Assistant Director of Academic Marketing

The Assistant Director of Academic Marketing is primarily responsible for the development, implementation, and execution of strategic marketing plans designed to attract prospective students for academic program enrollment in support of the College’s mission and strategic goals. This person will work closely with Academic Affairs, marketing, creative staff to lead and manage academic marketing plans and research, marketing materials and communications development, and advertising placement across all media, tracking performance and return on investment to steer efforts.

Full-time Employee Benefits include: medical and dental insurances, retirement plans, paid time off, educational benefits for employees and dependents at Penn College and Penn State University, and more. For additional information, click here.

Education:

-Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing/Business Administration or related discipline OR equivalent combination of education and work experience. (Minimum) 

Master’s Degree in Marketing/Business Administration or related discipline (Desired)

Experience:

-Three (3) years of relevant work experience in a production environment where meeting deadlines and maintaining schedules was a job requirement. (Minimum) 
-Three (3) years of relevant work experience in a position that required use of written, oral, and proofing skills. (Minimum) 
-Previous experience in working with creative teams, including web and graphic designers, photographers and videographers, copywriters and news writers, printers and online publishers. (Minimum)  

-Relevant work experience in higher education. (Minimum)

Abilities and Skills:

Knowledge of web analytics and online advertising platforms. (Minimum) 
-Ability to understand and communicate organizational structure and institutional policies and procedures effectively, in order to serve as an effective liaison with College departments. (Minimum) 

-Skilled in strategic and critical thinking (Minimum)

-Exceptional interpersonal skills. (Minimum) 
-Work independently and make decisions with minimal supervision. (Minimum) 
-Analyze and understand project objectives and discern project’s impact on the institution. (Minimum) 
-Ability to structure information so that it is manageable and comprehensible to readers. (Minimum) 
-Ability to write compelling marketing content. (Minimum) 
-Ability to adapt messages for different media. (Minimum) 
-Proficient in use of office software and hardware, including scanners and printers. (Minimum) 
-Proficient in use of content management, project management, and media management systems. 
-Ability to use Adobe Cloud apps or other packages for creating conceptual graphics. (Minimum) 
-Ability to handle a variety of projects simultaneously and to meet deadlines often requiring very quick turnaround. (Minimum) 
-Excellent organizational skills in order to produce accurate, coherent information quickly. (Minimum) 
-Excellent oral and written communication skills. (Minimum) 
-Ability to effectively proofread materials to ensure accuracy, quality and adherence to College editorial style and standards. (Minimum) 
-Must possess a valid driver’s license. (Minimum)

Essential: 
-Serve as the primary Public Relations & Marketing (PRM) liaison to academic schools and Workforce Development. 
-Serve as lead developer and project manager for PR/marketing initiatives related to academic and workforce development programs and special projects. 
-Lead PRM creative team members through the execution of academic and workforce development, and special project marketing materials and communications design and delivery. 

-Develop and manage, in coordination with Academic Affairs, marketing plans for all academic areas.
-Work with the Director of Strategic Marketing to align academic marketing plan development and execution with the College’s strategic plan and all other recruitment, retention, marketing, and communications plans. 

-Collaborate with academic schools to determine audience, scope, organization, tone, and format of marketing materials and communications. 
-Develop, implement, and update marketing communications across all media that follow institutional branding and marketing strategies. 
-Cultivate a positive image of the College to the campus community and the public through marketing efforts. 
-Develop content for print, online, and social media messages. 
-Lead or oversee delegation and logistics of video concept development, subject interview, script development, video proofing, and metadata management. 

-Lead or oversee delegation and logistics of photo shoots: determine needs, meet with stakeholders, create shot list, serve as art director, and assist with photo selection.
-Develop and oversee development of new web pages, including layout, content, and media selection. 
-Review, edit, proofread messages and materials distributed/delivered in all media to ensure content is accurate and current, and that appropriate College style, standards, and branding issues are addressed. 
-Create production calendars for individual projects as well as comprehensive departmental plans for annual projects to ensure timely delivery of materials. 
-Monitor, keep PRM staff informed of, and initiate marketing actions in response to potential, pending, and active curriculum revisions. 
-Monitor results of marketing actions, report on initiatives and outcomes, and communicate with Academic Affairs, PRM leadership, and Enrollment Management on best practices to support planning of future marketing efforts. 
-Work with the Director of Strategic Marketing to establish annual budget needs for external printing and advertising related to academic programs. 
-Work with PRM photo and video staff to evaluate photo/video needs related to academic programs. 
-Work with writers/editors to share academic information via Penn College Magazine, Penn College News, and press releases. 
-Work with the Digital Marketing Manager to develop digital media content and campaigns for academic marketing. 
-Supervise appropriate staff. 

Marginal: 
-Serve, as requested, on institutional and departmental work groups and committees established for purposes of marketing and/or enrollment management.

Physical Standards:

-Exposure to computer monitor and other conditions related to use of computers over extended periods of time. Active office environment. 
-Constant deadline pressures. 
-Some heavy lifting with assistance (up to 50 pounds) may be required to move materials to points of distribution, etc.

Special Job Features:

-Some evening and weekend work is required to complete projects on time. 
-Occasional travel to external vendors is required.  

-Position is subject to a background check.

This is not a complete itemization of all facets of this position. This job description is not an employment agreement or contract. The College has the exclusive right to alter this job description at any time without prior notice.

Penn College is committed to equal opportunity and the diversity of its workforce.