Executive Director, Marketing Communications

Colorado State Univ Foundation; Fort Collins (CO); Hybrid; USD 125,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision, retirement

Generous paid time off

Employee Assistance Program

Job summary

The Colorado State University Foundation seeks an Executive Director of Marketing & Communications to lead strategy and execution for the CSU Foundation, CSU Alumni Association, and donor communications. You will oversee creative services, media relations, content production and brand management, partnering with university leadership to advance fundraising priorities and alumni engagement.

This role requires strategic vision and operational excellence, managing a team of marketing professionals

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, journalism, public relations or related field from an accredited university.
• Eight years’ experience in marketing or strategic communications, with progressive responsibilities.
• Five years’ experience supervising full-time professional staff and leading a team in the development and execution of complex strategic goals and initiatives.
• Ability to engage and effectively communicate with a wide variety of audiences.
• Ability to work non-standard hours, including early mornings, evenings, and weekends.
• Must have a valid driver’s license or the ability to obtain a driver’s license by employment start date.

Responsibilities

• Drives the overall marketing and communication strategy for the CSU Foundation and is responsible for managing its execution in consultation with organization leadership.
• Leads the Marketing & Communications team including hiring, training, mentoring and managing performance of multiple roles, including oversight and deployment of internal and external production resources while balancing recurring production commitments with emerging institutional priorities.
• Ensures that all communications deliver a brand-consistent, clear and compelling message about the value of Colorado State University and the impact of donor engagement and philanthropy.
• Serves as the organization’s chief brand steward, leading the ongoing development, implementation, governance and evolution of CSUF and CSUAA brands.
• Manages the department’s content and channel strategy in support of both ongoing and campaign-related communications goals, utilizing marketing research and analytics to assess, interpret and communicate performance results.
• Collaborates with key partners across the University in planning and creating communication strategies that educate, cultivate, and inspire philanthropic support and alumni and donor engagement.
• Leads the team in the establishment of a service model that supports fundraising, alumni engagement and membership, annual giving, donor stewardship, events and executive leadership priorities while clearly defining decision-making authority and workflow expectations.
• Acts as subject matter expert on marketing and communications best practices.
• Develops and executes an internal communications strategy that supports employee engagement, organizational transparency, culture development and alignment with CSUF’s mission and strategic priorities.
• Serves on the leadership group of the CSU Foundation Engagement Team, joining leaders of the Alumni Association, Annual Giving, Donor Relations and Stewardship and Foundation Events.
• Works closely with senior leadership of CSUF to support their efforts in representing the organization, including speech writing and donor communications.

Skills

Engage diverse audiences

Communication excellence

Leadership of professional staff

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, journalism, public relations or related field

Tools

CRM systems

Job description

Description

Position Summary

The Executive Director of Marketing and Communications drives the marketing and communication strategy for the CSU Foundation (CSUF) which includes the CSU Alumni Association (CSUAA) and is responsible for managing its execution in consultation with organization leadership. In addition to high level marketing and communications strategy, this role provides oversight to the creative services, media relations, content production and brand management of CSUF.

The role operates within a highly collaborative environment in which annual giving, donor engagement, stewardship, alumni engagement, events and fundraising teams maintain responsibility for their respective audience strategies and engagement objectives. The Executive Director and members of the Marketing and Communications team partner with these teams to translate strategic priority into compelling communications, marketing campaigns, stewardship materials, proposals, digital content, publications and storytelling assets that advance institutional goals. Success requires balancing long-term strategic planning with responsiveness to evolving opportunities and leadership priorities.

As an experienced marketing and communications professional and leader of creative teams, the Executive Director must combine strategic vision with operational excellence and efficiency with demonstrated sound judgment in complex stakeholder environments. Key attributes include the ability to demonstrate diplomacy, creativity and accountability, and the ability to work with key partners across the University in planning and creating communication strategies that educate, cultivate, and inspire alumni and donor engagement and philanthropic support with Colorado State University.

This position will be located in Fort Collins, Colorado with the possibility of hybrid work based on performance.

Position Information

• Position Title: Executive Director, Marketing & Communications
• Organization Name: Colorado State University Foundation
• Employment Type: Full-time
• FLSA Status: Exempt
• Location: Fort Collins
• Salary Range: $125,000 – $145,000 annually
• Priority Considerations date: 11/01/2026

Organizational Overview

Located in the beautiful town of Fort Collins, Colorado State University is a premier land-grant university with world-class programs in education, outreach, and research. CSU has a student body of over 34,000 students, 271,911 living alumni, and annual research expenditures exceeding $613 million.

The Colorado State University Foundation (CSUF) was founded in 1970 and is the official non-profit perpetuity partner for Colorado State University. The CSU Foundation is in the midst of exciting growth as the University Advancement division of CSU recently transitioned to the Foundation, growing the organization to 170 employees. This merger has allowed us to more effectively serve our donors, alumni, and stakeholders with a unified structure, strengthen accountability, and build the capacity to scale our fundraising enterprise. With one of the leading development teams in the country, we most recently achieved our highest fundraising year to date at $231 million.

The CSU Foundation Marketing & Communications team drives the planning and creation of communication strategies that educate, cultivate, and inspire philanthropic support and alumni and donor engagement in support of Colorado State University.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Drives the overall marketing and communication strategy for the CSU Foundation and is responsible for managing its execution in consultation with organization leadership.
• Leads the Marketing & Communications team including hiring, training, mentoring and managing performance of multiple roles, including oversight and deployment of internal and external production resources while balancing recurring production commitments with emerging institutional priorities.
• Ensures that all communications deliver a brand-consistent, clear and compelling message about the value of Colorado State University and the impact of donor engagement and philanthropy.
• Serves as the organization’s chief brand steward, leading the ongoing development, implementation, governance and evolution of CSUF and CSUAA brands.
• Manages the department’s content and channel strategy in support of both ongoing and campaign-related communications goals, utilizing marketing research and analytics to assess, interpret and communicate performance results.
• Collaborates with key partners across the University in planning and creating communication strategies that educate, cultivate, and inspire philanthropic support and alumni and donor engagement.
• Leads the team in the establishment of a service model that supports fundraising, alumni engagement and membership, annual giving, donor stewardship, events and executive leadership priorities while clearly defining decision-making authority and workflow expectations.
• Acts as subject matter expert on marketing and communications best practices.
• Develops and executes an internal communications strategy that supports employee engagement, organizational transparency, culture development and alignment with CSUF’s mission and strategic priorities.
• Serves on the leadership group of the CSU Foundation Engagement Team, joining leaders of the Alumni Association, Annual Giving, Donor Relations and Stewardship and Foundation Events. This group sets annual and long-term strategic goals and establishes annual priorities for CSUF’s engagement efforts.
• Works closely and with discretion with senior leadership of CSUF to support their efforts in representing the organization, to include speech writing, personal correspondence with donors and alumni and gift proposals.
• Represents the CSU Foundation in the best possible light through all interactions.

Requirements

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, journalism, public relations or related field from an accredited university
• Minimum of eight years’ experience in marketing or strategic communications, with progressive responsibilities
• Minimum of five years’ experience supervising full-time professional staff and leading a team in the development and execution of complex strategic goals and initiatives
• A demonstrated ability to engage and effectively communicate with a wide variety of audiences
• Ability to work non-standard hours, including early mornings, evenings, and weekends
• Must have a valid driver’s license or the ability to obtain a driver’s license by employment start date

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in storytelling with exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Knowledge of fundraising, development and/or advancement in a higher education institution or other complex nonprofit organization.
• Knowledge of Advancement Marketing and Communications and the role of alumni and donor engagement in an organization.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to adapt to rapidly changing situations and successfully manage multiple complex projects from start to finish.
• Demonstrated success in cross-functional collaboration, especially with academic and administrative leaders to conceive and implement innovative ideas.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and experience working in a CRM or other relational databases.
• Previous experience managing budgets and financial processes with a strong fiscal acumen.
• Experience balancing strategic planning with high-volume service delivery in support of multiple stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of how internal communications influence organizational culture and employee experience.
• Familiarity with Colorado State University colleges, departments, and constituencies

We are committed to supporting the holistic health and well-being of our employees. Our comprehensive benefits package includes medical, dental, vision and retirement plans; generous paid time off; and a robust Employee Assistance Program.

• medical, dental, vision and retirement plans
• generous paid time off
• robust Employee Assistance Program

CSU Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) it is our policy to provide reasonable accommodation when requested by a qualified applicant or employee with a disability unless such

accommodation would cause undue hardship. CSU Foundation employment is contingent on the successful completion of a background check.