Reporting to the Director, School of Performing Arts and the Director, Marketing and Communications for the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design (AAD), the Marketing & Audience Development Specialist executes integrated marketing, publicity, recruitment communications, and ticketing/revenue strategy for the School of Performing Arts (SOPA), advancing visibility and enrollment while growing audiences for ~150+ public facing events annually (performances, screenings, lectures, and festivals).
The Marketing & Audience Development Specialist owns SOPA’s digital presence (website, SEO, e news, and social media) and partners closely with the college/university marketing and communications network and VT News. The position also serves as the primary liaison to the Center for the Arts ticket office to optimize sales, access, and patron experience.
A smaller portion of the position’s portfolio supports the School of Visual Arts (SOVA), primarily promoting exhibitions and public programs in the art gallery and other outward facing initiatives.
Evening/weekend work is expected during event periods.
Essential duties and expectations of the role include:
• Creating season/production creative suites (key art, thumbnails, reels, trailers, posters, programs, digital signage).
• Maintaining consistent brand voice and visual identity aligned with university and college standards; steward approvals across stakeholders.
• Managing content calendars, project trackers, and workflows; prioritize high impact events and recruitment cycles.
• Training and supervising graduate assistants and student employees; manage freelance/vendor contracts as needed.
• Maintaining digital asset libraries; ensure rights/clearances for photos/video/music.
• Overseeing captioning, transcription, and accessibility services for digital content and livestreams.
• Coordinating with production, technical, and front of house teams to ensure cohesive patron experience.
• Preparing season wrap ups and quarterly reports with recommendations for the next cycle.
• Aligning work effort to support the goals and priorities of SOPA, SOVA, and the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design.
• Following established brand guidelines, university policies and procedures, and accessibility standards.
About the School of Performing Arts
The School of Performing Arts (SOPA) along with the School of Architecture, School of Design, and the School of Visual Arts comprise the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design (AAD), which launched in July 2022. SOPA offers programs in music, theatre, and cinema at the graduate and undergraduate level. Programs are delivered in Virginia Tech’s Creativity and Innovation District, which concentrates 11 performance spaces within a three-block area on the Blacksburg campus. Performance venues range from the 1,300-seat Center for the Arts to a 101-seat experimental theatre.