Assistant Vice President for Marketing

To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by 11:59pm (MT) on 03/20/2026.

Position Summary:

The Marketing team within University Advancement leads the development, stewardship and activation of the University of Northern Colorado’s (UNC) brand in support of institutional growth, engagement, and enrollment objectives. The Assistant Vice President (AVP) for Marketing leads this team by translating institutional priorities into clear, coordinated, and mission-centered messaging that strengthens enrollment, reputation, and stakeholder engagement. The Assistant Vice President for Marketing will serve as the university’s chief marketing and brand strategist. The AVP provides strategic leadership and administrative oversight for the university’s centralized marketing function and partners with other embedded units across the campus. Reporting to the Vice President for University Advancement and serving as a senior member of the Advancement leadership team, the AVP provides vision, direction and leadership for UNC’s brand strategy, enrollment marketing, creative development, digital marketing, advertising, web strategy and marketing analytics all in service to strengthening institutional reputation, supporting enrollment and student success objectives, driving philanthropic engagement, and increasing visibility and perception of the university’s brand.

In close collaboration with the AVP for Communications, the AVP for Marketing partners with campus leaders and communicators to ensure that institutional messaging is clear, consistent, and reflective of the university’s academic excellence and public mission.

As a senior member of the University Advancement leadership team, the AVP fosters collaboration across campus and leads a professional staff committed to advancing the university’s strategic priorities through thoughtful, data-informed marketing initiatives.

Job Duties:

Provide Vision and Strategic Direction

The Assistant Vice President for Marketing leads the development and execution of comprehensive, data-driven marketing and brand strategies aligned with UNC’s strategic plan and enrollment and fundraising goals. The AVP partners closely with Admissions and university leadership to ensure marketing strategies support measurable enrollment growth and retention, and brand awareness outcomes. The AVP will define key performance indicators (KPIs) for marketing initiatives and implement dashboards and reporting systems that provide leadership with clear insight into campaign effectiveness, brand health and enrollment impact. The position is responsible for ensuring data-informed decision making and measurable results across all marketing investments. Areas of focus include:

-Develop and implement a comprehensive, integrated marketing and communications strategy aligned with the university’s strategic plan

-Establish appropriate assessment measures and performance indicators to evaluate marketing effectiveness.

-Provide oversight of institutional brand positioning and messaging to ensure alignment with the university’s mission and values.

-Serve as a strategic advisor to the Vice President for University Advancement on marketing-related matters.

-Lead marketing strategies that support enrollment, philanthropy, and increased awareness of UNC’s brand.

-Partner with Admissions and enrollment leadership to design coordinated, audience-focused recruitment campaigns.

-Utilize market research, demographic analysis, and institutional data to inform strategy and resource allocation.

-Support communication efforts that reinforce student success and retention priorities.

Advance and Protect UNC’s Brand

The AVP serves as steward of the UNC brand, ensuring clarity, consistency and differentiation across marketing efforts. This includes:

-Oversee the development and implementation of brand standards and visual identity guidelines as well as brand positioning and messaging frameworks.

-Ensure consistency and quality across marketing materials and platforms.

-Creating and executing marketing campaigns that reflect UNC’s distinctive value proposition

-Identify and elevate content that highlights the accomplishments of students, faculty, staff, and alumni to increase brand awareness.

-Develop the understanding and ability of campus collaborators to support UNC’s brand through tools, trainings, and other collaboration.

Department Leadership and Management

The AVP hires, develops and leads a centralized marketing team focused on brand, enrollment marketing, creative production and digital strategy. The position manages the marketing budget and allocates resources to maximize measurable outcomes and return on investment. Examples of this include:

-Provide leadership, supervision, and professional development for marketing staff.

-Establish clear expectations, promote accountability, and foster a collaborative team environment.

-Partner effectively with AVP for Communication to ensure coordination across functions of MarComm.

-Coordinate project prioritization and workflow management to meet institutional needs.

-Support a culture of continuous improvement and professional growth.

-Develop and manage the department’s operating and marketing budgets and ensure responsible stewardship of university resources.

-Oversee contracts, vendor relationships, and advertising expenditures in accordance with university policies.

Strategic Partnership and Campus Collaboration

The AVP will serve as a respected campus leader and brand ambassador for the university and the Division of University Advancement across the campus. In partnership with advancement, enrollment and university leadership, the AVP will identify strategic opportunities where marketing and brand strategy can add value to key stakeholder groups, including prospective students, alumni, donors, parents and community partners. The AVP will ensure that campus wide marketing initiatives strengthen UNC’s reputation, support enrollment growth, deepen engagement, and advance institutional priorities. To accomplish this, the AVP must:

-Partner with academic and administrative units to advance institutional initiatives through strategic marketing support.

-Provide consultation on messaging, positioning, and audience engagement strategies.

-Represent marketing and University Advancement within university committees and working groups as appropriate.

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree required. Master’s degree in marketing, communications, business, or related field preferred. Equivalent professional experience may substitute for advanced degree.

The ideal candidate will be a creative, inspiring and energetic leader who will advance the department's mission; a skilled administrator who values collaborative governance and student-centeredness; and a visionary who is well-informed about emerging trends in marketing. An understanding of student recruitment and/or philanthropy and community relations is important.

-10 years of progressively responsible experience in strategic marketing leadership, preferably in higher education or a similarly complex organization.

-Demonstrated experience leading brand strategy and enrollment marketing initiatives

-Expertise in digital marketing, paid media strategy and marketing analytics

-Experience managing marketing budgets and optimizing marketing performance

-Strong understanding of brand positioning and competitive differentiation

-Demonstrated understanding of the advancement model, including development, alumni engagement and campaign strategy, and the ability to align brand positioning and marketing initiatives to support philanthropic growth and long-term institutional sustainability.