketing Cloud and website content management systems

• Some experience with KPIs, reports and measurement

Required Experience:

• Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree with 3 or more years of professional experience in brand management, marketing, advertising, or communications, especially in complex or decentralized environments.

Anticipated Hiring Range: $70,000 to $80,000, commensurate with experience.

This position will remain open until filled. This is an exempt level, benefited position. The University will perform background checks on all hires (if required) prior to employment. Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States. For this role, the University will not sponsor or consider candidates requiring sponsorship for employment visas now or in the future.

Please apply online, and search for R0087853 . Complete an application online with the following documents: 

• Resume
• Cover letter 

Upload all materials into the resume submission field; multiple documents can be submitted into this one field. Alternatively, merge all documents into one PDF for submission. Applications that do not contain all required documents will not receive full consideration.

Internal applicants: Search and apply for jobs on the UVA Internal Careers website.

For finalists, references will be completed via UVA’s standardized process using SkillSurvey. A total of up to five references will be requested via SkillSurvey for top candidates during the final phase of the interview process. A total of three references is required.

For questions about the application process, please contact Daniel Strong, Senior Recruiter at das6zb@virginia.edu.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

Education: Bachelor's degree required.

Experience: 3+ years of relevant experience.

Licensure: None.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

This is primarily a sedentary job involving extensive use of desktop computers. The job does occasionally require traveling some distance to attend meetings, and programs.

The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity employer. All interested persons are encouraged to apply, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Learn more about UVA’s commitment to non-discrimination and equal opportunity employment.