Executive Director, Marketing & Communications ARD

Responsibilities

• Lead Marketing and Communications for Alumni Engagement, Donor Engagement, Volunteer Engagement, Annual Giving, and Events
• Work with the Senior Associate Vice President, Marketing and Communications to develop strategies and campaigns to engage and motivate alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff, donors and volunteers, and inspire meaningful philanthropic support from the global Northwestern community
• Serve as the marketing and communications liaison with multiple teams within Alumni Relations and Development
• Collaborate with colleagues within ARD to determine the communication strategies for motivating outright and planned gifts at the major and principal gift levels from alumni and other constituents
• Partner with the Senior Associate Vice President, Marketing and Communications to develop and implement brand and communications strategies for the University’s comprehensive fundraising campaign and other formal fundraising campaigns
• Stay updated on trends and best practices in client areas
• Use a data-driven approach to identify audience segments, and develop communications objectives and strategies, to optimize the development and distribution of content, with the goal of advancing alumni engagement and inspiring philanthropic giving
• Serve as editor-in-chief and collaborate across functions and departments to direct the development of captivating content reflecting the Northwestern University brand and strategic priorities
• Develop a comprehensive messaging strategy for Northwestern’s alumni engagement and fundraising enterprise
• Provide editorial guidance and drive the overarching vision for content across paid, earned, shared and owned channels, including digital, print, internal, external, and issues management and media relations

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required
• At least 15 years of progressively responsible experience in strategic marketing and/or communications
• Proven success in higher education marketing and/or nonprofit marketing
• Advanced experience in developing strategic and comprehensive marketing and communications plans and related content, and executing against those plans to achieve goals and objectives on schedule
• Broad experience in content strategy, digital marketing and communications, and media relations
• At least five years of experience supervising professional staff in the marketing and/or communications areas

Preferred

• Advanced degree in marketing or communications
• Higher education experience
• Understanding of the Northwestern alumni and donor population

Benefits

• At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful and competitive benefits. The available benefits package for this position will include health, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance; paid vacation and holidays; paid medical/sick and parental leave; tuition benefits for the employee and dependents; pre-tax and flex spending accounts for commuting and dependent care; generous retirement savings options; and wellness programs. For a comprehensive overview of available benefits, including eligibility details, visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.