Director of Marketing & Communications

About the Organization

The American Song Archives (ASA) in Tulsa, Oklahoma is the home of the archives of Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Cynthia Gooding, and many other archival and library collections. The ASA welcomes visitors from around the world to the Woody Guthrie Center and Bob Dylan Center—located in Tulsa’s vibrant Arts District and adjacent to the historic Greenwood District—and hosts academics and writers who utilize the archives for research.

Position Purpose

The Director of Marketing & Communications (MarCom) provides strategic leadership, vision, and oversight for all marketing, communications, audience engagement, education, merchandising, and brand initiatives for the American Song Archives. This position maximizes awareness and revenue for the organization externally while internally leading teams, managing internal communications, and uniting people across the organization to maintain strategic initiatives. The role plays a critical leadership part in connecting audiences to the center’s collections, stories, educational programs, and mission through strategic communications, creative storytelling, and innovative audience engagement. This position reports to the Managing Director.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership & Organizational Management
  • Oversee strategic organization initiatives from ideation through execution, collaborating with the managing director, George Kaiser Family Foundation® (GKFF) leadership, and the executive team.
  • Review, design, and execute improvements to organizational structure; identify knowledge and skills gaps and address them.
  • Improve current processes and optimize organizational procedures for efficiency and productivity.
  • Develop and execute comprehensive marketing, communications, branding, and audience development strategies aligned with the museum's mission and strategic plan.
  • Position the center and archive as a premier destination for music education, preservation, scholarship, and public engagement.
  • Establish annual goals, budgets, key performance indicators, and audience growth strategies.
  • Serve as a member of the senior leadership team, contributing to organizational planning and decision-making.
• Brand & Communications Strategy
  • Ensure consistent brand standards and messaging across all platforms and public-facing initiatives.
  • Act as steward of the Woody Guthrie Center and Bob Dylan Center brands, enforcing brand guidelines and standards.
  • Develop compelling storytelling strategies that highlight collections, archives, educational impact, and community engagement.
  • Oversee media relations, public relations, crisis communications, and reputation management with an external PR team.
  • Serve as a spokesperson and representative of the museum when appropriate.
• Digital Media & Campaigns
  • Lead the media ecosystem, including website and SEO initiatives, and manage team members who plan and execute email marketing, social media, and paid media to drive engagement, education, and activism.
  • Evaluate the current paid media approach, agency partners, and campaign performance; recommend improvements and explore new paid media opportunities.
  • Deliver effective creative briefs and requests to external designers to develop compelling creative executions for the centers.
  • Plan and execute campaigns to build awareness and drive engagement among target audiences, including strong calls to action for key initiatives (admission, membership, shop).
  • Strategize with the team on social media, email, and website plans using audience data to identify lookalikes and expand the audience.
• Audience Development & Engagement
  • Leverage internal and external market research to attract visitors to the centers.
  • Identify and grow target audiences through data-driven marketing strategies.
  • Expand community engagement through innovative outreach programs and partnerships.
  • Develop initiatives that increase visitation, membership, donor engagement, and online participation.
  • Utilize audience research and analytics to inform marketing decisions and improve visitor experiences.
• Data, Analytics & Performance
  • Analyze and share performance data, key learnings, and follower insights.
  • Leverage analytics to evaluate campaign performance and optimize marketing investments.
  • Monitor ROI and performance metrics across campaigns and programs.
• Budget & Resource Management
  • Develop and manage departmental budgets.
  • Allocate resources effectively across marketing, communications, education, and digital initiatives.
  • Ensure efficient use of internal and external resources.
• Team & People Leadership
  • Manage agency partners; facilitate revenue growth and professional development of teams through direction, meaningful work, and feedback.
  • Foster a collaborative, creative, and high-performing team culture.
  • Mentor and develop staff through coaching, performance management, and professional growth opportunities.
  • Coordinate cross-departmental initiatives to ensure integrated messaging and audience experiences.
  • Build solid long-term relationships with key stakeholders inside and outside the organization.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Education & Experience
  • M.B.A. with a relevant concentration.
  • A minimum of ten years of relevant work experience in a professional environment.
  • Demonstrated experience managing multidisciplinary teams and creative professionals.
  • Proven success developing integrated marketing and communications strategies.
  • Strong knowledge of digital marketing, social media, content strategy, advertising, and analytics.
  • Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.
  • Experience managing budgets and complex projects.
• Skills & Abilities
  • Strong sense of accountability, with a demonstrated ability to follow through and meet deadlines.
  • Ability to take initiative and manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously.
  • Skilled communicator with an understanding of audience, style, and digital engagement strategies.
  • Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a flexible, collaborative team environment with a dynamic range of events and people.
  • Strong knowledge of Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and digital advertising platforms.
• Preferred
  • Familiarity with graphic design and Adobe Creative Suite.
  • Experience within museums, archives, cultural institutions, performing arts organizations, music organizations, or nonprofit environments.
  • Knowledge of music history, archival collections, and cultural heritage preservation.
  • Experience with membership, fundraising, and donor communications.
  • Familiarity with center audience development and visitor engagement strategies.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to stand for prolonged periods of time.
• Ability to lift up to 30 lbs.

Schedule

This is a full-time, in-person position. Regular work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., based in Tulsa, OK at the American Song Archives offices. Flexibility to work evenings and weekends as needed for events, programs, exhibitions, and special initiatives. Ability to travel may be required.

Benefits

• 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and long-term disability for full-time employees (option to add vision and dependents).
• 401K employee and employer contributions.
• Paid time off to support employees while out of the office.
• Paid holidays.
• Employer-paid AD&D life insurance, with employee options to add supplemental life insurance.