Strategic Operations Lead — Communications & Marketing

Lafayette College; Easton (Northampton County); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Lafayette College in Easton, PA seeks a Director of Operations, Communications and Marketing to lead systems, processes, and planning in the Communications and Marketing division. You will design intake and project workflows, oversee budgeting and vendor contracts, and ensure editorial quality across all division work.

The role requires strategic oversight, collaboration with campus partners, and the ability to guide production calendars and rapid-response communications while maintaining high

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Seven or more years of progressive project management experience, preferably in communications, marketing, or higher education.
• Demonstrated experience assessing and improving intake, workflow, and project management processes for creative or communications teams.
• Experience managing budgets, vendor contracts, and agency relationships.
• Experience leading production or editorial planning, including calendars and regular production meetings.
• A strong appreciation for high-quality creative and editorial work.
• Proficiency with project management platforms; Smartsheet experience preferred.
• Excellent organizational, communication, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and work effectively with senior leaders.
• Experience in a college or university setting preferred.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a member of the division's leadership team, contributing to planning, priorities, and decision-making.
• Represent the Vice President in meetings with campus offices as delegated.
• Partner with the Vice President on division-wide initiatives and organizational development.
• Assess the division's current intake process and build on or redesign it, including scoping conversations with campus partners before work begins.
• Set and communicate realistic timelines, formats, and deliverables for each request.
• Prioritize and route work to the strategic and creative teams, including web and digital, based on institutional priorities and team capacity.
• Close the loop with requesters and ensure a consistent, high-quality experience for campus partners.
• Lead regular production meetings to track active work, resolve bottlenecks, and anticipate upcoming needs.
• Build and maintain the division's editorial and production calendars in coordination with strategic and creative leads.
• Flag risks early and keep projects on schedule from start to finish.
• Support the Executive Director for Strategic Communications in crisis and rapid response situations by managing workflow, approvals, timelines, and distribution.
• Maintain the division's crisis protocols, contact lists, approval chains, and message distribution procedures, and help coordinate response logistics across the division.
• Understand and uphold the division's brand, editorial, and creative standards throughout the production process.
• Work with the Creative Director, the Director of Web and Digital Experience, and strategic leads to ensure work meets expectations for quality before it is delivered.
• Manage the division's operating budget, including forecasting, tracking, and reporting.
• Administer agency and vendor contracts, statements of work, and invoicing, in partnership with the division leaders who direct each vendor's work.
• Ensure vendor work is coordinated with in-house teams and delivered on scope and on budget.
• Develop regular reporting on workload, turnaround times, project outcomes, and budget to inform staffing and investment decisions.
• Identify process improvements and document standards and workflows for the division.
• Serve as the primary operational point of contact for campus partners on project requests.
• Build strong working relationships with offices across the College, including Advancement, Enrollment Management, and Athletics.
• Assess the division's operational needs and help define future operations roles, such as a project coordinator or traffic manager.

Skills

Project management

Budget management

Vendor management

Editorial planning

Relationship building

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Smartsheet

Job description

Lafayette College in Easton, PA seeks a Director of Operations, Communications and Marketing to lead systems, processes, and planning in the Communications and Marketing division. You will design intake and project workflows, oversee budgeting and vendor contracts, and ensure editorial quality across all division work.

The role requires strategic oversight, collaboration with campus partners, and the ability to guide production calendars and rapid-response communications while maintaining high