The Director is responsible for building visibility, brand recognition, and credibility through multichannel communications, including but not limited to websites, videos, newsletters, social media, publications, print materials, and advertising. The successful candidate will have experience planning and implementing content strategy, brand management, marketing, and strategic messaging.   

Bringing a strategic integrated marketing approach to the role, the Director must have a demonstrated ability to use appropriate metrics to gauge performance, guide improvement, and drive strategic change. The Director will oversee and support a collaborative team of professionals including leaders in creative services and design, marketing technology and web, video and photo production, writing and editing, and public relations and digital communications. 

This position reports administratively and functionally to the College of Arts & Letters Dean with a dotted line to University Communications for the purposes of collaboration and strategic alignment with institutional level activities. 

Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Management of the marketing and communications office: Provide direction and oversee work, supervising and supporting a team of staff members, coordinating priorities and project management to achieve college goals, ensuring brand and strategic messaging alignment, and overseeing and allocating budget expenditures. 

• Media communications and creative storytelling: Supports development of college stories through various activities including idea generation, content creation and editing, project management processes, and budget allocation. Stories will span digital and print formats and channels including news, events, web content, social media, newsletters, videos, advertisements, brochures, and publications. Oversees content development related to design, photography, videography, writing, web/digital, printing, and other creative assets.  

• Public relations and crisis communications: Oversees strategies for achieving media coverage and external visibility through news releases, op-eds, interactions with reporters, media training, and collaboration with University Communications. Manages crisis communication needs of the college and in partnership with University Communications. 

• Collaborative leadership within the college: Advises and creates custom communication strategies in collaboration with faculty, staff, and students, including for college teams supporting alumni/donor engagement and student success/recruitment, seeking the best ways to tell stories/promote programs. Directs high-level and strategic communications and marketing strategies for the Dean’s Office, departments, and programs within the college. 

• Oversees and provides direction on college-level news/information and public relations initiatives to ensure internal and external messaging is beneficial to the college, affiliated units, the university, and its stakeholders.  

• Thought leadership and partnership across the university: Acts as a liaison, thought leader, and collaborative partner with other marcom leaders at MSU and with University Communications. This includes marketing and communications directors in other colleges, as well as leaders in the offices of the President and the Provost, Office of Research and Innovation, Institutional Diversity and Inclusion, and University Arts and Collections. 

• Marketing analysis and positioning: Researches audience interests, responses, and trends to support broader college goals including audience outreach and engagement, fundraising, and promotion of academic programs. Maintains knowledge of higher education and arts/humanities markets, as well as advertising and marketing industry trends.  

• Sets clear direction and priorities for marketing and communications team, promotes excellence through well-defined goals, and fosters a work environment that recognizes and rewards cross-functional collaboration and team-based efforts. 

• Mentors team members and provides opportunities for professional development individually and as a team to support retention as a means of increasing expertise and innovative creative work. 

• Participates with college leadership in the development of reputation-building initiatives and strategic approaches. 

• Oversees all functions of the college marketing and communications office including budget, staffing, publications, news, marketing, and production all aimed at driving reputation,  

• Knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired by completing a Master's Degree program in communications, marketing, English, journalism, public relations, telecommunications, or a related field 

• Significant skills or understanding in public and media relations, integrated marketing, publication production, video production, advertising, graphic design, social media, communications analytics or web design  

• Application and demonstration of strong editorial judgement. 

• Supervisory experience 

• Exceptional interpersonal skills 

• Excellent oral, written, and digital communication skills 

• Experience working in a higher education environment. 

• Knowledge or experience with fundraising, public awareness campaigns, social/cause marketing, and/or nonprofits. 

• Experience or knowledge surrounding arts and humanities 

• Master's Degree in English, journalism, public relations, marketing, telecommunications or communications, or a related field