Senior Director of Marketing & Communications

Position Summary

The Sr. Director of Marketing & Communications is the leadership role responsible for building and driving the integrated brand voice, marketing strategy, and public narrative of the organization. This leader oversees three high-impact functions — Marketing Communications, Creative Services, and Public Relations — and serves as the connective tissue between storytelling, brand, reputation and overall communications.

Responsibilities

• Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, develop, and inspire a team of directors and staff across Marketing Communications, Creative Services, and Public Relations
• Establish clear performance standards - provide regular coaching, and cultivate a high-accountability, high-creativity team culture
• Manage hiring, onboarding, professional development, and succession planning across all three functions
• Foster cross-departmental collaboration and serve as a key liaison to organizational leadership

• Integrated Marketing & Communications Strategies

• Develop and execute an annual integrated marketing and communications strategy aligned to organizational goals and audience priorities
• Lead campaign planning across paid, earned, owned, and shared channels with clear KPIs and ROI accountability
• Oversee media planning and buying strategy, ensuring cost-effective reach and frequency across digital, print, out-of-home, and broadcast
• Align Marketing Communications with Events, Membership, Sales, and Experience teams to ensure consistent messaging at every guest touchpoint
• Lead agency reviews, RFP processes, scoping, contracting, and ongoing performance management
• Ensure agency output reflects organizational priorities and brand standards while delivering measurable business outcomes

• Brand & Creative Oversight

• Champion the organization's brand identity across all channels, ensuring consistency in voice, visual language, and positioning
• Oversee Creative Services to deliver high-quality assets on time and within budget, from campaign creative to environmental and digital design
• Partner with the Director of Creative Services to build scalable production workflows and maintain creative standards
• Guide brand evolution and refresh initiatives in response to organizational strategy and market shifts

• Public Relations & Media Strategy

• Partner with the Director of Public Relations to lead all earned media strategy, press relations, and crisis communications in partnership with communications leadership
• Ensure PR team is cultivating and maintaining key media relationships across local, regional, and national outlets
• Oversee executive communications, spokesperson preparation, and message platform development
• Support crisis communications protocols where needed.
• Assist Director of Public Relations with Management of PR agency relationships, retainers, and deliverables with a results-oriented lens

• Budget & Financial Management

• Help develop, manage, and report on an annual marketing and communications budget spanning all three departments
• Drive fiscal discipline through rigorous budget tracking, forecasting, and reallocation processes
• Identify efficiencies and cost savings without sacrificing quality or strategic impact
• Partner with Finance to align marketing investment to organizational revenue and attendance targets

• Marketing Technology & Data

• Oversee the marketing technology stack including but not limited to email platforms, marketing automation, social media management, and analytics tools
• Champion data-driven decision-making by establishing dashboards, attribution frameworks, and regular performance reporting in partnership with data teams
• Identify and evaluate emerging MarTech and AI tools to increase efficiency and competitive advantage while best keeping these aligned with our mission
• Partner with the Insights/Data team to translate audience and campaign data into actionable strategy
• Oversee and guide how the privacy policies affect communications.

Qualifications

• Required Experience

• 10+ years of progressive marketing and communications experience, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role managing multi-function teams
• Proven track record leading integrated campaigns across digital, traditional, and earned media channels
• Experience managing and evaluating external agency relationships across advertising, PR, and digital disciplines
• Demonstrated success managing large budgets ($3M+) with full P&L accountability
• Strong media buying and planning background, including digital performance media, programmatic, and traditional channels
• Experience in public relations, crisis communications, and media relations at an organizational or brand level
• Proficiency with modern marketing technology platforms (e.g., Salesforce/HubSpot, Google Analytics, Meta/Google Ads, marketing automation, CMS, Blackbaud)

• Preferred Experience

• Experience in a mission-driven, consumer-facing, or cultural institution environment (zoo, museum, tourism, attractions, hospitality, or similar)
• Familiarity with AI-assisted marketing tools, content generation platforms, or advanced analytics applications
• Experience working in a matrixed or enterprise organization with cross-functional stakeholders
• Background in membership, ticketing, or revenue-generating marketing programs
• Agency-side background in addition to in-house leadership experience

• Education

• Bachelor's degree required in Marketing, Communications, Journalism, Business, or a related field
• Master's degree or MBA preferred

• Supervisory Responsibilities

• Director of Public Relations, plus a team of four
• Director of Creative Services, plus a team of eight
• Manager, Marketing Communications, plus a team of two