Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Rice University is ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio, and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally, and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lectures series, courses, and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.
Rice University is currently seeking to hire a dynamic Director of Communications and Marketing for the Facilities & Capital Planning and Rice Real Estate Company. In this, high-level individual contributor role designed for a strategic thinker, you will excel in developing and executing comprehensive public relations, marketing, and communications strategies. In addition, you will focus on developing a cohesive brand presence, fostering university collaboration, increasing visibility, driving business development, and crafting effective messaging for issues management, internal communications, and media. You will also collaborate closely with Public Affairs, the Operation Excellence & Engagement team, and other relevant offices to ensure coordinated strategies, timing, and messaging. This role offers an excellent opportunity for a seasoned professional to impact high-level strategic work while focusing on their expertise.
The ideal candidate for this position is a seasoned marketing and communications professional with a proven ability to develop and execute strategic public relations and marketing initiatives. They should possess strong leadership capabilities, excellent writing and editing skills, and experience in managing a team. The ideal candidate should also be an innovative thinker with a passion for digital marketing and technology.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Work in collaboration with the Rice University Office of Public Affairs to ensure strategic alignment and strategies for overall marketing, communication, and reputation management. This includes developing and maintaining beat-specific relationships with journalists and agencies, coordinating media opportunities, and responding within university protocols to external inquiries.
- Create and execute public relations strategies and coordinate with agency partners to develop PR campaigns to enhance the organization’s public image.
- Set objectives, identify target audiences, determine the best communication channels, and use industry reporting tools for measurement.
- Write, edit, and distribute content such as press releases, fact sheets, speeches, newsletters, and presentations that support the team leader and convey the organization’s message in a clear and positive way.
- Assist with crisis communication and alerts specific to the role of the unit within the overall university structure (in collaboration with the Rice University Emergency Management Team). This includes developing crisis communication plans and strategies.
- Manage and oversee social media strategies, including content creation, posting schedules, and engagement with followers. Monitor social media trends and their impact on the brand.
- Organize and manage events such as public appearances or community events to promote the organization and its products or services.
- Track media coverage and public perceptions of the organization. Analyze and report on the effectiveness of PR campaigns and strategies to stakeholders.
- Help to shape and maintain the public image of the organization or brand through messaging and media presence. Ensure consistency across all platforms and mediums.
- Lead the development and execution of marketing strategies that support the achievement of business development and financial performance goals for the portfolio.
- Create and implement targeted marketing programs, initiatives, and strategies for new business development and ongoing operations.
- Analyze market data to identify trends, opportunities, and threats; devise effective short- and long-term marketing responses.
- Coordinate with internal leaders to execute advertising and promotional campaigns.
- Establish a network of industry contacts; participate in industry events and associations.
- Utilize cutting-edge digital marketing strategies and technologies.
- Organize and lead new business presentations, develop marketing materials, respond to RFPs, and manage client relations.
- Lead the execution of corporate communication strategies to inspire and engage employees and stakeholders across multiple channels.
- Communicate on behalf of F&CP to the Rice Community for construction efforts that may cause campus-wide disruption.
- Develop and disseminate a variety of communications materials, including emails, internal articles, newsletters, and digital signage, to ensure the timely and effective delivery of key messages.
- Help manage and maintain content across various communication platforms, ensuring brand consistency, including maintaining website content specific to marketing and communications.
- Collaborate across functional teams to deliver communications that support business priorities and reinforce the firm’s culture to the campus community.
- Provide comprehensive support in proofreading, editing, and maintaining the consistency of the brand voice in all communications.
- Performs all other duties as assigned.
- Represent Facilities & Capital Planning and the Real Estate Company in admin groups and/or forums where public speaking would be required (if needed).
- Adhere to Rice University print material and brand standards.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Bachelor’s degree
- 4 years of experience in public relations or marketing, with expertise in media relations and strategic marketing
- Proven ability in marketing and communications, including enhancing employee engagement
- Excellent writing, editing, and verbal communication skills
- Strong leadership capabilities and experience managing a team
- Ability to multitask and perform in a fast-paced environment
- Innovative thinker with a passion for digital marketing and technology
- Strategic planning and execution skills
- Proficiency in digital marketing and social media strategies
- Ability to develop and maintain relationships with media and industry contacts
- Experience with crisis communication and issues management
- Bachelor’s degree or higher in communications, marketing, public relations, digital marketing, or related is preferred
- 5+ years of experience in communications, marketing, public relations, or a related field is preferred
- Experience in higher education or commercial real estate is preferred
Special Note to Applicants: When applying for this role, please be sure to attach a cover letter and a resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application. We suggest the documents be in a PDF format to avoid formatting issues.
Rice University is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to diversity at all levels and considers for employment qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status.