Director of Communications and Marketing - Dental School

The Division of Communications and Marketing, within the TUSDM Dean's Office, focuses on clear communication, Publications, and branding that supports and promotes the strategic plan and mission of the school and of the university. with an emphasis on high level customer service, the division has frequent interactions with both the TUSDM community and outside constituencies.

The Director of Communications and Marketing provides leadership and oversight for a broad range of internal and external strategies to promote the School of Dental Medicine to a variety of audiences, with the purpose of increasing the visibility and reputation of the school. Tasks include partnering with the leadership and colleagues throughout the School of Dental Medicine and with the University's central Marketing and Communications department in a collaborative effort to support all audiences and stakeholders. Areas of focus will include patient visits to the clinics, staff and faculty recruitment, alumni outreach, and brand awareness. The incumbent and his/her team work closely with the Dean, Executive Staff Officer, Executive Associate Dean, Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, Sr. Director of Advancement, and other senior leadership to develop well-conceived and well-executed marketing campaigns and activities that drive results for our academic, research, and clinical mission. The Director will supervise personnel, manage the division's finances, and be responsible for the success of the division, demonstrating a commitment to ongoing quality improvement and overall profitability. The Director and his or her staff will have responsibility for these four primary areas:

Content: Relays the TUSDM story using all available communications and marketing channels, including websites, social media, and print, and using all available media, including video and photography. The team produces the School's news feature News at One Kneeland, as well as weekly Deans Updates, annual Strategic Plan, and the Annual Dean's Report. The team works with Alumni Affairs and Development to facilitate publications for Tufts donors and friends. The team works collaboratively with other units at TUSDM to produce content as needed, e.g., Continuing Education content and courses. The team oversees the School's main social media channels, ensuring policy and guidelines are followed. Design and implementation of a school-wide events calendar. The Director oversees writing, editing, and production (high-quality digital media) of these key communication pieces and others. Collects and curates media from annual events (e.g., commencement, white coat ceremony, faculty appreciation, etc.) for content. Oversees TUSDM's website and leads both incremental and broad website creation and redesign efforts. Works closely with stakeholders across TUSDM to provide guidance to web editors.

Marketing and Branding: Oversees the TUSDM's brand and visual identity. Develops marketing strategies and campaigns to support patient recruitment and retention, advancement, and enrollment priorities. The team also supports creative and digital projects from university websites to email outreach to print collateral. Develop and implement a strategic and comprehensive marketing plan, which increases program enrollment and clinic visits, enhances the reputation of the school, and expands engagement/attendance at events and programs. Plays a role in crafting and implementing microtargeting strategies that are directly related to TUSDM. Oversee management and growth of social media channels, including content, audience targeting, monitoring, and tracking. Develops regular reports to track project results. Leads the conception and creation of marketing deliverables for the School's Admissions efforts, Clinical services, and Continuing Education programs. Works closely with leadership to guide creative vision and project planning for advertising and promotional efforts. Oversees creative direction and production of print, multimedia, and digital marketing programs including paid social advertising and SEO. Manages a team of freelance graphic designers, videographers, and photographers.

Media Relations: Works with the University's Media Relations for University-wide publications (e.g., Tufts Now). Coordinates communications with this group around issues and crisis management and helps develop special communications plans e.g., inclement weather, fire, flooding.

Internal Communications: Internal communications are vital in a large complex organization with unique constituencies. The director and the Deans Office will coordinate and streamline School-wide communications that are timely, clear, and consistent to amplify messages and reach the TUSDM community to increase awareness, build engagement, strengthen connection, and inspire pride in the School.

Management and Leadership: Will serve as a strategic advisor to the Dean of TUSDM and serve as a liaison to the Vice President for Communications and Marketing (UCM) at Tufts University, University College, and various departments within TUSDM and the Boston Health Campus. Manage a staff of two professionals and monitor staff performance to ensure the highest level of customer service is being given to all patients, students, faculty and peer staff. Create individual performance plans and conduct performance reviews. Hold regular meetings with team members. Responsible for completing the formal annual review process and communicating merit raises. Responsible for creating job postings for vacant positions and interviewing candidates. Must create training plans for new employees. Provide coaching and feedback on an on-going basis and discipline, if necessary. Responsible for weekly (non-exempt) or ongoing (exempt) time entry. Track and monitor vacation time, sick time and overtime to ensure there are no patterns or abuse of the policies. Attend Executive Faculty Meetings bimonthly.

Financial Management: Manage departmental finances to be consistent with expectations given by the finance division. Monitor unit finances on an ongoing basis. Responsible for preparing revenue and expense budgets and projections for the division. Provide advice and direction regarding the staffing and expenses necessary to meet the requirements of a successful operation.

Basic Requirements:

* Bachelor's degree and a minimum of 15+ years progressive experience in public relations, communications, and/or marketing communications required.
* Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communications skills as well as professional writing experience required.
* Experience articulating organizational and leadership priorities in messaging is essential.
* Experience working within and across multiple complex organizations, while understanding and addressing the needs of both is also critical.
* Supervisory experience required.

Excellent communication and customer services skills.
Strong attention to detail, skilled at problem solving and decision making.
History with supervisory roles, budget management and dentistry/education.
Familiarity with marketing and communication initiatives.

Preferred Qualifications:

* Master's degree in communications, journalism, or marketing preferred
* Possesses excellent oral and written communication skills and has experience responding to and effectively managing communications around sensitive issues and crises.
* Demonstrates excellent judgement and has a keen understanding of navigating within a higher education environment and working with various constituencies including faculty, staff, students, alumni, and donors.
* Experience serving as a media spokesperson, working with reporters, and advising leadership on media issues.
* Possesses strong leadership, decision-making, and personnel and fiscal management skills. Adept at leading, motivating, and developing direct reports.
* Experience setting graphic design and branding standards, leading creative projects with internal teams and stakeholders as well as managing external vendors.
* Ability to adapt writing style to many voices, while ensuring consistency across communications. Experience translating complex concepts for a lay audience.
* Experience with executive level speechwriting and crafting high-level internal messaging for leadership.
* Ability to work effectively across all departments of the organization and build strong relationships with multiple stakeholders and constituents.
* Deadline-oriented and self-motivated with strong attention to detail and organizational skills.
* Experience managing public-facing digital properties (website, social channels) and leading and implementing a digital communications strategy.