Assoc Dean, Marketing & Comms

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range: $180,000 - $220,000

Position Summary

The Associate Dean for Marketing and Communications serves as a senior leader at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and is responsible for advancing the School’s brand, visibility, and strategic communications efforts on a local, national, and global level. Reporting directly to the Dean, this role leads the development and execution of an integrated marketing and communications strategy that supports the School’s mission, priorities, and reputation as a leader in public health. The Associate Dean oversees the Office of Marketing & Communications, collaborates with academic and administrative leadership across the School and University, and drives initiatives that support student and faculty recruitment, philanthropic engagement, thought leadership, and stakeholder outreach. This position also serves as a key liaison with Columbia University and CUIMC communications offices to ensure alignment with institutional priorities and messaging.

Responsibilities

School Leadership

• Working closely with the Dean and fellow members of the 9-person Dean's Leadership Team, the ADMC will contribute to high-level strategy development for the School in sync with movements and trends in public health. The team’s work includes advancing strategic initiatives; making significant policy and budget decision; maximizing engagement of and relationship with the Board of Advisors, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and other stakeholders; and managing reputational risks and crises; and positioning the School as a leader in the field of public health, including relevant rankings.

Marketing and Communications Strategy and Leadership

• Provide communications and marketing leadership to the Dean and senior management team to articulate the School's vision and values and advance key School-wide objectives taking into account topical public health news and trends
• Lead the dissemination of effective communications and marketing strategies that differentiate Columbia Mailman from its peers and resonate with key stakeholder groups, including national and international media outlets and social media platforms; peer institutions; potential funders and current faculty, students, staff, and alumni.
• Collaborate with the Associate Dean for Development and Alumni Relations to develop innovative strategies, activities and materials to engage new donors and encourage fundraising initiatives, including supporting the launch of fundraising campaigns.
• Collaborate with the Vice Dean for Education to develop strategies, activities and materials in support of student recruitment to meet enrollment targets and increase the quality of the student applicant pool.
• Advise Academic Departments, Centers, programs, and administrative offices on their discrete communications needs and assist in their development of communications messages internally within Columbia Mailman and externally.

Marketing and Communications Operations

• Serve as the School's leader in media relations, including leading relationship-building to proactively garner positive media coverage that shapes public discourse and enhances the School's reputation, functioning as necessary as the School's spokesperson, managing elite media outreach, and advising the Dean and other leaders on targeted press inquiries and needed crisis communications.
• Lead a marketing and communications team responsible for proactively managing and amplifying the School's external visibility using social and traditional media, the website, social media vehicles (such as blogs, webinars, podcasts, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.), video, public events, and additional channels and communications tools as needed. Building a strong marketing component to add to a respected communications team.
• Working in concert with the Dean, members of the Dean's Leadership Team, Department and Center leaders, and key Columbia Mailman faculty, assist in preparing speeches, briefings, articles, editorials, and other materials that communicate the School's vision.
• Other Duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in education and experience; with 10 years of senior management experience in public relations, marketing and/or journalism.
• Deep appreciation of and passion for the public health vision and mission of the Columbia Mailman School, and an understanding of the role of public health in the well-being of society.
• Proven professional success in planning, developing and executing a comprehensive and innovative social and traditional communications strategy and managing a budget and staff.
• Orientation to work collaboratively with colleagues throughout the School and University.
• Track record of building collaborative relationships with colleagues in other institutions outside of the University.
• Track record of having successfully led through a period of transformation and growth within a highly complex environment.
• Agility to adjust plans based on emerging School needs as well as topical events and developments across the globe that link to the mission/vision of Columbia Mailman.

Preferred Qualifications

•  Master's degree preferred.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.