Executive Director for Communications and Marketing

North Carolina State University; Raleigh (NC); On-site; USD 160,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

North Carolina State University is seeking an Executive Director for Communications and Marketing for the College of Engineering. The role leads strategic communications, brand governance, and integrated marketing across twelve units and research centers.

The position focuses on elevating the College's national reputation, driving recruitment, advancing fundraising, and managing crisis communications in alignment with university leadership.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in communications, marketing, PR, or related field.
• Significant leadership experience in strategic communications and brand governance.
• Proven track record in media relations, digital marketing, and crisis management.
• Experience in higher education or R1 institutions preferred.
• Ability to oversee multi-unit branding and integrated campaigns.

Responsibilities

• Oversee strategic communications and marketing for 12 academic units, research hubs, and administration within the College of Engineering.
• Lead hub-and-spoke governance model to deliver unified brand messaging and integrated multi-channel marketing campaigns.
• Manage digital infrastructure including website architecture and analytics to optimize campaign impact.
• Direct crisis communications and rapid-response strategies as senior advisor during high-stakes issues.
• Design peer-to-peer marketing campaigns to enhance national academic rankings.
• Supervise and develop communications staff, manage digital workflows (Asana), and oversee budgets and vendor relationships.
• Lead executive communications for the Dean and collaborate with fundraising leadership on campaigns supporting $50M+ annual advancement goals.
• Oversee creative direction including visual design, video production, livestreaming, and photojournalism teams.

Skills

Strategic comms

Brand governance

Crisis management

Media relations

Digital marketing

Leadership

Education

Advanced degree in communications/marketing/PR

Tools

Asana

Job description

NC State University is hiring an Executive Director for Communications and Marketing for its College of Engineering. This role leads strategic communications, brand management, and integrated marketing across multiple academic units and research centers, focusing on elevating the College's national reputation, driving recruitment, advancing fundraising efforts, and managing crisis communications in alignment with university leadership.

Highlights

• Oversee strategic communications and marketing for 12 academic units, research hubs, and administration within the College of Engineering.
• Lead hub-and-spoke governance model to deliver unified brand messaging and integrated multi-channel marketing campaigns.
• Manage digital infrastructure including website architecture and analytics to optimize campaign impact.
• Direct crisis communications and rapid-response strategies as senior advisor during high-stakes issues.
• Design peer-to-peer marketing campaigns to enhance national academic rankings (e.g., U.S. News & World Report).
• Supervise and develop communications staff, manage digital workflows (Asana), and oversee budgets and vendor relationships.
• Lead executive communications for the Dean and collaborate with fundraising leadership on campaigns supporting $50M+ annual advancement goals.
• Oversee creative direction including visual design, video production, livestreaming, and photojournalism teams.
• Require advanced degree in communications, marketing, public relations, or related fields; significant leadership experience in communications with proven expertise in media relations, digital marketing, crisis management, and brand governance.
• Preferred experience includes higher education, especially R1 institutions, and managing communications in science, engineering, or research-intensive environments.