Vice President of Marketing and Communications

Description

What if your next job wasn’t just a role, but a place where you truly felt valued, inspired, and empowered?

Imagine working for a company that’s dedicated to educating, inspiring, and empowering others, while fostering a family-like atmosphere that genuinely respects and appreciates every team member.

Now, imagine that this company also offers:

• Strong, guiding values that drive everything we do
• Outstanding benefits to support your well-being
• The opportunity to make a meaningful impact every day

Does that sound like a place where you’d thrive? If so, keep reading, because this is exactly what Westcliff University is all about.

Here’s a glimpse of what makes our culture amazing: 

At Westcliff, we strive to be the best in all we do, celebrating and supporting each team member as we grow and succeed together. As a global leader in innovative education, we’re known for our transformative, tech-driven programs and our unwavering commitment to excellence, and social responsibility.

Our tagline – Educate. Inspire. Empower. – perfectly sums up our mission: to create opportunities for students and employees to achieve success through hard work and empowerment.

Westcliff University is in a period of exciting, rapid expansion — launching new programs, new campuses, and new

markets. We’re looking for a VP of Marketing and Communications to lead that charge.

VP Of Marketing and Communications

Job Summary 

The VP of Marketing and Communications serves as a pivotal leadership figure within Westcliff University, reporting directly to the VP of Strategic Enrollment. This role encompasses the comprehensive responsibility of strategizing, developing, and executing marketing initiatives to augment and refine the university's brand presence. The incumbent will lead through influence, collaborating with prominent leaders across various departments to fulfill the university’s objectives, and drive innovative marketing strategies that seamlessly align with and amplify the organization’s mission.

Responsibilities:

Strategic:

• Brand Development and Positioning: Play a pivotal role in crafting and upholding Westcliff’s brand identity. Lead the strategic development of marketing plans that underpin the organization's mission, goals, and objectives, incorporating extensive market and competitive analysis.
• Strategic Communications: Shape and convey the organization’s mission, vision, and community endeavors to a diverse range of stakeholders, ensuring consistency and impact.
• Market Intelligence: Provide short- and long-term market forecasts, spearheading market research initiatives, and synthesizing data to inform strategic decisions.
• Trend Analysis and Product Influence: Evaluate current and anticipated market trends to inform and influence the development of future products and services.
• Strategic Partnerships and Sponsorships: Identify and cultivate partnerships and sponsorship opportunities that align with and enhance the university’s brand and mission.

Operations:

• Oversee the marketing and communications budget, ensuring effective allocation of resources to maximize ROI.
• Direct and manage all operational aspects of marketing and communications, encompassing branding, advertising, events, collateral materials, digital communications, and partner developments.
• Optimize operational procedures by scheduling, assigning tasks, and ensuring timely completion of departmental targets.
• Manage the evolution and maintenance of the university’s website, emphasizing user experience, design, and content richness.
• Ensure marketing effectiveness by addressing real-time challenges, recommending actionable insights, and steering the department to achieve desired results.

Communications Management

• Lead the planning, execution, and measurement of all communications activities, including press releases, official statements, digital content, and internal communications, to ensure clarity, consistency, and alignment with the university’s strategic objectives.
• Oversee the content strategy for digital platforms, including social media, to enhance engagement and community building.

Executive:

• Cultivate a high-performing marketing and communications team, emphasizing professional development and performance excellence.
• Foster a collaborative culture, inspiring the team to achieve strategic goals and operational benchmarks.
• Influence the development of present and future university offerings through market trend analyses and insights.
• Represent the department at executive meetings, providing updates, insights, and strategic direction.

Crisis Management:

• Lead the organization through any reputational challenges, ensuring swift, transparent, and effective communications.

Education and Experience Requirements:

• Academic Background: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Marketing, Communications, or a related field.
• Industry Expertise: Extensive experience in higher education marketing and communications.
• Digital Marketing Proficiency: Proven expertise in SEO/SEM, marketing database management, email marketing, social media, and display advertising.
• Analytical Skills: Proficiency in marketing analytics tools and data analysis, with the ability to translate insights into strategic actions.
• Technical Knowledge: Working knowledge of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and ad serving tools, with the ability to navigate the technical aspects of digital marketing campaigns.
• Creative and Strategic Thinking: Highly creative mindset with the capacity to identify target audiences and craft compelling digital campaigns.
• Highly creative with experience in identifying target audiences and devising digital campaigns that engage, inform and motivate
• Experience in optimizing landing pages and user funnels
• Experience with A/B and multivariate experiments
• Solid knowledge of website and marketing analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics, NetInsight, Omniture, WebTrends, SEMRush, etc.)
• Working knowledge of ad serving tools
• Experience in setting up and optimizing PPC campaigns on all major search engines
• Working knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript development and constraints

This role demands a strategic thinker and influential leader, adept at navigating the complex landscape of higher education marketing, with a proven track record of driving brand excellence and achieving marketing objectives. The VP of Marketing and Communications at Westcliff University will play a crucial role in shaping the future of the institution’s brand and communications efforts, ensuring alignment with the university’s overarching mission and strategic goals.

Limitations and Disclaimer

The above job description is meant to describe the general nature and level of work being performed; it is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required for the position. All job requirements are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. Some requirements may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health and safety of themselves or other employees. This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform other job-related duties requested by their supervisor in compliance with Federal and State Laws. Requirements are representative of minimum levels of knowledge, skills and/or abilities. To perform this job successfully, the employee must possess the abilities or aptitudes to perform each duty proficiently. Continued employment remains on an at-will basis, unless otherwise contractually bound. Reserve the right to change.

Westcliff University is an Equal Opportunity Employer