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Intelligence
Job Opp: Director of Digital Communications, Widener University

Intelligence

Job Opp: Director of Digital Communications, Widener University

Jan 10, 2013By Voltaire Santos Miran

Our friends at Widener University are looking for a director of digital communications — interested? Contact Lou Anne Bulik. More information about the opp:

Director of Digital Communications Job Description
Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania, is seeking a digital leader to develop and build an integrated digital presence to advance its mission, vision, programmatic work, marketing and fundraising efforts. The director of digital communications will report to the assistant vice president for university relations and manage a small team of digital professionals, including a web content manager and video manager. The director of digital communications will coordinate digital communications across the university with many audiences, and will shepherd the university’s social media, interactive, and digital marketing efforts, and offer guidance on search engine optimization. S/he will manage Widener’s digital presence on the web and on television screens in public areas and LCD screens across campus. The director of digital communications will work closely with the director of public relations, executive director of admissions, dean of students, and other key administrators to identify and broadcast messages for the university’s communications channels. The director of digital communications will work the assistant vice president of University Relations, chief information officer, executive director of admissions, and other key individuals on campus to develop and implement a strategy for the university’s digital presence.

In addition, the director of digital communications will convene cross-functional teams responsible for content, design, analytics and maintenance of the website, social media outlets, and other related digital spaces (advertising, email marketing, mobile apps, blogs, etc.) in order to leverage and manage digital resources strategically and to ensure that the Widener brand identity and messages are presented consistently and effectively across all digital platforms. S/he will review and serve as the university-wide point person for digital initiatives – from customer relationship tools for admissions to alumni and development tools to leverage university resources. The director of digital communications will proactively assess and adopt emergent technologies and strategies and develop new programs accordingly. S/he will need to function as a visionary, strategist, implementer, and manager. Finally, the director of digital communications must be committed to achieving measureable results and hold her/himself and her/his team accountable for producing them.

Responsibilities
The Director of Digital Communications will:

  • Lead the strategy, execution, and implementation of all digital communications for Widener, including the website and social media.
  • Work closely with the assistant vice president of university relations to ensure an integrated and strategic approach to all aspects of Widener’s digital presence.
  • Coordinate the dissemination of messages and digital/social media traffic between the university and key stakeholders including prospective students, alumni, and others.
  • Serve as the point person with vendors for all digital marketing efforts, including paid online media, search engine marketing, interactive marketing, internal/external partnerships, etc.
  • Track the impact of Widener’s digital presence.
  • Manage Widener’s online response to crises.
  • Manage a web content manager.

Qualifications

  • Minimum of four years related experience with at least two years in a management position
  • Excellent writing, editing, proofreading, and verbal communication skills
  • Creative, resourceful, flexible team player
  • Experience and facility with CRM and CMS platforms, data management, HTML, and other development platforms
  • Excellent planning and web project management skills across multiple simultaneously developing platforms such as websites, social media, apps, mobile, etc.
  • Ability to set, manage, and ensure teams meet deadlines
  • Solid analytical and problem solving skills; ability to integrate disparate and fragmented content and processes across departments
  • Excellent collaborator. Ability to work effectively and harmoniously with technical and non-technical colleagues to successfully execute web projects in support of marketing and business development goals; demonstrated ability to manage internal teams, contractors, and consultants
  • Fluency in industry best practice tools and techniques for site optimization, and the capacity to successfully prioritize and implement improvements
  • A sophisticated understanding of digital user behavior and ability to apply these insights to develop more user-friendly experiences; Ability to identify and implement process improvements

How to Apply
For immediate consideration, please forward your resume and cover letter with salary requirements to labulik@widener.edu and indicate your name and “Director of Digital Communications” in the subject line. Applications submitted without a personalized cover letter and salary requirements will not be considered. Wherever possible, please include links to your work.


  • Voltaire Santos Miran EVP, Web Strategy I've developed and implemented communication strategies in education for more than 20 years now. I think my team at mStoner is the smartest, funniest, and coolest group of colleagues ever, and I can't imagine being anywhere else. Except Barcelona. Or Paris. Or Istanbul. To quote Isak Dinesen, "the cure for everything is salt ... tears, sweat, and the sea."