Senior Director of Communications, Darden School of Business

Albemarle County, VA (On-site)

Salary Not AvailableDirector/ExecutiveFull time

Posted 5 months ago

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Job Summary

Lead Darden’s global communications strategy and media program to elevate the institution, unify editorial standards, and manage reputation across platforms.

  • Must-have: 8+ years in senior communications roles with crisis management experience.
  • Standout: Experience leading editorial platforms and collaborating with university leadership.

Job Description

Responsibilities

  • Develop and execute an integrated communications strategy aligned with Darden’s strategic priorities.
  • Lead the strategic elevation of Darden’s global thought leadership platform.
  • Establish institutional messaging frameworks and editorial standards to ensure brand consistency and clarity.
  • Partner with senior leadership to articulate and advance core institutional narrative.
  • Monitor industry trends and emerging platforms to continuously strengthen reach, engagement, and impact.
  • Oversee Darden’s flagship publications, including The Darden Report (news) and Darden Ideas to Action (thought leadership).
  • Lead the strategic integration of these platforms into a unified, digital-first content ecosystem centered on a centralized content hub.
  • Develop and maintain an editorial strategy and calendar aligned with institutional priorities.
  • Oversee the creation of high-quality content across web, social media, multimedia, newsletters, and executive communications.
  • Collaborate with faculty, students, and staff to showcase research, expertise, and impact.

Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree with 8+ years relevant professional experience, to include 3+ years of formal managerial experience required.

Nice To Have

  • Experience in higher education or nonprofit communications preferred.
  • Experience in executive communications, including speeches, presentations, white papers, and opinion essays preferred.
  • Experience supervising freelance and staff writers, designers, photographers, videographers, and social media professionals preferred.
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University of Virginia

The University of Virginia was founded in 1819 as the model for modern universities that has since been emulated all over the world. After 200 years, this iconic institution of higher learning endures because it is fully immersed in meeting the greatest challenges of our time, day in and day out. It’s how we fulfill our animating purpose – to serve. UVA is Virginia’s flagship institution of higher learning, perennially ranked as one of the best public universities in the nation. Having the best public college financial aid package and the highest graduation rate in the nation, UVA offers a life-changing return on investment for students from all backgrounds. We promote access so a meritocracy of talent can participate in shaping our society. The revolutionary vision of an Academical Village has evolved to 12 Schools, each providing leadership in its field and attracting world-class talent. The University is the largest employer in the region and is a catalyst for growth across the Commonwealth, generating an annual economic impact of $5.9 billion. Ultimately, we prepare students to be citizen-leaders who themselves are guided by empathy, integrity, and truth. We believe that doing what you do best, for the benefit of others, is where greatness comes from. Which is why, at the University of Virginia, we strive to be great and good in all we do. #GreatandGood #UVA

Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
16K employees (799 in marketing)

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Traffic Source Mix
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50.9%
Referral
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Social
0.8%
Paid
0.5%

Headcount Trend

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