Director of Brand Marketing, Division of Communications and Marketing - UT System Administration

About the Role

The Director of Brand Marketing serves in a leadership position within the UT System Division of Communications and Marketing and plays a key role in advancing the mission and statewide impact of the University of Tennessee through strategic marketing and brand leadership. Reporting to the Associate Vice President for Communications and Marketing, this position supports the development and implementation of marketing strategies and initiatives that increase awareness, understanding, and affinity for the UT System among key audiences.

The Director provides leadership and coordination across marketing functions including brand strategy and management; research and analytics; content marketing; web and digital strategy and user experience; creative services; and marketing operations. Working collaboratively with division leadership, colleagues, and external partners, the Director translates research findings, audience insights, and institutional priorities into creative, digital, and content marketing strategies that support goals. The Director serves as a steward of the UT System brand and provides leadership and mentorship to marketing staff.

The University of Tennessee System is the state’s oldest higher education institution and preeminent public university, comprised of campuses at Knoxville, Chattanooga, Pulaski, and Martin; the Health Science Center at Memphis; and the statewide Institute of Agriculture and Institute for Public Service. With a presence in each of Tennessee’s 95 counties, the University serves students, business and industry, schools, governments, organizations, and residents statewide.

Responsibilities

• Guide the development and ongoing evolution of the UT System's brand positioning, framework, and value proposition.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen brand identity and personification, ensuring increased consistency and visibility across all marketing channels and touchpoints.
• Support division leadership and colleagues in establishing overall marketing and communications goals, defining objectives, and measuring success.
• Support the Associate Vice President in development, implementation, and optimization of integrated marketing campaigns and initiatives.
• Lead the development of audience-centered creative, digital, and content marketing initiatives that improve stakeholder engagement across all marketing channels.
• Monitor emerging trends and best practices in marketing, branding, and audience engagement; propose, test, and adopt opportunities for innovation and continuous improvement.
• Support the Associate Vice President in conducting and analyzing brand awareness, perception, and audience research; translate findings into actionable strategies.
• Oversee integrated reporting to incorporate goals and monitor and communicate progress to colleagues and university leadership.
• Drive utilization of channel-specific analytics and performance data to evaluate effectiveness and recommend improvements.
• Provide leadership and supervision across web and digital strategy, creative services, and graphic design functions.
• Establish goals, priorities, and expectations for assigned staff and ensure alignment with divisional and institutional objectives.
• Coordinate workflow, resource allocation, and project priorities across assigned marketing functions.
• Develop and implement processes, tools, and standards that improve efficiency, collaboration, and operational effectiveness.
• Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, continuous improvement, and audience-centered thinking.
• Support professional growth, coaching, and development opportunities for staff.
• Support day-to-day trademark licensing responsibilities for UT Chattanooga, UT Southern, UT Martin, and the UT Health Science Center, including artwork approvals, licensing education, vendor relations, and marketplace monitoring.
• Support revenue-generating marketing activities, including advertising sales and sponsorship opportunities for university publications and other initiatives.
• Provide strategic marketing writing and editing support for campaigns, digital content, and other high-priority initiatives as needed.
• Serve as a liaison with external agencies, vendors, freelancers, and other partners to support marketing objectives and project execution.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree and four years of relevant, progressively responsible experience, or an equivalent combination of training, education, and experience.
• Understanding of, appreciation for, and commitment to the Be One UT values.
• Uncompromised integrity and ethics.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to use data to improve marketing effectiveness.
• Minimum of 7 years of professional experience in marketing, branding, communications, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience supervising, coaching, and developing professional staff, including establishing goals, managing performance, and fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
• Demonstrated success in brand management, marketing strategy, campaign development, and audience engagement initiatives.
• Advanced knowledge of audience-centered marketing strategies and techniques, including digital marketing, content marketing, and audience engagement.
• Strong understanding of brand awareness, perception, and audience research methodologies and the ability to translate findings into actionable strategies.
• Strong understanding of digital marketing, website strategy, user experience principles, and marketing analytics.
• Demonstrated ability to develop, implement, and optimize integrated marketing campaigns across multiple channels.
• Demonstrated ability to establish goals, measure performance, and use data to improve marketing effectiveness.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and coordinate complex projects involving multiple stakeholders.
• Ability to guide and mentor creative, digital, and marketing professionals while fostering innovation, collaboration, and accountability.
• Excellent project management, organizational, and prioritization skills.
• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Demonstrated proficiency in clear, concise writing and editing, including adherence to AP Style.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain productive relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to act professionally and represent the division in interactions with senior leaders, campus partners, vendors, and external organizations.
• Demonstrated ability to serve as a knowledgeable resource to leadership and provide sound professional judgment.
• Demonstrated ability to lead enterprise-wide initiatives across complex organizations and build consensus among diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to practice a high level of confidentiality.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree.
• Experience in higher education, public service, or other mission-driven organizations.
• Experience leading brand strategy, brand evolution, or brand positioning initiatives.
• Experience conducting, interpreting, or applying quantitative and qualitative research to marketing strategies.
• Experience with agency, vendor, and freelance relationships.
• Experience with website strategy, content management systems, and user experience optimization.
• Knowledge of digital accessibility requirements (ADA Title II compliance).
• Experience using analytics and reporting platforms such as Google Analytics 4, social media analytics, and marketing performance dashboards.
• Experience with paid advertising, audience targeting, and campaign measurement.
• Experience with brand governance and enterprise brand architecture.
• Experience supervising professional staff and leading multidisciplinary teams.

Benefits

The University offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, and much more. Additionally, Tennessee residents do not pay a state income tax. For more information on the University of Tennessee benefits, visit https://hr.tennessee.edu/benefits/.

Pay

Compensation for the position is budgeted for $90,000 to $100,000.