Marketing and Communications Manager - School of Art - College of Fine Arts

About the role

The School of Art seeks a Marketing and Communications Manager to lead all aspects of internal and external communication initiatives relating to its undergraduate and graduate programs, public lectures, alumni news, faculty and staff activities, and ongoing special projects. This person will develop and distribute digital and print materials and oversee the school’s digital newsletter, website updates and maintenance, and internal communications with approximately 25 full-time faculty, 15 staff, and over 200 students.

Core Responsibilities

• Works closely with the Head of School, Associate Head of School, and other staff to identify and complete all needs related to internal and external communication.
• Develops and manages School of Art website content, including writing news stories, alumni features, and other stories; responsible for ongoing maintenance and updates to the website, including managing outside contractors as necessary.
• Responsible for marketing the school’s public programming, including the development and oversight of digital and print promotional materials related to the Visiting Artist Lecture Series, and their distribution.
• In collaboration with the Director of Undergraduate Admission and Enrollment, the MFA Program Associate Director, and the Pre-College Art Program Director, develops and implements strategic marketing plans tailored to undergraduate, graduate, and pre-college student recruitment.
• Generates the school’s digital newsletter, received by students, faculty, staff, alumni, supporters, and other community members.
• Manages, generates, and monitors content for social media platforms.
• Collaborates with CMU Advancement teams on events, fundraising campaigns, and other projects as assigned.
• Works with students to build materials for and promote student-led events and exhibitions.
• Acts as a central point of contact and distribution for internal communications to the school community.
• Contributes to the planning and execution of external-facing events, such as opening receptions and alumni gatherings.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years academic and/or non-profit communications, PR, and marketing experience preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to think creatively, generate new insights and initiatives, and problem solve.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and outstanding grammar.
• Experience writing marketing copy such as press releases, artist profiles, community news items, or other written content regarding activities within a university and/or non-profit arts institution.
• Experience leading branded social media platforms.
• Proven ability to be self-directed and to prioritize, multi-task, and meet deadlines.
• Ability to measure and analyze effectiveness of marketing campaigns and shift strategy based on performance data and insights.
• Equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.

Preferred Qualifications

• Solid understanding of website content management systems (WordPress, HTML/C