Director of Communication and Marketing

Department

Crown Communications – Tonishea Jackson

About the Department

As one of the first schools of social work in the United States, the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice has shaped the field for more than 100 years. As part of the University of Chicago, the Crown Family School shares the University’s core values and distinctive intellectual culture. Crown Family School faculty, staff and students focus on identifying solutions to complex problems affecting society’s most marginalized individuals and communities through the integration of research, training, and direct community engagement. Guided by an interdisciplinary tradition, Crown Family School scholars conduct innovative research to address interconnected social challenges such as educational inequality, health disparities, crime and violence, poverty, and child and family welfare—working at multiple scales, from individual to policy-level interventions. The Crown Family School is the home of several academic centers. These include the Susan and Richard Kiphart Center for Global Health and Social Development, the Urban Education Institute (UEI), the Chicago Center for Youth Violence Prevention, the Center for Health Administration Studies, the Smart Decarceration Project, the Employment Instability, Family Well-being, and Social Policy Network (EINet), and the Network for College Success.

Today, our work has never been more important. More than 8,000 Crown Family School graduates in the US and globally hold leadership positions in academia, at nonprofits, and at governmental agencies – committed to create a more just and more humane society through principles of inclusion, equity, and diversity.

Job Summary

Under the leadership of the Associate Dean of Communications and Marketing, the Director will help to develop, communicate, and manage strategic outreach activities for the Crown Family, particularly across four critical areas: brand compliance, publications (digital and print), marketing, and targeted web and social media content.

This role requires thoughtful collaboration and impeccable judgment. The activities of the Communications and Marketing Department are designed to support institutional goals in all areas, including crisis comms, leadership comms, research, teaching, admissions, development, career placement, alumni engagement, and internal and external constituent engagement for offices, programs, and initiatives at Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. The Marketing and Communications team will support and amplify the Crown Family School’s reach and influence while strengthening its position as the top destination for the next generation of social workers, emerging policy leaders, scholars, and partners committed to advancing a more just and humane society. The position reports directly to the Associate Dean of Marketing and Communications and will serve as a key liaison and collaborator with vendors, freelancers, and University communication units.

Responsibilities

• In consultation with the Associate Dean, develops a cohesive branding and marketing strategy and works closely with faculty and Crown Family School offices, centers, programs, and initiatives to develop and implement best practices for disseminating materials and fulfilling institutional goals.
• Supervises communications and marketing projects with primary responsibility for serving clients’ needs, programs, and initiatives within Crown Family School.
• The Director will proactively coordinate updates and develop marketing content for the Crown Family School website and social media accounts while directing the work of the digital and social media strategist and empowering content managers within the Crown Family School.
• The Director will work with internal and external resources to develop communications, marketing materials, and publications.
• Ensures Crown Family School brand compliance and works to develop an updated, comprehensive branding guide for the Crown Family School community and partners.
• Manages Signature Crown Family School initiatives and annual projects such as annual reports, enrollment brochures, and annual handbooks and serves as a key liaison for the UChicago Creative team on Crown Family School marketing projects.
• Ideates new outreach efforts, partnerships, and series to help expand and amplify Crown Family School’s positive reputation within the social policy, media, academic spheres, and civic community.
• Works with the Associate Dean to lead integrated marketing efforts for recruitment, partnering with the Crown Family School’s Enrollment team to help drive successful outcomes.
• Serves as the Associate Dean’s key second-in-command as needed, providing another layer of expertise in all aspects of communications, including crisis communications and media engagement and strategy.
• Manages, plans, and oversees professional and support staff in developing communications policies, best practices, and metrics to track and evaluate efforts.
• Provides leadership and supervision of communications professional staff, including support staff and student employees.
• May manage the communications budget in consultation with the Associate Dean
• May participate in developing new products and services, and determining new markets. Acts as a resource for and trains lower-level marketing staff. May attend trade shows as needed.
• May assist managing relationships with external sales agencies.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Master’s Degree in journalism, English, communications, or related field.

Experience:

• Five to Seven years of communication experience in higher education, non-profit, marketing communications agency, or other relevant experience driving branding efforts.
• Working within an established brand environment but driving a newer brand.
• Digital marketing and driving marketing campaigns.
• Overseeing web content and working in communications in higher education or at another School of Social Work.
• Working in broadcast or print journalism is helpful.
• Photography, video, and/or graphic design is a plus.

Preferred Competencies

• Interview, brainstorm, and collaborate, putting quality over quantity and expedience.
• Demonstrated capacity for multi-tasking, with good political judgment and excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong critical thinking, problem-solving, and visioning acumen.
• Solutions-oriented with strong project management skills to effectively manage resources and execute multiple projects on time and within budget.
• Consistently identify opportunities for improvement and make recommendations based on analytics and observations.
• Proactively identify challenges and barriers to stated objectives and employ assistance in addressing them.
• Strong collaboration acumen and abilities.
• Demonstration of emotional intelligence and professional maturity.
• Innovate, think strategically and conceptually, with experience effectively advising senior leaders.
• Extreme high level of professionalism, discretion, sound and mature judgment, and collegiality.
• Proven success in developing collaborative relationships across diverse constituencies.
• Ability to calculate ROI for all marketing campaigns, establish KPIs and analyze large data sets.
• Familiarity with bulk email software, Salesforce, or other CRM platforms.
• Possess knowledge of Google and Google Ads.
• Strong project management and organizational skills and managing multiple priorities in a complex, decentralized environments are needed.
• Strong communication acumen, including written, oral, and listening skills.
• Keeps others informed, as well as responds promptly.
• Responds with tact, diplomacy, respect, and composure when dealing with others.
• Proficient and functional knowledge of M.S. Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Adobe Creative Suite, and Outlook).
• Knowledge of content management systems (e.g., Drupal, WordPress) to collaborate with colleagues in updating, curating, and managing digital content.

Working Conditions

• Occasional evening and/or weekend work Application Documents.

Application Documents

• Cover Letter (required)
• Three Professional References Contact Information (required)
• Writing Sample (required)

When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family

Communications

Role Impact

Individual Contributor

FLSA Status

Exempt

Pay Frequency

Monthly

Scheduled Weekly Hours

40

Benefits Eligible

Yes

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University’s Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Staff Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

We seek a diverse pool of applicants who wish to join an academic community that places the highest value on rigorous inquiry and encourages a diversity of perspectives, experiences, groups of individuals, and ideas to inform and stimulate intellectual challenge, engagement, and exchange.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

The University of Chicago’s Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at: http://securityreport.uchicago.edu. Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.

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