Assistant Dean of Marketing and Communications

Assistant Dean of Marketing and Communications

Position Title:

Assistant Dean of Marketing and Communications

Position Type:

Regular

Hiring Range:

$115,200 - $129,600; Compensation will be based on education, experience, skills relevant to the role, and internal equity.

Pay Frequency:

Annual

This is a unique opportunity for an accomplished marketer to help grow the reputation and contribute to revenue growth for the School of Engineering. Its unique connection to Silicon Valley and its highly engaged alumni base provide great potential for this position to enhance the School of Engineering's standing as a leading global brand in Higher Education. In this high-visibility, high-impact role, the Assistant Dean will serve as a member of the senior leadership team and a strategic partner to the Dean and other key SoE leaders shaping school-wide marketing and communications direction and collaborating with university-level partners to ensure SoE's visibility internally and externally. This role directly contributes to enrollment growth, philanthropic revenue, and long-term brand equity for the School of Engineering. The Assistant Dean serves as a strategic driver of demand generation, market positioning, and external visibility that supports undergraduate and graduate enrollment strategy targets, donor engagement, and the stewardship of current and anticipated gift funds.

Principal Responsibility

Reporting to the Dean and as a key member of the Dean's senior leadership team, the Assistant Dean provides strategic leadership and oversight to the development of a marketing and communications strategy, and drives its implementation in a manner that effectively and successfully supports the overall vision and objectives for the SoE. The Assistant Dean also establishes marketing and communications-related performance metrics and indicators, and uses these to ensure effective usage and good stewardship of School resources. The Assistant Dean will lead the team responsible for building and maintaining the School's brand in the digital space by driving exposure, influence, and engagement in all forms of social media. S/he will drive the planning and execution of the school's social media strategy, including setting guidelines and parameters for social media across the school The Assistant Dean will lead strategic guidance, consultation, and final review on major marketing initiatives to ensure cohesion with school-wide and university brand standards. Additionally, the Assistant Dean serves as a key member of the School's extended leadership team and advises the Dean on high-level communications, market positioning, and strategic planning. The Assistant Dean operates as a senior advisor to the Dean and School leadership, translating institutional priorities into integrated marketing, communications, and enrollment strategies. This role exercises delegated authority over school-wide marketing standards, messaging consistency, and campaign prioritization, with accountability for measurable outcomes related to enrollment growth, reputation, and revenue-supporting initiatives.

Specific Duties

A. Relationship-building & school understanding

Gain an appreciation and understanding of key objectives for all constituencies and the history and culture of the SoE by meeting with faculty, staff, students, and alumni. Develop and maintain effective relationships throughout the School to achieve marketing and communications goals. Build institutional knowledge and strategies to unlock new opportunities for growth and ways to operate more effectively. Ability to identify, communicate, and market compelling programs and activities, as well as characteristics that differentiate SoE programs from competitors. Represents the school at internal leadership meetings and cross-functional planning groups.

B. Strategy Development

Co-develops and leads the implementation of a multi-year marketing and communications strategy in collaboration with the Dean, ensuring alignment with school objectives. Identify and champion efforts to clearly and concisely articulate the identity and branding of the engineering school for both internal and external audiences through creative services, market research, business intelligence, and product management. The strategy should address a wide range of stakeholders to include peer institutions, industry leaders, corporate partners, alumni, prospective students, and donors. It should also address functions for recruiting, fundraising, reputation management, strategic partnering, etc.

C. Team Leadership

Provides direction, supervision, and professional development for the marketing and communications team. Lead and build the marketing and communications team to develop, plan, and implement the strategic plan and measure, report, and evaluate the effectiveness of those activities based on measurable metrics. Provide a regular feedback loop of this information to key stakeholders and solicit their input. Partners with the Dean on long-term organizational design, workforce planning, and role evolution to ensure the marketing and communications function scales with the School's growth.

D. Social Media & Digital Management

• Oversees, interprets, and directs digital analytics and performance metrics and recommends strategic pivots. Research top influencers, competitors, and trends. Track and stay on top of any new emerging platforms or market trends in higher ed. Routinely share this information with appropriate stakeholders. Base all recommendations on data.
• Regularly evaluate and advance existing digital and web initiatives (websites, email communications, e-newsletters, and social media). Ensures the website is SEO-aligned and user-centered. Lead improvements to web, email, newsletter, and digital communications ecosystems. Develop a robust digital marketing and communications strategy while collaborating with all areas of the engineering school. Ensure that the website is engaging and useful to all constituent groups, such as peer institutions and corporate entities.
• Implement and manage social media campaigns and strategies which include but are not limited to research, campaign and content creation, execution, evaluation, and reporting.
• Build and continually refine SoE's social media profiles. Ensure the maintenance and evolution of the School's digital presence and presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Snapchat. Plan, create, and implement shareable content appropriate for specific networks to spread SoE's brand, content, and links.
• Stay current with social media trends and tools - including attending networking and educational events, reading blogs, and listening to podcasts.

E. Marketing/Advertising

• Oversees vendor relationships, evaluates ROI, and recommends contract renewals. Must possess skills and talent to create sophisticated professional-level materials in-house, without needing to rely heavily on outsourcing everything. Monitor metrics and identify opportunities for campaigns. Integrate marketing among vendors. Review new marketing tools to ensure efficiency and smart usage. Ensures integrated marketing across units and external agencies.
• Set performance metrics and indicators, and monitor and utilize these to recommend investment strategies for effectiveness in relation to the Dean's and School's priorities.
• Develop relationships with key media offices to promote the School and its faculty. Partner with SCU Online on graduate programs and marketing needs. Proactively manage information and access to media outlets that specifically determine national rankings.
• Oversee and engage in relevant social discussions about the school and its competitors from current and incoming students.
• Develop and implement a content strategy across all channels to promote the School, faculty, student recruitment, and fundraising campaigns, including print and digital assets.
• Set content strategy priorities; coordinates with school leadership on reputation management, student recruitment positioning, and institutional storytelling.
• Support the Dean in crisis communications. Issues Management Plan and prepares communications strategies and messages for topical issues and crises.
• Collaborate with Corporate Partnerships, Development, and external partners to elevate executive outreach. Support efforts that target executives nationally and internationally for overall image enhancement, development of student internship and job placement opportunities, executive speaking events, and executive education initiatives.
• Implement social promotions and campaigns and track their success, such as webinars/webcasts, event live streams, and Twitter chats, to Google+ hangouts. Help advance and support University Relations' objectives through compelling social media campaigns, specifically during the Day of Giving and Grand Reunion.
• Provide strategic oversight and final approval of marketing and communications for high-profile events, including the Dean's Speaker Series, and collaborate to deliver reunion and Commencement communications for SoE graduates.
• Manage publicity opportunities and communications aspects of key events, including lectures and speaker series. Work with the Dean to prepare remarks and talking points. Advise the Dean and faculty on media opportunities for the SoE. Counsel the Dean and faculty members on marketing and communications strategies, opportunities, and techniques.
• Represent the school in university-wide marketing and communications councils and working groups.
• Collaborate with Storytelling, Media/Comms, and Brand/Marketing teams in UMC to proactively solicit information from faculty and staff on SoE's accomplishments, research, and trends. Ensure the accuracy and professional look of everything presented publicly. Develop in-depth knowledge of School programs.

F. Staff Supervision:

• Supervises marketing, communications, and digital media staff; establishes clear role expectations; evaluates performance; and ensures all work produced by the team meets school standards, taking responsibility for all items produced by these staff.
• Provides ongoing, constructive feedback with real-time guidance and comprehensive annual reviews, with a strong emphasis on professional growth and continual improvement of the Marketing and Communications team.

G. Budget Oversight:

Develop and oversee the M&C budget, including forecasting, financial planning, and ROI analysis in alignment with school goals.. Must always view expenses through a return on investment lens and from the point of view of effectiveness and good stewardship of resources. Recommends resource allocation decisions tied to enrollment impact, donor engagement, and strategic growth initiatives, ensuring alignment with School-wide priorities.

H. Enrollment, Revenue, and Growth Strategy

• Serve as a strategic partner to Enrollment Management, Graduate Programs, and SCU Online to develop and execute integrated marketing strategies that support undergraduate and graduate enrollment goals.
• Lead the development of enrollment-focused marketing and communications campaigns informed by market research, competitive analysis, and performance data, with responsibility for messaging, channel strategy, and conversion optimization.
• Align branding, content strategy, and digital marketing efforts to prospective student pipelines across awareness, consideration, and yield phases.
• Oversee the analysis of enrollment and campaign performance data and provide data-driven, actionable insights to School leadership to inform program growth, positioning, and investment decisions.

I. Advancement Marketing and Communications, Impact Strategy, and Gift Stewardship Alignment

• Partner with University Relations and Development to strategically communicate the impact of philanthropic support of the School, translating gifts into clear, compelling narratives that demonstrate outcomes, value, and alignment with the School's mission and strategic priorities.
• Lead the development of donor-facing impact storytelling, including program highlights, outcome summaries, and visibility assets that celebrate philanthropy while reinforcing the School's academic, research, and community impact.
• Provide strategic guidance on how the School's gift-funded initiatives are positioned and publicized, ensuring consistent messaging that elevates program visibility, strengthens institutional reputation, and supports long-term donor engagement without duplicating fundraising functions.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to ensure communications accurately reflect donor intent, gift restrictions, and stewardship best practices, while maximizing the visibility and narrative value of philanthropic investments.
• Support the Dean and Development partners by amplifying the outcomes of funded initiatives, using communications as a lever to demonstrate return on philanthropic investment and build confidence among current and prospective donors.

Qualifications

The successful candidate will possess the following qualifications:

Knowledge

• A successful track record of strategic marketing leadership by applying global business acumen. Experience in developing marketing programs for domestic and international audiences is important. Experience developing strategies for digital and direct marketing, market research, social media, content marketing, web presence, mobile, creative direction, and PR.
• Robust knowledge and experience with developing objectives, strategy, and sophisticated tactical marketing and communications plans.
• Understanding of the demands of protecting and promoting a world-class global brand.
• Familiarity with data analytics, their interpretation, and presentation of that information to a wide range of stakeholders.
• Experience working in higher education is preferred.

Skills

• Demonstrated outstanding leadership, organizational, and management skills.
• A perceptive, energetic individual who can affect change in a dynamic environment and steward the School's brand. Excellent skills in managing, holding accountable, motivating, and supporting creative people in the marketing and communications unit.
• Ability to build consensus, manage relationships across a diverse group of internal and external constituents, and decisively problem-solve in a fast-moving, decentralized organization.

Demonstrated ability to lead, motivate, and develop a large, diverse group of employees.

*

Abilities

• Charismatic leader: The primary spokesperson after the Dean: collaborative, confident, low on ego and high on EQ, sense of humor, a true team player who intuitively knows when to lead and when to support. A leader who is just as effective as an individual contributor.
• Visionary Partner: the ability to make a vision come alive, assign appropriate responsibilities, and directly contribute to seeing it through.
• Superior ability to build strong client relationships and well-honed communication skills, including giving persuasive presentations, writing superbly, and speaking cogently and compellingly.
• An effective leader adept at managing change, building relationships with people from diverse areas of the School and the University, and inspiring those outside their direct sphere of control. Clear ability to lead by example.
• The ability to evaluate the quality and ROI of all external vendors selected to work with the marketing and communications team.
• Change agent: proven ability to drive change is necessary to continue to advance the quality of the team's contributions.
• Cross-functional catalyst: leads the optimization of overall team performance.
• Culture champion: demonstrates character and action that embodies brand values, actively supports department culture growth, and drives innovation for best results.
• Takes personal responsibility for all aspects of material produced by the staff led by this position.

Education

Bachelor's degree required; Master's preferred Marketing, public relations, or liberal arts preferred. Advanced degree preferred

Years of Experience

8-10 years of progressive leadership experience in marketing, communications, enrollment marketing, or related strategic functions, preferably within higher education or complex mission-driven organizations.

Work Interactions

The Assistant Dean reports directly to the Dean of the School of Engineering. The Assistant Dean will oversee the marketing and communications team and collaborate with the University Office of Marketing and Communications and vendors for videos, media relations, advertising, publications, and printing.

Supervision

• Supervise Digital Media Specialist (1 FTE)
• Supervise the Marketing Coordinator

May supervise additional staff (1 FTE)

*

Telecommute

Santa Clara University is registered to do business in the following states: California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, and Illinois. Employees approved to telecommute are required to perform their work within one of these states.

EEO Statement

Equal Opportunity/Notice of Nondiscrimination

Santa Clara University is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship, ancestry, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, gender identity, marital status, parental status, veteran or military status, physical or mental disability, medical conditions, pregnancy or related conditions, reproductive health decision making, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. For a complete copy of Santa Clara University's equal opportunity and nondiscrimination policies, please visit the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX website at https://www.scu.edu/title\-ix/.

Clery Notice of Availability

Santa Clara University annually collects information about campus crimes and other reportable incidents in accordance with the federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. To view the Santa Clara University report, please visit the Campus Safety Services website. To request a paper copy please call Campus Safety at (408) 554-4441. The report includes the type of crime, venue, and number of occurrences.

Americans with Disabilities Act

Consistent with its obligations under the law, Santa Clara University will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants who wish to request a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact the Department of Human Resources ADA Team at hraccommodations@scu.edu or by phone at (408)554-5750.

To view the full job posting and apply for this position, go to https://wd1\.myworkdaysite.com/en\-US/recruiting/scu/scu/job/Santa\-Clara\-CA/Assistant\-Dean\-of\-Marketing\-and\-Communications\_R7162

jeid-13d7da1e54c0964f817e099f4198c4ed