Senior Principal, Development Marketing and Communications

Responsibilities

• Sets integrated philanthropic communications strategy supporting Development and the institution’s highest-priority philanthropic objectives, transformational gifts and major campaigns within priorities established by institutional and Development leadership.
• - Serves as the principal Marketing and Communications adviser to the chief development officer and Development leaders; independently translates approved philanthropic and fundraising priorities into communications objectives, audience strategies, message architecture, channel plans, governance and implementation requirements.
• - Establishes annual and multiyear communications strategies, portfolio roadmaps and editorial calendars aligned with enterprise priorities, institutional narratives, campaign phases and available Marketing and Communications capacity.
• - Creates decision frameworks that integrate philanthropic priorities, audience needs, donor relationships, confidentiality, recognition obligations, public transparency, institutional voice and reputational considerations across channels.
• - Determines communications portfolio priorities, sequencing, resource requirements and delivery approaches within approved institutional and fundraising priorities; recommends communications investments and capacity allocations as conditions, opportunities or risks change.
• - Leads communications strategy and message architecture for major philanthropic campaigns and initiatives within fundraising strategy established by Development and institutional leadership.
• - Anticipates emerging communications needs and evaluates donor, stakeholder, media, legal, brand and reputational implications; determines the appropriate response, consultation and escalation pathway.
• - Determines which needs can be addressed directly and which require specialized Marketing and Communications expertise, executive review, legal counsel, University communications coordination or external capacity.
• - Creates new communications approaches, standards and solutions for unprecedented Development communications challenges and exercises complete latitude for institutional communications decisions within the approved portfolio, institutional policy and delegated authority.
• - Architects and directs integrated institutional communications initiatives for donor, prospective-donor and public audiences across web, email, social media, presentations, publications, media and other institutional channels.

Requirements

• Requires a Bachelor's Degree in communications, marketing, public relations, journalism or a related field with at least 10 year(s) of experience in marketing, communications, public relations, content strategy or a related discipline, including substantial responsibility for enterprise, philanthropic or comparably complex institutional communications.
• - Demonstrated experience leading major philanthropic or comparably complex institutional communications campaigns, including strategy development, cross-disciplinary delivery, governance, executive consultation and performance evaluation.
• - Experience advising executive leaders on sensitive, high-profile or reputationally significant communications and independently framing options, risks and recommended approaches.
• - Experience directing multidisciplinary work across organizational boundaries, establishing standards and decision rights, and resolving competing priorities without direct authority.
• - Demonstrated ability to translate complex clinical, scientific, research, education or academic priorities for philanthropic and public audiences.

Preferred

• Bachelor's Degree in communications, marketing, public relations, journalism or a related field with at least 10 year(s) of experience in leading advancement or philanthropic communications in academic medicine, health care, higher education or another complex mission-driven institution.
• - Experience developing campaign communications strategies, broad cases for support, philanthropic message platforms, gift announcements, donor publications or impact communications.
• - Experience serving as a marketing and communications adviser within an organization that includes Development writers, fundraising professionals and specialized communications functions.
• - Experience advising senior leaders and managing sensitive, confidential or high-profile communications involving donors, gifts or institutional priorities.
• - Experience coordinating communications across multiple organizational entities, audiences, brands or approval structures.
• - Experience developing communications budgets, evaluating external providers and monitoring project expenditures and deliverables.
• - Experience with web content management systems, email marketing and marketing automation platforms, social media management tools, analytics platforms and project-management systems.
• - Familiarity with The University of Texas at Austin and the Central Texas health care and philanthropic environment.