Director of Marketing and Communications

About the role

The Director of Marketing and Communications is a strategic and hands-on “working director” responsible for leading and executing the college’s integrated marketing, communications, branding, digital presence, and public relations efforts. Reporting to the Dean of Enrollment Management, the Director provides institutional leadership while actively managing day-to-day marketing operations, creative production, content development, web oversight, and campaign execution.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the steward of the Mitchell College brand, ensuring consistent, mission-aligned messaging and visual identity across all platforms and audiences.
• Collaborate extensively with Academic Affairs, Admissions, Advancement, Athletics, Alumni Relations, Enrollment Service, Human Resources, Student Affairs, Thames at Mitchell College, and other campus departments to support institutional priorities, enrollment goals, community engagement, and strategic initiatives.
• Supervise the Communications Specialist, manage external vendors and agency partners, oversee the marketing budget, and serve as the primary point of contact for institutional marketing, communications, social media, advertising, web, photography, and creative requests.
• Support the development and promotion of new academic and institutional initiatives through market-informed strategy and messaging.
• Work closely with Advancement, Alumni Relations, and the President’s Office to strengthen alumni affinity, donor engagement, and community partnerships.
• Support executive communications and presidential messaging, including speeches, letters, presentations, newsletters, and strategic communications initiatives.
• Oversee the strategy, content, design, and user experience of the college website and related digital platforms.
• Manage incoming web requests and personally execute or coordinate substantive website updates, content changes, and design improvements.
• Lead institutional social media strategy and governance, including oversight of official college accounts, user permissions, and brand alignment across departments.
• Develop and execute advertising campaigns across print, digital, video, audio, and social platforms, including media planning and vendor negotiations.
• Direct and support photography and video production, including planning shoots, developing scripts/storyboards, and managing freelancers and student contributors.
• Ensure timely, accurate, and mission-aligned communications to students, employees, alumni, donors, community partners, and external audiences.
• Conduct annual assessments of brand consistency, website effectiveness, media coverage, and competitive positioning, presenting recommendations to senior leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Graphic Design, or related field, or equivalent combination of education and professional experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in marketing, communications, branding, or creative services, preferably within higher education, nonprofit, agency, or mission-driven organizations.
• Demonstrated success developing and executing strategic marketing and communications initiatives while also performing hands-on creative and operational work.
• Strong experience in graphic design and content production using Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator) for print and digital applications.
• Experience managing websites and CMS platforms, including WordPress, Modern Campus, and higher education web best practices.
• Excellent writing, editing, storytelling, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Experience managing budgets, vendors, projects, and competing priorities in a deadline-driven environment.
• Knowledge of social media strategy, digital advertising, branding, photography, and video production workflows.
• Collaborative leadership style with strong customer service orientation and ability to work effectively across departments and organizational levels.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and enterprise collaboration tools including Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive.