Senior Director of Marketing & Communications for the Institute for Inclusive Leadership

ABOUT ROLE

Please note this position is part of the Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership. See below for more details about the Institute.

The Senior Director of Marketing & Communications at the Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership is responsible for leading an integrated strategic marketing strategy aligned with the Institute’s growth objectives and Simmons University focus areas. This role will oversee the resources required to run a lean and efficient digital marketing ecosystem with a keen eye on growing market awareness and driving new business opportunities while focusing on lead acquisition and client engagement.

The Senior Director of Marketing & Communications brings in-depth knowledge and expertise on all aspects of digital marketing, ideally with experience in the B2B and conference marketing spaces. You are curious about current marketing trends and are willing to innovate, test, and learn continuously.

Reporting to the COO, this role is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day outputs on all things marketing-related. They will lead all ongoing initiatives that require partnerships with internal constituents and third-party agencies and are willing to roll up their sleeves and dive into the work when necessary. The Senior Director will thrive leading a small, tight-knit, purpose-driven organization with aggressive growth goals. The ideal candidate for this role is flexible and nimble, works from a place of curiosity, and is invested in their own growth in addition to the care and well-being of others around them.

The Senior Director of Marketing & Communications will also own a positioning and messaging strategy designed to position the Institute as the preeminent thought leader in the gender equity and inclusive leader space, with a relentless focus on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. This includes the Simmons Leadership Conference and our flagship offerings within corporate education + thought leadership and research.

WHAT YOU WOULD BE DOING

The Senior Director of Marketing & Communications for the Institute for Inclusive Leadership will drive the marketing strategy and direction for all Institute offerings. You’ll partner with the COO and the Institute Leadership Team to tell the Institute’s brand story and communicate the value proposition to prospects and customers through content, creative, campaigns, and more. You’ll build on this brand value through insightful, emotional connections with customers.

This role will create and execute a strategic marketing plan to support the Institute’s growth goals, continually evaluating and enhancing our marketing capabilities, while continuously embracing data and insights to ensure efficient use of our marketing investment and to adapt our strategies to meet and exceed customers’ expectations.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES :

MARKETING STRATEGY & DIRECTION

Partner with leadership team members to brainstorm ways to optimize current marketing mix to increase efficiencies and drive additional interest in and sales for Institute products and services;

Manage and update brand positioning and content of sales publications with an eye towards optimizing content to support strategic sales conversations and continue to create an aligned and elevated client journey across marketing channels;

Evaluate website presence to optimize user experience for target audience based on predefined outcomes and desired next actions to support strategic business objectives;

Co-create multichannel marketing campaigns to align with key leadership objectives;

Evaluate efficacy of marketing strategy on an ongoing basis; leverage relevant data points to make optimizations for improved engagement and deliverability; and make recommended pivots as needed throughout the campaign;

Collaborate with Simmons University Marketing & Communications team to ensure brand strategy alignment;

MANAGE, PARTNER AND CLIENT LIAISON

Build and empower your team with deep experience scaling and leading a team focused on growth, including in-house and agency teams;

With support from the COO act as primary liaison for all marketing partners (Bracket Media, Graphic Designer etc.) to ensure seamless integration of systems and flow of information;

Support the cultivation of relationships with conference sponsors, custom clients, and vendor representatives to ensure Institute and client branding is appropriately utilized in program materials;

DATA & CONTACT MANAGEMENT

Oversee coordination of and the evolution and integration of contact database into unified Institute CRM (currently MailChimp);

Oversee the regular generation of data / custom reports on Institute client information, conference registration trends, and custom program evaluations;

Oversee the regular generation of data / custom reports from social paid and organic post using google analytics and email communication data as needed;

Oversee the maintenance of data cleanliness and completeness;

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

To be our ideal candidate, you will foster mutual respect, support Simmons University’s commitment to diversity, and practice and promote teamwork. As a University committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, we seek candidates who embody these values and who have demonstrated success working with individuals across a broad spectrum of identities and perspectives.

To perform this job successfully, you must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and / or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

15+ years of leadership experience in a marketing and / or growth focused role;

Outstanding communication skills (verbal and written) with the ability to influence and build consensus;

Ability to approach problems with creativity and curiosity;

Ability to take initiative and ownership of projects with strong planning and organizational skills;

A growth mindset and a bias for action;

High EQ with poise under pressure;

Proven ability to perform duties with a high level of professionalism, flexibility; discretion, judgment, diplomacy, and tact;

Ability to multitask, adapt to changing priorities, and meet deadlines;

Experience with WordPress, Zoom, Google Suite, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, MailChimp, Qualtrics (survey tool), Slack, Asana, Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint);

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required;

ABOUT THE TEAM

You will report to the COO of the Institute, with a dotted line and close collaboration to CEO., You will be part of a “small but mighty” team of professionals who are committed to creating an inclusive and collaborative environment where everyone can bring their best self to work.

WHERE THE ROLE IS LOCATED

The Simmons University campus is located in Boston’s historic Fenway area. Right now our team members are fully remote, with some attendance required for in-person events and meetings. In this role you will be eligible for a fully remote work schedule, subject to business needs requiring your presence on site. In the future there may also be a small amount of travel required.

ABOUT SIMMONS UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE FOR INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP

Simmons has a strong tradition of empowering women and challenging traditional gender roles. Simmons University was one of the first higher education institutions to prepare women to become leaders and has evolved to become a university offering a women’s undergraduate program and graduate programs open to all.

You’re joining our community at an especially exciting time as one of our strategic goals is to become the most inclusive campus in New England. You’ll find that people who work here are truly committed to our mission of preparing students to become champions of social justice and leaders in their professions and their communities. This commitment and pride make for a dynamic workplace. Simmons University is committed to inclusive excellence in all aspects of an individual’s community experience.

With the 2019 formation of the Institute for Inclusive Leadership, Simmons has made an investment in ensuring that equity in leadership is a reality in our lifetime. The core expertise of the Institute lives in the space between what has traditionally been the domain of Diversity and Inclusion, and what has traditionally been the domain of Leadership Development. In concert with select partners, the Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership will be the global authority on the intersection of leadership, equity and inclusion - with an emphasis on gender parity in leadership.

As a University committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, Simmons encourages applications from all under-represented groups. Simmons is committed to creating, developing, promoting, and enhancing inclusive hiring practices–at all levels, for all positions–ensuring diverse talent pools and the delivery of a consistent positive candidate experience. Simmons is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to continuing to develop a more diverse faculty, staff, student body, and curriculum.

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