Director of Communications, Marketing & External Relations, School of Law

$110,000 – $130,000

Job Description:

The Director of Communications, Marketing, and External Relations serves as a key senior leader at the law school who oversees the Communications & External Relations team.

This position is responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive communication and marketing strategy to enhance the school’s reputation and the reputation of its programs and faculty, and to promote its image with a variety of internal and external audiences, including prospective and current students, alumni, donors, and local, national, and international legal communities.

In conjunction with the Dean, Associate Dean for Administration, Communications and External Relations team, as well as other law school and university alumni relations, communications, and development partners, the Director helps develop and implement the strategy for the law school’s engagement with key stakeholders to build a sense of pride and a culture of support for the law school.

Key Functions/Responsibilities
Communications & Marketing Strategy / Team Management

Build the profile and reputation of the law school among its key constituents: prospective and current students, staff, and faculty, alumni, the legal academy, community partners, and the broader local, national, and international legal community.

Lead and manage all aspects of the marketing and communications functions for UBalt Law.

Supervise, assign, and evaluate the work of the External Relations team, including the Associate Director of External Relations and Web and Technical Support Specialist, to accomplish the profile-building goals of the law school.

Ensure the department’s work is integrated, mutually supportive, and aligned with institutional goals.

Develop and implement strategic public relations and communications plans to shape the organization’s image and brand reputation.

Collaborate with alumni relations and development leadership regarding alumni and external constituencies and collaborate with other internal stakeholders (e.g., faculty, programs, other departments) regarding strategic marketing and communications.

Develop and manage ongoing campaigns and one-time efforts designed to create general awareness, promote programs, connect with donors, and engage applicants, while building deeper relationships with both existing student and alumni audiences.

Establish online marketing goals, growth strategies, and measurement metrics for various online audiences.

Lead crisis communications planning and oversee responses to issues or incidents that require PR intervention.

With Law Admissions and other partners, craft the marketing strategies for law school programs including its video and print viewbook, website, and social media campaigns to support recruitment and enrollment efforts for JD and Graduate Tax Programs, as well as other reputation-enhancing initiatives.

Develop, promote, and manage webinar panels, and oversee the editing and posting of recordings on YouTube to share on social media.

Oversee the creation and distribution of various publications and other materials (e.g., annual magazine, program newsletters, press releases, presentations) to effectively engage target audiences. Serve as project manager and oversee work when outside vendors are procured for communications and/or marketing support.

Produce at least one digital magazine issue per year, including writing, editing, graphic design, and management of freelance writers and photographers.

Coordinate with law school and university colleagues on the production of other publications and implement other promotion and publicity initiatives for the law school.

Provide ongoing research on peer institutions to measure law school presence in critical areas such as recruitment, admissions, alumni communications, donor relations, philanthropy, communications efforts, and global positioning.

Gather and create news from law school stakeholders, with a focus on faculty scholarship, clinics, centers, programs, and alumni, and identify and implement the most impactful ways to promote it through appropriate platforms.

Develop and maintain relationships with media outlets and within the academy and community to inform strategy and placement of law school news.

Serve as an “all seeing eye” of the law school calendar to maximize communications and alumni engagement opportunities.

Write speaker bios and prepare draft speeches/remarks, as needed.

Brief the Dean and Associate Dean for Administration on key contacts attending events to maximize opportunities for leadership engagement.

Develop and manage the budget for marketing and communications activities; track and make adjustments to plans, as required.

Serve as a primary contact for university communications and marketing colleagues. Represent UBalt Law in campus meetings and special projects.

Departmental Newsletters, Faculty Accolades, and Scholarship Promotion

Edit and distribute annual newsletters from centers, programs, and clinics, including the Center for Criminal Justice Reform, Center for International and Comparative Law, Fannie Angelos Program, and the Clinics.

Work with the Associate Dean for Faculty Scholarship, OAA, Library Director, and Faculty Scholarship Librarian to create content highlighting faculty scholarship internally and throughout the academy.

Alumni Engagement and Partnership Management

Oversee and closely direct the work of the Associate Director of External Relations to lead alumni and community engagement initiatives.

Coordinate with alumni engagement, partnership management, and development colleagues to set strategy and ensure project needs are met.

Ensure alumni newsletters, class notes, and other communications are issued regularly.

Serve as the primary contact for a portfolio of media and community partnerships (e.g., OAG, OPD, city and state governments, partner institutions such as Hopkins, Loyola, other USM institutions).

Collaborate with the Office of Advancement and External Relations and other university communications and marketing staff.

Online Presence and Internal and External Digital Content & Promotion

Plan, create, execute, and oversee the law school’s online presence and content strategy.

Ensure the law school’s website is updated, concise, organized, navigable, and consistent with overall branding.

Manage and grow social media presence and outreach across all channels; develop and plan editorial content calendars highlighting key school milestones, alumni achievements, rankings, donor campaigns, and other institutional elements.

Engage with faculty, staff, and students to improve website content and presence.

Promote key law school events, providing media relations support, signage, and VIP/alumni engagement management, as needed.

Other Duties

Perform additional duties as assigned by the Dean or Associate Dean.

Support Commencement publicity and communications needs, as needed.

Required Education and Experience

Education: Bachelor’s degree

Experience: 7 years in communications and/or marketing fields

Preferred Education and Experience

Education: Master’s Degree

Experience: 10 years’ work experience in communications and/or marketing

Required Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Excellent writing, editing, organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills

Ability to multitask and manage multiple responsibilities and timelines

Collaborative and professional interaction with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and public

Proficiency in traditional media and social media platforms (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, etc.)

Experience managing and updating websites

Experience creating and producing publications and marketing materials

Understanding of online marketing fundamentals

Familiarity with email service providers, segmentation, targeting, and A/B testing tools

Experience with quantitative and qualitative data collection

Strong managerial and leadership skills

Hands-on experience with digital marketing, website management, content generation, digital advertising, social media management, and asset development

Knowledge of alumni engagement, development teams, website design, business strategies, and social channels

Familiarity with Google Analytics, graphic design software, and web content management systems

Proficient in MS Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)

Benefits

Competitive health, life, prescription, and dental plans

Tuition remission benefits

Paid leave: 22 days annual, 15 days sick, 3 days personal, and 14–15 holidays

Retirement plans with employer contributions

Additional Job Information

The University of Baltimore (“UBalt” or “University”) does not discriminate on the basis of sex, gender, race, religion, age, disability, national origin, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other legally protected characteristics in its programs, activities, or employment practices. UBalt is an Equal Opportunity/ADA Compliant Employer & Title IX Institution.

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