Director, Strategic Communications & Marketing full-time
York is a leading international teaching and research university, and a driving force for positive change. Empowered by a welcoming and diverse community with a uniquely global perspective, we are preparing our students for their long-term careers and personal success. Together, we can make things right for our communities, our planet and our future.
The Lassonde School of Engineering at York University was established in 2011, committed to our ground-breaking work in developing The Renaissance EngineerTM. Our mission is to create a culture that hums with curiosity, embraces ambiguity and is always hungry for learning. We are mobilizing a critical mass of risk-takers and change-makers, engaged in engineering and science education focused on reimagining the engineers and scientists of tomorrow. We are a group of doers, who truly love where we work, learn and grow. As a result, our School has been recognized as one of the top 10 emerging leaders, noted as a 'Place to Watch' in Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s report on ‘The global state of the art in engineering education’. Our School is a crucial part of York University, which is ranked 26th globally and 5th in Canada in Times Higher Education‘s 2019 University Impact Rankings that assesses universities against the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Our School values the society it lives and thrives in, and genuinely aims to be reflective of the community we are part of by creating pathways to attract our youth to STEM opportunities.
In this role, with a focus on innovation, creativity and data-based decision making, the Director, Strategic Communications & Marketing is accountable for developing, championing and implementing a vision and strategic plan for communications, marketing and public relations in support of the research, teaching, learning and student success priorities for the Faculty. Reporting to the Executive Officer and advising and supporting the Dean, the Director leads and bolsters their team in the proactive development, enhancement and successful execution of marketing, communications and public relations initiatives, events and tactics, and promotes ongoing communication with faculty, staff, students, alumni, industry partners and other key audiences. Areas of focus include developing and enhancing the Faculty's social media strategy and online presence, including leveraging data mining tools, techniques, and strategies. The Director champions the development and promotion of a strong, cohesive and effective Faculty brand identity and liaises with the Communications & Public Affairs division (C&PA) to advocate and prioritize the Faculty's objectives and to ensure efforts are complimentary to both the Faculty's and the broader University's strategic priorities.
To be considered for this opportunity, you will bring the following:
A graduate degree in a related field (i.e. communications or marketing) is required, plus specialized training in strategic enrolment management, project management and change management is strongly preferred.Minimum 5 years of leadership experience in communications, marketing and/or public relations, including significant demonstrated experience in developing and implementing strategic communications and marketing strategies and managing staff within a large portfolio in a complex unionized environment. Proven active use of strategies and techniques to attract media attention and develop media contacts (e.g. TV, radio, and print) in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and across Canada. Demonstrated experience in website management, reputation and brand management, and overall success in profile building and the creation of innovative, successful, communications strategies. Demonstrated experience and leadership with social media technology and innovation (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Flickr, blogs, wikis, RSS, social bookmarking, discussion forums and community software). Experience with online monitoring and measurement platforms including, but not limited to Facebook Insights, YouTube Insights, Google Analytics, HootSuite, TweetDeck and Social Mention.