Description of Work Unit
Founded in 1870, Colorado State University is among the nation’s leading research universities and enrolls approximately 32,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. Located an hour north of the Denver metro area, Fort Collins is a vibrant community of approximately 157,000 residents that offers the convenience of a small town with all the amenities of a large city. Fort Collins is situated on the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains with views of 14,000 foot peaks, and offers access to numerous cultural, recreational, and outdoor opportunities.

The College of Business at Colorado State University is an AACSB accredited business school that enrolls approximately 3,300 undergraduate students across eleven business concentrations, about 1,000 graduate students across seven programs, as well as 1000 business minors. The College’s decision making and initiatives are directed by its “Business for a Better World” vision and centered on the College’s four strategic values: Access, Excellence, Impact, Community.
Position Summary
The College of Business at Colorado State University is seeking a Director of Marketing and Communications who will lead efforts to develop and implement exceptional:
Integrated marketing communications and branding strategies in alignment with the College’s “Business for a Better World” strategic plan; and
Digital marketing, advertising and promotion strategies directed toward driving enrollment in the College’s academic programs.
The Marketing and Communications unit is also responsible for supporting the advertising, branding, promotion, and communications needs of the departments and units residing in the College. The Director will lead a staff that currently consists of eight employees with responsibilities including copywriting, design, web content management, UI/UX, digital marketing, social media.

The Director of Marketing and Communications is a storyteller, responsible for solidifying the College’s brand positioning, communicating our value proposition, understanding the competitive business school landscape, driving interest in academic programs, and managing the College’s online presence (including website, social, and other digital media). Furthermore, the Director is responsible for analyzing market trends, return on media spend, and research findings that inform the College’s marketing communications strategies. The Director reports to the Dean, works collaboratively with the College’s leadership, and serves as a member of the College’s Executive Committee. The Director also serves as the college liaison to the University communications team. Given the need for high levels of strategy development and execution, the Director should support and encourage the development and advancement of staff members and build an inclusive culture with staff who are dedicated to serving the needs of the college.

The successful candidate must be legally authorized to work in the United States by the proposed start date; The College of Business will not provide visa sponsorship for this position.
Required Job Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree
Eight years of professional experience in marketing/communications, with at least three years dedicated to:
managing a service-oriented marketing team
developing/implementing/monitoring digital marketing, advertising, and/or promotional strategies
identifying and managing the vendor relationships to address key performance metrics
implementing branding strategies
proficiently managing multiple complex projects and priorities, while demonstrating strong leadership and strategic direction to ensure timely completion
Demonstrated effectiveness in project management, budgeting, and management of objectives via dashboards, workflow, or similar tools
Proven ability to create, implement, deliver, and evaluate an integrated marketing communications and branding strategy that aligns with an organization’s strategic direction
Preferred Job Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in marketing
Master’s degree in relevant area such as business or marketing
Proven ability to effectively lead, manage, motivate, and support a marketing communications team
Proven ability to design, implement and track effective lead generation campaigns
Experience building a brand and leading the development of message strategy, creative execution, copywriting, photography, artwork, and media planning (across websites, publications, advertisements, video presentations, and other media)
Record of working within a single organization to create a variety of well-researched marketing communications targeted toward multiple audiences
Excellent storytelling skills with utilization of persuasion theory/tactics
Excellent collaboration skills with a strong service orientation
Highly creative with strong understanding of how to foster and support creativity
Experience working within a higher education environment
Experience with Salesforce and Marketing Cloud
Experience in fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace
Diversity Statement
Reflecting departmental and institutional values, candidates are expected to have the ability to advance the Department’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Essential Duties
Job Duty Category Strategy Development, Implementation, and Assessment
Duty/Responsibility
Develop and oversee the implementation of strategies to:
drive quality lead generation and enrollments in the College’s academic programs;
build the College’s “Business for a Better World” brand across several target audiences; and
build awareness of the Colleges’ accomplishments, activities, and rankings among key audiences.
Design marketing communications strategies for a variety of target audiences including prospective students; current students; alumni, donors, and friends of the College; corporate partners; foundations; AASCB partners; and academicians.
Serve as the key interface with marketing and communications related vendors.
Work collaboratively with the deans, program administrators and recruiting specialists to develop enrollment strategies for residential and online programs.
Develop and implement a data-driven, results-oriented marketing plan to advance the College’s brand identity, broaden awareness of its programs, and increase the visibility of its programs across key stakeholder audiences. This plan should include: (1) objectives; (2) metrics to track progress; (3) timelines; (4) budgets; and (5) defined responsibilities. Furthermore, plans must justify a mix of marketing and communication tools (e.g., online, print, social media) to most effectively achieve the objectives.
In collaboration with the IT unit, develop and enhance the College’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) strategy, implementation, and assessment.
Manage the marketing communications operating budget.
Percentage Of Time 50
Job Duty Category Team Management
Duty/Responsibility
Lead, mentor, and motivate the marketing communications team in developing and implementing marketing communications and monitoring their effectiveness.
Develop a culture that motivates the team to serve others, stimulates creativity, and rewards excellence.
Develop team excellence as it pertains to the quality of the work product.
Develop team member autonomy in executing on agreed upon strategies and tactics.
Prioritize team efforts based on strategic priorities as determined in collaboration with the Dean and other College leaders.
Manage unit workload including management of staff assignments, CSU central resource utilization, and third-party vendor relationships.
Percentage Of Time 20
Job Duty Category Collaboration
Duty/Responsibility
Work closely with deans, department chairs, and academic programs to continually improve and strengthen marketing communications aimed at recruiting students.
Collaborate closely and effectively with College leaders (e.g., Dean, associate deans, development office, program directors, department chairs) to understand, assess, and prioritize marketing communications efforts and resources.
Advise the Dean and other College leaders about responses to media and constituent inquiries as needed.
Manage the collaborative development of presentations for College events.
Serve as the key liaison to University Communications.
Maintain effective communication partnerships with University Marketing and Communications and CSU Office of the President.
Identify central CSU partnerships and resources to supplement College efforts.
Ensure that College messaging supports university priorities and branding, and that messages at the University and College level are linked for maximum impact.
Percentage Of Time 30
Application Details
Special Instructions to Applicants
Applicants will be expected to provide:
A cover letter indicating interest in the position at Colorado State University along with a description of the applicant’s ability to meet the position’s required and preferred qualifications
A resume
Contact information of three references. References will not be contacted without prior notification of candidates.
For full consideration, applications should be received no later than 11:59pm MST June 2, 2024 to https://jobs.colostate.edu/postings/144902 however, applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

CSU is committed to full inclusion of qualified individuals. If you are needing assistance or accommodations with the search process, please reach out to the listed search contact.