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.
• Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.
• According to Executive Order No. GA-48 of the State of Texas: for all positions that research, work on, or have access to critical infrastructure as defined in Section 117.001(2), Business and Commerce Code, it is required that both candidates for employment and employees have the ability to maintain the security or integrity of the infrastructure.

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.