Director of University Advancement Marketing, Communications and Engagement

Central Washington University is recruiting a Director of Marketing, Communications and Engagement to join our University Advancement team in Ellensburg, Washington or Seattle, Washington. This role is an important member of our team as they enhance the vision for the University. The role is a campus-based position and telework eligible, which means you get to see the lives you are impacting. We're offering a salary, depending on experience, from $83,573 - $95,512 annually plus the awesome CWU benefits.

Who we are:

We are a team of individuals committed to Changing Students' Lives. No matter what job, each of us plays a part in supporting and empowering our students to fulfill their dreams.

Working in higher education provides career growth and career choice. Think of a university campus like a mini city, operating across 380 acres. You'll find diverse academics, libraries, athletics and sporting events, full service and quick serve dining, conferences and events from small to large, recreation centers, housing, health services, police and public safety for the campus population of ~10,000 students.

Central Washington University has been named a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program Top Producing Institution for the 2022-2023 academic year. In addition, for the seventh time in eight years, CWU is a recipient of the prestigious Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. Come join us on our journey to encourage, inspire, and create spaces where all identities thrive on campus.

Tour our campus in Ellensburg here. www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjdhOegDa9A

What we offer:

Our investment in you begins the day you join our team, a healthy and successful future for you is important to us. We offer medical, dental, life and disability insurance, retirement and optional savings plans, tuition assistance for you and your dependents, discounts across town, an employee assistance program for individualized counseling, and a wellness incentive program. Learn more: Benefits, Perks, and Leave.

The Role:

The Director of UA Marketing, Communications and Engagement will lead efforts in building and enhancing CWU's visibility among target audiences and audience engagement in support of the university's ambitious fundraising initiatives. This position is responsible for developing multifaceted, creative, modern, timely and insightful campaigns that supports engagement within alumni relations and fundraising. Reporting to the Associate Vice President for Engagement, the director of Marketing, Communication and Engagement will be responsible for overseeing the successful execution and refinement of a comprehensive marketing and communication strategy aimed at advancing CWU's mission, engaging key stakeholders, and driving philanthropic support. This position oversees the UA Marketing and Communications team, consisting of content developer, lead graphic designer, marketing manager, coordinator and student employees. All employees are expected to support CWU's commitment to diversity and to bring and support inclusion into the university environment.

Strategic Marketing and Communication:
- Strategic Leadership: Lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of a comprehensive advancement marketing and communication strategy. This strategy will support institutional objectives - such as fundraising, alumni relations, and donor engagement - while preparing the organization for, and execution of, a multi-year philanthropic campaign.
- Brand Positioning: Oversee CWU Advancement's and CWU campaign brand strategy to ensure consistency across all channels and engagements. Position the institution effectively within the advancement space to enhance its reputation and visibility.
- Campaigns Planning & Execution: Develop integrated marketing and communication plans to support fundraising and stewardship campaigns, donor engagement programs, and alumni relations initiatives. Measure the effectiveness of campaigns and make data-driven adjustments.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Cultivate relationships with key internal stakeholders, including academic and administrative leadership, faculty, alumni, and development officers, to ensure alignment in communication strategies and a unified advancement message.
- Media Relations & Public Relations: Partner with university strategic communication and marketing team on media strategies, including drafting story pitches and/or news releases.
- Analytics & Reporting: Track and analyze marketing and communication metrics to measure the success of initiatives. Provide regular reports and recommendations to senior leadership on the impact of advancement campaigns and communications efforts.
- Drive and manage key vendor relationships pertaining to creative development in collaboration with other UA leadership team members.

Creative Development and Management:
- Channels Strategy: Develop and oversee an audience-driven integrated channels strategy, including website, direct mail, email and digital marketing efforts, social media, and event/video messaging. Drive engagement through story-forward creative content that enhances the donor and alumni experience and bring CWU's vision and impact to life.
- Storytelling & Content Creation: Lead the ideation, selection, and creation of compelling content for multiple functions (including newsletters, annual reports, videos, social media posts, etc.) that illustrates the institution's impact, successes, and culture of philanthropy. Engage donors, alumni, and other stakeholders to deepen their relationships with CWU through these narratives.
- Manage University Advancement's online presence and voice through digital platforms, focusing on alumni and donor engagement and appropriate promotion of the university.
- Develop foundational materials to support university comprehensive campaign based on strategic communications plan.
- Manage the creative development, production, execution, and analysis of materials, including but not limited to fund solicitation materials, publications, annual reports, meeting visuals, newsletters, e-newsletters, emails, websites, social media sites, brochures, proposals, digital and other marketing materials, proactive and reactive media, and scripts for outreach.

Supervisor Duties:
- Actively engage in recruitment and hiring new employees.
- Clearly define performance expectations, ensure accountability, and provide ongoing informal feedback, coaching, and mentoring. Conduct formal performance evaluations.
- Ensure employees have necessary resources.
- Oversee and direct the work of staff; serve as mentor, coach, and leader, and resolve complaints or issues.
- Promote professional development opportunities.
- Develop and foster supportive working relationships, motivation and engagement.
- Communicate information to staff on an ongoing basis to influence staff. engagement and to be a part of a larger community.
- Take corrective action in a timely manner.
- Recognize and reward employees for good performance.
- Schedule employee work hours/shifts; monitor hours worked; approve payable time and absence requests.
- Adjust leadership style as needed to achieve results.
- Recognize value of and promote a diverse workforce. Value and encourage diverse perspectives, creativity, and teamwork.

- Perform other duties as assigned.

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, public relations, or a related field plus 4+ years of experience in marketing, communications, or public relations, with at least 3 years in a leadership or management role.
• Proven experience in higher education or nonprofit fundraising or similar experience will also be considered.
• Expertise in data-informed audience engagement, multi-channel strategy development, strategic storytelling and content creation.
• Leadership experience managing organizational publications.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire and manage a team.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to craft compelling messages for a variety of audiences.
• Strong project management skills, including the ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.
• Experience with marketing automation tools, CRM systems (e.g., Raiser's Edge), and analytics platforms.
• Creative, strategic thinker with a track record of successful audience engagement campaigns.
• Ability to collaborate across departments and work effectively with senior leadership.
• Demonstrated ability and/or experience working with students and/or co-workers from a wide range of abilities, backgrounds and experiences.
• OR applicable combination of education and/or experience which demonstrates the ability to perform the essential functions of the position.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in marketing, communications, journalism, business, or related field.
• University Advancement and/or alumni relations communication/marketing experience.
• Experience managing marketing and communication for multiyear campaigns in private or public sector, especially alumni and donor engagement programs within a higher education setting.
• Demonstrated expertise in one or more the following technical areas: writing/editing, design, online/multimedia communications (i.e. web, email, video, photography, social media).
• Life experiences that demonstrate an ability to contribute to CWU's commitment to inclusion and diversity.
• Demonstrated commitment to improving access to higher education for students through various activities.

Competencies

• Accountability/Dependability: Accepts responsibility for quality of own work; acknowledges and corrects mistakes. Shows up on time, meets standards, deadlines and work schedules.
• Judgement: Makes timely, informed decisions. Analyzes options and determines appropriate course of action.
• Teamwork: Promotes cooperation and mutual support to achieve goals. Encourages participation and mutual support.
• Adaptability/Flexibility: Responds positively to changing business needs and responsibilities. Adapts approach and methods to achieve results; recovers quickly from setbacks and finds alternatives.
• Commitment to Diversity: Recognizes the value of diversity and helps create environment that supports and embraces diversity.

Don't meet every single requirement? At CWU we're dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with every requirement, we encourage you to apply anyway. This may be the job for you!

Salary: This position has a minimum annual salary of $71,634 and maximum annual salary of $107,451. The Hiring Department's expected hiring range is $83,573 - $95,512. In accordance with RCW 49.58.110, the above salary reflects the full salary range for this position. Individual placement within the hiring range is based on the candidate's current experience, education, skills, and abilities related to the position.

Eligible employees may receive a five percent (5%) premium pay if assigned to a permanent duty station in King County, Washington.

Schedule/Appointment: Monday - Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm (1 hour lunch) / May be based out of Ellensburg, WA or Seattle, WA / This position is telework eligible and details will be discussed at the time of hire

Working Conditions: Work is performed in an indoor office setting with frequent in-person interactions. It is essential to be able to remain at a desk/computer workstation for prolonged periods of time, perform extensive data entry and other computer-related tasks and create/maintain filing systems for departmental records. Some evening or weekend work and/or occasional travel may be required.

Benefits: CWU offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical and dental insurance, retirement and optional savings plans, life and disability insurance, along with vacation and sick leave plans depending on employment classification. For additional information please visit Benefits, Perks, and Leave.

An employee of CWU may be eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program if the employee has student loans. To learn more, visit: https://ofm.wa.gov/state-human-resources/public-service-loan-forgiveness-program.