Title: Director of Advancement Communications and Marketing
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Position Purpose:
Reporting directly to the Vice President for Communications and Marketing, the director will work to align and integrate messaging, branding, communication and marketing of advancement programs with the intent of growing alumni engagement and cultivating a culture of philanthropy. Serving as a key liaison between BCM and Advancement, the director will implement a strategic, comprehensive approach to communications that spans alumni engagement, annual giving, leadership giving, gift planning, stewardship, corporate and foundation relations, parent programs and more, ensuring a cohesive and impactful narrative across all initiatives.
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Job Duties:
- Lead Strategic Communications Planning: Develop and oversee a comprehensive communications plan that addresses and coordinates all areas within advancement, eliminating friction points and duplication of efforts and ensuring alignment with institutional priorities. This will involve not only crafting messages but also working in close partnership with the engagement communications team to ensure optimum cadence and clear expectations around roles, responsibilities and resources.
- Lead concept meetings, develop creative briefs and serve as the lead copywriter for strategic advancement communications initiatives. These could include web-based initiatives, endowment reports, one-pagers and full cases for support. Ensure that these communications reflect Bates branding and institutional priorities. While the embedded advancement communications team takes the lead on annual giving appeals and engagement event promotion, the Director of Advancement Communications and Marketing will work closely with that team to ensure a consistent voice, optimal cadence and cross-departmental awareness of outgoing communications.
- Advance an integrated editorial approach: As a key member of the college’s editorial team who contributes to the alumni magazine, the Director will bring an alumni advancement perspective to storytelling, ensuring that alumni narratives are meaningfully connected to broader College goals. They will represent Advancement in editorial planning, offering recommendations and building partnerships to integrate alumni stories more intentionally and strategically into collegewide content.
- Serve as a thought partner for colleagues in Institutional Advancement and Bates Communications and Marketing. Facilitate partnerships and regular meetings between Advancement and Communications staff to ensure each is aware of and taking advantage of staff expertise.
- Facilitate communications and information sharing between Advancement and BCM, bringing the Advancement perspective to broader collegewide communications and the institutional perspective to Advancement communications.
- Foster Cross-Divisional Partnerships: Collaborate with partners across the Advancement Division and other College departments to identify engaging stories and trends that connect with advancement goals.
- Track and respond to communication trends. The Director will assess which messaging and channels resonate most strongly with various constituencies and will seek opportunities to re-engage those who support the College in non-philanthropic ways.
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Minimum Qualifications:
Education
Bachelor’s degree required.
Experience
- At least five years of progressively responsible experience in marketing, branding and communications, with a preference of at least three years planning and producing communications for fundraising programs and campaigns.
- Strong understanding of philanthropy, advancement and alumni, parent, and constituent engagement.
- Prior experience in higher education and advancement communications strongly preferred.
Skills and Knowledge
- Commitment to equity and inclusion, and serving the needs of a culturally and educationally diverse community.
- Exceptional oral, written and interpersonal communication skills.
- Ability to work effectively and collaboratively within a complex environment and across divisional lines.
- Strong writing and editing skills with the ability to collect, prioritize and distill facts into clear, concise and compelling copy.
- Ability to work effectively with members of the college’s senior leadership team, alumni and parent leadership, donors, and volunteers.
- Demonstrated experience developing a cohesive vision for communications and marketing based on an institution's strategic goals and priorities; successfully targeting and influencing key audiences; and recognizing the need to adapt and adjust as appropriate over time.
- Ability to write, craft and disseminate persuasive messages in ways that reflect, engage, and enhance various community and cultural perspectives.
- Strong understanding of industry best practices and a holistic understanding of all aspects of communications, positioning, and messaging.
- Substantial experience evaluating the strengths of existing communications efforts and identifying opportunities for improvement.
- Excellent creative and design sensibilities, with a strong understanding of the communications process from creative concept through production and execution. Ability to increase efficiency and effectiveness of the communications process without sacrificing quality and impact.
- Solid understanding of the advantages and drawbacks of traditional and emerging media, from print magazines to social networking, in conveying information and content in ways that engage and excite constituents.
- Superior communication skills and the ability to connect with a variety of audiences; clear and effective written and verbal presentation.
- Experience working in an environment serving many internal clients and external constituents, often with shared responsibility for communications. Proven ability to manage many projects and issues concurrently, leveraging work products and staff as appropriate.
- Commitment to diversity in all its forms and across all audiences, internal and external.
- Able to address conflict and disagreement in calm and constructive ways that lead to positive outcomes; and broad experience in crisis management and communications.
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Benefits:
Bates College offers competitive salaries, excellent benefits (health, dental, sick leave, 24 days of vacation, 2 personal days, 13 paid holidays, dependent care subsidy, free parking, access to library and athletic facilities & more), and a supportive, collegial environment in a drug and smoke-free workplace.
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Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:
Bates College is committed to the principle of equal opportunity and providing an educational and work environment free from discrimination. The college prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, age, disability, genetic information or veteran status and other legally protected statuses in the recruitment and admission of its students, in the administration of its education policies and programs, or in the recruitment of its faculty and staff. Bates College adheres to all applicable state and federal equal opportunity laws and regulations. All college faculty, staff, students, contractors, visitors, and volunteers are responsible for understanding and complying with the Non-Discrimination Policy.
Inquiries concerning the college’s policies, compliance with applicable laws, statutes, and regulations (such as Title VII, Title IX, and ADA/Section 504), and complaints may be directed to Gwen Lexow, Title IX Officer, 207-786-6445 or via email at glexow@bates.edu.
About Bates:
Bates is internationally recognized as a leading liberal arts college, attracting 2,000 students from across the U.S. and around the world.
Since 1855, Bates has been dedicated to educating the whole person through creative and rigorous scholarship in a collaborative residential community. Committed to opportunity and excellence, Bates has always admitted students without regard to gender, race, religion, or national origin.
Cultivating intellectual discovery and informed civic action, Bates prepares leaders sustained by a love of learning and zeal for responsible stewardship of the wider world. Bates engages the forces — intellectual trends, demographic changes, and technology — that are transforming higher education and the world into which our students graduate.
Bates has highly competitive admissions, graduates over 90 percent of its entering students, and more than half of its alumni earn graduate degrees. Bates employs 200 faculty members and 550 staff.
The college is proud of deep roots in the Lewiston/Auburn community, Maine’s second-largest urban area with a population of approximately 65,000. Bates is located on a beautiful, 133-acre, traditional New England campus in Lewiston, an emerging city with an entrepreneurial climate, a lively arts scene, and a dynamic business community. Bates is 35 miles north of Portland, 140 miles north of Boston, and 350 miles north of New York City.