Executive Director of Marketing and Communications

Chicago, IL (On-site)

$140K/yr – $200K/yrDirector/Executive7+ years expFull time

Posted 4 weeks ago

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Job Summary

Own the College of Business marketing and communications agenda, shaping strategy, brand, and revenue-impact programs for enrollment, fundraising, and reputation.

  • Own multi-year strategy and cross-stakeholder alignment with senior leadership and central offices.
  • Lead brand differentiation and integrated campaigns for programs and audiences nationwide.
  • Build and mentor a marketing team while guiding analytics, media relations, and digital storytelling.

Job Description

Responsibilities

  • Develop and execute a multi-year marketing and communications strategy aligned to the College of Business’s strategic plan, enrollment targets, fundraising goals, and reputation management initiatives.
  • Advise senior leadership on branding, positioning, messaging, and communications opportunities, ensuring alignment with university brand standards and priorities.
  • Lead brand management to strengthen and differentiate the College of Business’s identity regionally, nationally, and globally.
  • Oversee marketing campaigns supporting undergraduate, graduate, and executive education programs, including recruitment, retention, and student success initiatives.
  • Direct market research, audience segmentation, and competitive analysis to inform strategy and investment decisions.
  • Oversee internal and external communications, including websites, email marketing, social media, print materials, digital content, and advertising.
  • Coordinate media relations strategy with University Communications for storytelling, rankings submissions, awards, and faculty expertise promotion.
  • Develop crisis and issues communication plans for the college:
  • Guide digital strategy across web, social media, and emerging platforms with consistent, compelling storytelling about faculty research, student achievements, alumni impact, and partnerships.
  • Oversee analytics and reporting to measure effectiveness and ROI of marketing and communications efforts.
  • Lead, develop, and mentor a professional marketing and communications team, including goal setting, performance management, and professional development.

Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, public relations, journalism, business, or a related field.
  • Minimum of 7–10 years of progressive leadership experience in marketing and communications, preferably in higher education or mission-driven environments.
  • Demonstrated experience developing and executing integrated marketing and communications strategies.
  • Proven leadership and people management experience, including budget oversight.
  • Strong writing, editing, storytelling, and presentation skills.
  • Experience managing digital platforms, analytics, and vendors/agencies.

Preferred

  • Master’s degree in marketing, communications, business administration, or related field.
  • Experience in a College of Business or research university setting.
  • Familiarity with enrollment marketing, advancement communications, and alumni engagement.
  • Knowledge of accreditation, rankings, and reputational initiatives in business education (e.g., AACSB).

Benefits

  • Health, dental, vision, life insurance
  • Retirement plan
  • Paid time off
  • Tuition waivers for employees and dependents
University of Illinois Chicago logo

University of Illinois Chicago

UIC is Chicago's largest university with more than 33,000 students, 12,000 employees, 16 colleges and a major public medical center.

Founded in 1965
Chicago, Illinois, USA
18K employees

Traffic Signals

Monthly Visitors
3.8M
Monthly Google Ads Budget
$207.9K
Traffic Source Mix
Search
43%
Direct
42.3%
Referral
11.5%
Social
0.8%
Paid
2.3%

Headcount Trend

Current headcount: ~17.9K

Marketing Team

Marketing Roles Posted (Last 30 Days)
2

Funding

Total Funding
$24M
Last Raise
$593K
Grant, 2 years ago

Funding History

  • Jun 2024
    Grant • $593K
  • Nov 2023
    Grant
  • May 2023
    Grant • $3M

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