Chief Marketing & Communications Officer

Colorado Community College System; Denver (CO); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 154,000; Full time

Job summary

Colorado Community College System is seeking a Chief Marketing & Communications Officer to lead enterprise marketing, branding, and communications across the system. You will advise the Chancellor and executive leadership on market opportunities, audience engagement, and reputation, building an integrated function that supports enrollment and partnerships.

Three days per week in the Lowry office, this role oversees a small team and guides statewide and national media strategy, transformation

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in marketing, communications, public relations, business, journalism, or a related field; OR equivalent related professional experience (year-for-year substitution for the degree).
• Minimum 5 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in marketing, communications, brand strategy, public relations, or market development that includes the following: leading complex, multi-channel marketing and communications strategies tied to measurable organizational outcomes (e.g. enrollment, revenue, conversion, retention).
• Experience advising senior leaders or executive teams on complex, sensitive, or high-visibility communications.

Responsibilities

• Establish and lead an enterprise marketing strategy aligned with CCCS priorities and enrollment objectives.
• Lead integrated learner-acquisition and enrollment-marketing strategy across paid, earned, owned, digital, social, and direct channels.
• Direct statewide and national media strategy, proactive public relations, strategic storytelling, earned media, issues monitoring, and major enterprise announcements.
• Serve as a senior communications advisor to CCCS leadership on reputational and communications matters.

Skills

Leadership

Marketing strategy

Communications

Audience insights

Stakeholder management

Analytics

CRM/Marketing automation

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Tools

CRM/Marketing automation

Analytics tools

Media relations software

Job description

Chief Marketing & Communications Officer

• Aurora, Colorado, United States
• Denver, Colorado, United States
• Full Time

Title

Chief Marketing & Communications Officer

Position Type

Professional Tech Full time

College

System Office

Division

Office of the Chancellor

Department

CCCS Marketing & Communications

Campus

Lowry Campus

Location

Denver

Salary Range

$140,000 - $154,000

Who We Are

The Colorado Community College System is the state's largest provider of higher education and workforce training, consisting of 13 colleges and over 35 locations across the state, educating approximately 130,000 postsecondary students annually. In addition, we train more than 4,000 Coloradans each year through customized employer training programs and coordinate delivery of career and technical education (CTE) programs to over 165,000 K-12 learners annually. Our mission is to provide accessible, responsive learning environments where students can achieve their educational, professional and personal goals in an atmosphere that embraces academic excellence, diversity and innovation. We are an organization that encourages individuals to bring their whole selves to work.

Job Summary

In this role you will serve as a senior advisor to the Chancellor and executive leadership on market opportunity, enterprise positioning, reputation, communications, audience engagement, and growth. The CMCO provides enterprise leadership for the Colorado Community College System's market strategy, brand, marketing, communications, reputation, and market-development capabilities. The CMCO is responsible for building and leading an integrated Marketing & Communications function that enables CCCS to understand its markets and audiences, articulate its value, grow enrollment and partnerships, strengthen institutional reputation, communicate enterprise transformation, and measure whether those efforts are producing meaningful results. You will also lead enterprise and transformation communications, public and media relations, executive communications, reputation strategy, and regional market development. This role stewards the CCCS enterprise brand and narrative while respecting and strengthening the distinctive identities, relationships, and local presence of the 13 colleges.

Note

Three days per week in our Lowry office is required for meetings with other System Office staff.

This position is currently funded for three years through 10/31/2029, although it is being reviewed for ongoing funding.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Establish and lead an enterprise marketing strategy aligned with CCCS strategic priorities, enrollment objectives, economic-mobility goals, and statewide impact.
• Use market and audience intelligence to identify priority populations, geographies, audiences, and opportunities for enterprise investment and growth.
• Lead integrated learner-acquisition and enrollment-marketing strategy across paid, earned, owned, digital, social, and direct channels.
• Equip Board members, presidents, executive leaders, employees, and other appropriate ambassadors with concise and credible tools for communicating CCCS strategy, value, priorities, and impact.
• Direct statewide and national media strategy, proactive public relations, strategic storytelling, earned media, issues monitoring, and major enterprise announcements.
• Serve as a senior communications advisor to the Chancellor, Executive Vice Chancellor, presidents, and other senior leaders on significant reputational, media, and communications matters.
• Establish and lead the enterprise communications architecture through which employees and leaders remain informed about CCCS strategy, priorities, decisions, progress, and major transformation initiatives.
• Establish and lead a statewide Regional Market Development strategy informed by enterprise market and audience intelligence. Deploy Regional Market Development capacity according to market opportunity and measurable growth potential.
• This position directly supervises two employees and manages a total staff team of five.

Competencies/KSAs

• Understanding of higher education, workforce development, economic mobility, and/or Colorado's education and talent ecosystem.
• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries and influence outcomes in complex, decentralized, or multi-stakeholder environments.
• Enterprise-minded: Able to see opportunities across institutional and functional boundaries and build shared capability without diminishing legitimate local strength.
• Market-oriented: Begins with audience needs, behavior, opportunity, and evidence.
• Strategic and operational: Capable of establishing enterprise direction while ensuring strategies translate into measurable execution.
• Audience-centered: Understands that effective marketing and communications begin with what audiences need to understand, value, and do.
• Evidence-driven: Uses market intelligence, analytics, outcomes, and feedback to guide decisions and investment.
• Collaborative with clear accountability: Builds strong relationships while maintaining clarity about decision rights, ownership, and outcomes.
• Credible under pressure: Exercises sound judgment, transparency, and calm leadership during high-risk, high-visibility, or rapidly evolving situations.
• An exceptional communicator: Able to make complex strategy understandable, meaningful, and repeatable.
• A builder: Energized by creating new enterprise capability, developing talent, establishing operating disciplines, and turning strategy into sustainable organizational infrastructure.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in marketing, communications, public relations, business, journalism, or a related field; OR equivalent related professional experience (year-for-year substitution for the degree).
• Minimum 5 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in marketing, communications, brand strategy, public relations, or market development that includes the following:
  • Leading complex, multi-channel marketing and communications strategies tied to measurable organizational outcomes (e.g. enrollment, revenue, conversion, retention).
  • Direct responsibility for managing program/department budgets and oversight of vendors/agencies.
  • Demonstrated use of market research, audience insights, analytics, and CRM/marketing automation to inform strategy and measure performance.
  • Experience advising senior leaders or executive teams on complex, sensitive, or high-visibility communications.

Additional Information / Benefits

• CCCS offices at 9101 E Lowry Blvd., Denver, CO 80230.
• Occasional travel within the State of Colorado for business purposes is required. Some national travel may also be required.
• Three days a week will be required in the office per week.
• Alternative work arrangements, including flexible schedules and hybrid-remote work may be available. All work must be completed in the state of Colorado.

Note: per the Colorado Job Application Fairness Act, an applicant may redact information from their resume, cover letter, and/or transcripts that identifies their age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution. If your position requests us to review an official transcript, without redacting, we will request one as part of our conditional offer process. In order to evaluate work experience against established requirements for positions, we are still requesting dates of service (month and year) for positions in the applicant’s work history.

Department contact

Nikki Cimino: [e-mail]

Hiring Pay Rate

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to internal equity and directly applicable experience, education, and training.

CCCS is an Equal Opportunity Employer

The Colorado Community College System believes when all human qualities are regarded with dignity and respect and when everyone has access to the individualized support they need, all will have the opportunity to thrive. In all aspects of the employment process, decisions are made based on merit, competence, performance and business need without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, creed, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, military status, or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accommodations

As part of our commitment to provide access to individualized support, our agency will assist individuals who have a disability with reasonable accommodation requests related to employment, including completing the application process, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, participating in the employee selection process, and/or to perform essential job functions where the requested accommodation does not impose an undue hardship. If you require reasonable accommodation to ensure you have a positive experience applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to our ADAAA Coordinator, Laura DuClos, [e-mail], 720-858-2449.

The Pregnant Worker's Fairness Act

allows applicants to request a reasonable accommodation for known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. If you require reasonable accommodation to ensure you have a positive experience applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to Laura DuClos, [e-mail], 720-858-2449.