College President jobs in Akron, OH

About The College of Wooster:

Wooster offers an excellent, comprehensive liberal arts education, culminating in a rigorous senior project, in which each student works one-on-one with a faculty mentor to conceive, organize and complete a significant research project on a topic of the student's own choosing. Through this distinctive program, every Wooster student develops abilities valued by employers and graduate schools alike: independent judgment, analytical ability, creativity, project-management and time-management skills, and strong written and oral communication skills. Founded in 1866, the college enrolls approximately 2,000 students.

The College offers a comprehensive benefits program that includes: Health, Dental, Retirement, and Tuition Remission.

Job Description:

SUMMARY:

The College of Wooster seeks a dynamic marketing and communications leader capable of expanding the institution's visibility before national and international audiences to serve as its next Vice President of Marketing and Communications. This role will be responsible for developing and implementing an integrated marketing and communications plan and brand management strategy to advance and protect the College's reputation and goals with a particular focus on student recruitment and retention efforts, fundraising and alumni relations, academic reputation enhancement, employee engagement, community relations, media relations, and select mentions/engagements across earned, owned, social, and paid media.

As a key member of the senior leadership team reporting to the President and serving on Cabinet, the VPMC must have an entrepreneurial spirit, be exceptionally well-versed at working with and interpreting data, and be able to problem solve within tight deadlines while maintaining a healthy sense of humor. Key skills and attributes include strategic agility, political acuity, and a passion for the field. They should bring a diversity of thought and perspective to their work and produce outputs that reflect the College's values of equity and inclusion as well as the ability to work collaboratively and diplomatically and possess a positive outlook that continually motivates others.

The Vice President will be responsible for the development, integration, and implementation of a broad range of public relations activities relative to the strategic direction and positioning of the College and its leadership. This position also is responsible for crisis communications and issues management. They will collaborate directly with and act as a key strategic advisor to the President, Cabinet members, faculty, staff, students, the Board of Trustees, alumni, and friends of the College to ensure that an authentic, true and meaningful brand, message, and image of Wooster is presented to all external and internal audiences.

The VPMC, along with colleagues across campus, will play a key role in helping to define and advance the College's strategic plan. Successful candidates will have demonstrated experience in data-informed brand management and communication across multiple channels, be capable of leading efforts to amplify the Wooster brand, rally Fighting Scots' advocates around consistent messaging, contribute to ongoing engagement across all channels, and inspire target audiences to take positive action.

The VPMC will lead, mentor, and develop a team of approximately 14 creative, talented, and dedicated professionals in the Office of Marketing and Communications and a newly created Office of Events, with responsibilities that include but are not limited to: enrollment and advancement marketing, campaign automation, advertising and SEO, social media, digital communications and the website, editorial, media relations, crisis and emergency communications, international communications planning, media relations, creative services, videography, photography, and signature College events.

The Vice President will play a key role in overseeing the plan to attract external events, camps, and conferences to the College.

ESSENTIAL DEPARTMENTAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead a collaborative effort to build upon Wooster's integrated, college-wide strategic communications and marketing program that promotes Wooster's identity, priorities, and accomplishments to internal and external audiences. Ensure that strategies integrate multiple communication channels and tactics, including digital, print, social, editorial, and media relations.
• Promote faculty research and expertise and the President's voice through a mix of tactics, including but not limited to media relations, thought leadership content, and high-touch events.
• Further define and refine key metrics and data reports used to analyze the effectiveness of all programs and activities, creating a culture of continual testing, learning, and optimization that will lead to data-informed proposals and decisions and link budgets and expenditures to measurable outcomes. Establish a reporting structure for leadership and internal teams with the goal of ongoing improvement of performance.
• Oversee communications and marketing activities that engage Wooster's external constituents, including prospective students and families, alumni, donors, and influencers. Collaborate with units across campus and department chairs, most significantly in admission and financial aid and advancement, to ensure quality and creativity of institutional presentation and optimization across digital, media, and print channels.
• Protect the College's reputation during challenging times by developing and implementing proactive and comprehensive crisis communications and issues management strategies, rapid response communications, and other reputational risk mitigation tactics.
• Serve as advisor to the President, Cabinet, Board of Trustees, and other college leaders regarding communications issues, management of reputational risks, major decisions and events, and crisis communications planning and response. Serve on the College's Emergency Response Team as the Public Information Officer. Oversee the articulation of the college's positions on complex and sensitive issues, ensuring that the institution's mission and accomplishments are advanced effectively.
• Oversee the relevant groundwork (such as market and brand research and testing) necessary to inform the amplification of Wooster's brand identity and messaging architecture. The brand identity framework will be well-defined and articulated, aligned to Wooster's strategic plan, and mission and vision, and followed by internal and external audiences. Throughout this process, create an effective partnership network across all of Wooster's stakeholders, including students, faculty, staff, and alumni.
• Maintain effective working relationships with key local, state, and national media outlets and ensure that the college is well-represented in news media by spokespeople and other individuals. Monitor statewide and national educational trends, especially those with implications for Wooster.
• Design, facilitate, and contribute to internal communication strategies and tactics in partnership with departments across campus.
• Oversee College licensing program and print on-demand system.
• Take an engaged approach to coaching, mentoring, and guiding the teams in the Office of Marketing and Communications and the Office of Events in order to set clear goals and performance objectives and a vision for the future.

Requirements:

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor's degree required in marketing, communications, or a related field; advanced degree is preferred.
• 10-plus years of experience in marketing and communications management at a level appropriate to provide leadership to a broad division.
• Creative, innovative individual who can effect change in a dynamic environment and be a champion for the brand. Experience in evolving a brand is desirable.
• Inspiring leader with a visible and accessible management style who is adept at setting and achieving goals, has proven success in managing, motivating, and supporting staff in a variety of functions and has the temperament necessary to lead and manage change in a fast-paced and quickly evolving field and industry.
• Expert oral and written communications skills, including an ability to set direction on specific issues, and produce high quality work under pressure. Understanding of public relations and issues management is essential.
• Successful track record of working with national and higher education trade media to secure positive story placements.
• Significant demonstrated experience handling crisis and emergency communications in a fast-paced, higher education environment.
• Proven experience in working with and advising people in leadership positions.
• Strong working knowledge of the latest digital and print trends, digital engagement, social media, content marketing, lead generation and acquisition strategies and tactics, search engine optimization (SEO), paid media, branding and market research techniques and practices, Google Analytics, and experience developing and interpreting data reports to measure the effectiveness of the brand and various marketing and communication strategies.
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills.

Additional Information:

The College of Wooster does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex/gender, gender identity, gender expression, medical condition, political affiliation, religion, creed, ethnicity, national origin (including ancestry), citizenship status, disability, age, marital status, family responsibilities, sexual orientation, veteran or military status, predisposing genetic characteristics, domestic violence victim status, or any other characteristic protected by institutional policy, or by state, local, or federal law. All offers of employment are subject to verification of the legal right to work in the United States as required by federal law. The College of Wooster is committed by policy and practice to diversity, equity and inclusion. For more information see our nondiscrimination policy.

Application Instructions:

For highest consideration please submit a C.V. with cover letter, 1-2 writing samples or professional portfolio, and a list of 3-5 professional references including name, phone number, and email address.