Job Details

Senior Director, Strategic Marketing and Communications

Position Number: 7114322
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Position Type: Public Relations, Marketing and Communications

Senior Director, Strategic Marketing and Communications

Job Summary

The Senior Director of Strategic Marketing & Communications serves as the senior architect and integrator of a unified, lifecycle-based marketing and communications system across Strategic Enrollment and Student Success (SESS). Reporting to the Senior Vice Provost, this role aligns brand, messaging, channel strategy, and communication governance to institutional priorities including enrollment growth, student success, online expansion, and global engagement. The position operates as a portfolio-level integrator across Enrollment Management, Undergraduate Studies, University Connected Learning, and the Office of Global Engagement-eliminating fragmentation, establishing governance, and driving measurable return on marketing investment.

Learn more about the great benefits of working for University of Utah: benefits.utah.edu

Responsibilities

1. Enterprise Integration and Leadership

Lead development and execution of a unified marketing and communications strategy across SESS
Integrate recruitment, onboarding, and student success communications into a single operating model
Advise executive leadership on market positioning, reputational risk, and communication strategy tied to enrollment and student outcomes

2. Lifecycle Communication System

Design and implement an end-to-end communication architecture spanning prospect enrollment persistence completion
Establish and enforce a master communication calendar with defined prioritization and sequencing rules
Eliminate redundant, conflicting, or low-value communications across units

3. Governance and Decision Framework

Operationalize the Student Communications Council (SCC) as the institutional decision body for lifecycle communications
Define and enforce decision rights for campaign approval, timing, segmentation, and channel use
Align with University Marketing & Communications (UMC) on brand standards while retaining SESS authority over lifecycle execution

4. Market Positioning and Message Discipline

Define and enforce institutional positioning across domestic, online, and international markets
Ensure consistency in value proposition, voice, and differentiation across SESS-related communications
Align messaging with pricing, financial aid strategy, and program design realities

5. Performance, Attribution, and ROI

Link marketing and communications activity directly to enrollment, yield, retention, and completion outcomes
Implement multi-touch attribution models across Slate, CRM, web, and student success platforms
Establish cost-per-enrollment, yield impact, and retention lift metrics to guide resource allocation

6. Growth Strategy Execution

Partner with Enrollment Management, UCL, US, and OGE to execute targeted growth strategies:
- Transfer pathways
- Online program expansion
- International recruitment pipelines
Ensure communication strategies support scalable growth without proportional increases in staffing or cost

7. Channel and Technology Strategy

Define and rationalize roles across:
- Slate (admissions funnel)
- CRM capabilities (relationship and case management)
- Navigate (student success interventions)
- SIS and Utah 360/Pathify (student experience layer)
Eliminate duplicative or conflicting communication pathways across systems
Guide adoption of scalable, technology-enabled communication infrastructure

8. Organizational Design and Operating Model

Design and implement a coordinated or shared services model for SESS marketing and communications
Identify functions for centralization (campaign execution, lifecycle messaging, analytics)
Establish clear roles, standards, and accountability mechanisms across distributed units
Lead phased transition from decentralized execution to governed, performance-driven operations

Minimum Qualifications

EQUIVALENCY STATEMENT: 1 year of higher education can be substituted for 1 year of directly related work experience (Example: bachelor's degree = 4 years of directly related work experience).

Senior Director, Marketing Communications Management: Requires a bachelor's (or equivalency) + 14 years or a master's (or equivalency) + 12 years of directly related work experience.

Preferences

Senior leadership experience in complex, matrixed organizations with distributed authority and competing priorities
Demonstrated success linking marketing and communications strategy to measurable revenue, enrollment, or retention outcomes
Experience building and governing integrated, multi-channel communication ecosystems at scale
Strong analytical capability, including development of attribution models, dashboards, and performance metrics
Experience aligning marketing strategy with enterprise systems (CRM, SIS, advising platforms) and data infrastructure
Familiarity with lifecycle communication models spanning recruitment through student success
Higher education experience strongly preferred, particularly in enrollment management, student success, or academic program growth contexts
Experience leading organizational change, including implementation of shared services or centralized governance models
Ability to operate as an institutional integrator rather than a unit-level executor, with demonstrated influence across academic and administrative domains

Special Instructions

Requisition Number: PRN44853B
Full Time or Part Time? Full Time
Work Schedule Summary: Full-time, standard business hours; occasional evening/weekend work as needed
Department: 02404 - SVP Strategic Enrollment
Location: Campus
Pay Rate Range: $175,000
Close Date: 5/4/2026
Open Until Filled:

To apply, visit https://utah.peopleadmin.com/postings/200802