Assistant Vice President-Engagement

Position Summary

Assistant Vice President for Engagement, University Advancement
Michigan State University seeks an experienced, creative, and entrepreneurial leader for its Engagement team, integrating its marketing/communications, events, donor relations, and stewardship functions with a futuristic eye toward building a best-in-class experience for MSU's donors.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall strategic direction, including annual and long-term planning and budget management for the Engagement team.
• Serve as the primary liaison between the Engagement team and University Communications and Marketing, as well as other constituent development teams.
• Oversee the development and implementation of an integrated Engagement Plan that deploys strategies, tactics, and activities to optimize and unify the donor experience.
• Lead the development and implementation of comprehensive content, marketing, and communications strategies that map, segment, and prioritize the donor experience to maximize engagement and philanthropy with MSU.
• Conceptualize and execute initiatives that effectively reach and engage target audiences and elevate MSU’s reputation among potential and existing constituents, donors, alumni, and corporations.
• Develop and deploy effective messaging and content strategies to promote the university’s philanthropic and alumni engagement priorities and drive communication efforts consistent with those priorities.
• Coordinate messaging and strategies with senior leaders in University Advancement, including counterparts in the VPUA office, to ensure continuous alignment in voice, tone, and positioning for internal and external communications.
• Collaborate with fundraising and communications teams in the constituency units and with central University Communications and Marketing (UCAM) to ensure alignment, consistency, and donor-centeredness in alumni, donor, and campaign content and messaging.
• Ensure alignment with campaign and University Advancement marketing and communications strategies through proactive collaboration with campus partners.
• Provide regular updates and communications tools and participate in and lead internal and external meetings to foster connectedness in the strategies and work.
• Establish regular communications and training opportunities for UA staff on policies, procedures, processes, and best practices designed to support the optimal donor experience.
• Lead by example; foster a work environment that recognizes and rewards cross-functional collaboration and team-based efforts; celebrate current achievements; and set clear expectations for future success.
• Efficiently and effectively manage resources for events, stewardship, and communication production (editorial, design, video, and photo) to ensure a standard of excellence in delivering highly effective content within project scope; solve problems, make decisions, manage expectations, communicate effectively in difficult situations; escalate issues appropriately, and delegate actively to provide opportunities for leadership and professional growth within the team.
• Provide the structure and guidance necessary to promote a high-performance culture.
• Establish creativity and innovation as a value for the Engagement team and integrate it in performance expectations and reviews.
• Provide the structure and guidance necessary to promote a high-performance culture.

Qualifications

• A deep understanding of and commitment to an integrated advancement program.
• Experience in a complex major research university environment.
• Keen understanding of the dynamics and complexities that exist when working with a multitude of colleges, departments, and programs with varying priorities.
• Supervisory experience and exceptional interpersonal skills.
• Experience managing a large team with a focus on utilizing metrics, systems, and relationship building skills to maximize strategic engagement with donors.
• Experience leading marketing and communications initiatives within a fundraising organization, with preference for campaign communications in a higher education setting.
• Experience in public relations, reputation, and issues management.
• Experience leveraging donor data from a CRM system to drive engagement strategy.
• Significant skills or familiarity with publication production, video production, advertising, graphic design, social media, communications analytics, event production, donor impact reporting, and web design.
• Experience in the delivery of visual and graphic content and presentations.
• Demonstrated creativity in developing stewardship, events, and/or communications concepts.
• Experience building and sustaining strong relationships with staff, donors, faculty, volunteers, and academic leadership is imperative; ability to develop sincere, productive relationships and to build trust both with internal colleagues and external constituencies is a must.
• Experience in fostering a positive team culture and environment.
• Clear and effective written and oral communication and presentation skills, including with individual and large groups.
• Strategic and analytical thinking, project management, and problem-solving skills, sound judgment, and ability to address, manage, and resolve issues and problems in an effective manner.
• Flexible and adaptable style to align with evolving expectations that maximize opportunities for donor and alumni engagement.
• A leader who can positively impact both strategic and tactical fundraising initiatives.
• Strong organizational, analytical, and time management skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Application and demonstration of strong editorial judgement.