Responsibilities

• Serves as chief communications officer for University Housing, providing strategic leadership for all communications, marketing, and public relations functions.
• Develops and executes data-driven marketing strategies that support short and long-range strategic goals including occupancy, programming, outreach events, and revenue objectives while managing comprehensive brand positioning, public relations, and crisis communications.
• Directs content development and distribution across digital, print, and multimedia platforms to engage varied audiences, including but not limited to, prospective and current residents, families, faculty and staff, and university partners.
• Leads the strategic and operational communications and marketing responsibilities for University Housing. Works with University Housing staff and units to achieve the communication goals set in their action plans and the University Housing strategic plan.
• Establishes comprehensive marketing goals and develops and executes marketing action plans to achieve marketing objectives for both short and long-range strategic, revenue, and occupancy goals.
• Serves as the brand manager for University Housing, maintaining and enforcing departmental graphic and identity standards, editorial style guidelines, and brand compliance protocols in conjunction with University of Illinois Office of Strategic Communications and Marketing.
• Conducts strategic marketing research to determine the demand for services, monitors trends, and identifies the potential need for new services offered by University Housing. Ensures the timely adjustment of marketing strategies and plans to meet changing market and competitive conditions. Makes data driven decisions via strategic assessment (e.g. focus groups, surveys).
• Cultivates and maintains relationships across divisions at the University of Illinois.
• Assists the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Auxiliary Health & Wellbeing and Executive Director of University Housing in researching and drafting talking points, arranging interviews, and maintaining other forms of public contact.
• As a member of the Executive Team, contributes significantly to strategic planning, priority project management, and public relations and brand management for University Housing by directing, implementing, and evaluating strategic housing initiatives.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, business administration, communications, public relations, or a closely related field.
• Five (5) years of professional work experience in marketing, public relations, communications, brand management, or a related professional area.
• Demonstrated experience supervising or managing staff.
• Master’s degree in an area consistent with the duties of the position may be substituted for one (1) year (12 months) of work experience.

Preferred

• Master’s degree.
• Experience in strategic communications and marketing including leading and managing marketing campaigns.
• Experience with copywriting, editing, and digital storytelling.
• Experience managing, mentoring and developing high-performing communications and marketing teams, including coaching, professional development and performance management.

Benefits

• This position is intended to be eligible for benefits. This includes Health, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, a Retirement Plan, Paid time Off, and Tuition waivers for employees and dependents.
• The University offers a highly competitive benefits package designed to support your well-being, growth, and financial security.