Senior Director, Strategic Alumni Communications

Department: Kellogg Communications
Salary/Grade: EXS/13

Job Summary:

The Senior Director, Strategic Alumni Communications is charged with building the Kellogg brand and reputation through strategic, proactive enterprise and external communication strategy and positioning, targeting alumni and high level prospects. In this role, the Senior Director will oversee the development and execution of the enterprise development communication strategy including management of institutional communication channels (KMAG, blog) as well as alumni communications and outreach. In addition, this position will work closely with the school's dean, senior leadership team and faculty to provide alumni communications counsel.

Please Note: A well-qualified candidate within this department or unit has been identified and will be considered for the position alongside other qualified candidates. The University reserves its right to give priority consideration to internal qualified candidates.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Responsible for recruiting and selecting, developing and coaching, rewarding and retaining, and optimizing talent. Provide guidance and direction to staff with emphasis on maintaining a high-performing work environment. Foster effective methods of communication and empowerment. This position will be responsible for embedding the Kellogg School of Management's mission/strategy, leadership philosophy/approach, and performance-driven culture into the Communications organization.
• Work in close collaboration with the CMCO to play a key strategic and day-to-day leadership role in the department. Manage and oversee the enterprise and alumni communications team and related day-to-day activities. Lead the development of messaging and materials to support strategic communications activities including KMAG issues, alumni newsletters and emails, contributed stories and speeches, as it relates to alumni and enterprise brand building. Manage agency and contractor relationships as well as related budget.
• Steward institutional reputation and positioning, including Kellogg's value proposition and Full Circle vision. Develop and implement a communication strategy and supporting plans including development of a compelling enterprise narrative that encompasses Kellogg's value proposition and vision, including distinct positioning around key reputation drivers. Manage issues to protect and enhance the school's reputation among key stakeholders.
• Promote the Dean, senior leadership, faculty and alumni on a global basis, to drive thought leadership that collectively positions Kellogg as a leading global business school. This includes enhancing the school's visibility on topics of strategic importance by leveraging owned and social media, as well as alumni events and speaking engagements etc.
• Provide communications strategy and counsel for cross-functional integrated projects. Contribute to strategic external marketing and other functional planning to advance goals of the organization. Partner with senior functional leaders to set strategy, ensure message alignment and impact as well as achievement of established performance goals. Responsible for measuring impact of enterprise strategy and ensuring alignment with other strategies.

Miscellaneous

Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations or related field, or the equivalent combination of education, training and experience from which comparable skills can be acquired.

• Minimum of 10 years of experience in all aspects of media and public relations, strategic internal/external communications and reputation management with increasing levels of responsibility within a complex organization.

• Excellent strategic communications, development and public relations experience

• Senior-level experience developing communication strategy and related plans; demonstrated ability to achieve established goals and business objectives as a result.

• Proven ability to counsel and advise executive and senior leaders on effective strategic communication best practices and approaches; strong problem solving ability and senior-level experience navigating complex crisis and issues management

• Fluency in MS Office suite required.

• Demonstrated ability to work with and counsel C-level executives required

• Strong aptitude for critical thinking and ability to navigate complex business topics and issues with a focus on developing communication solutions that achieve established goals required

• Demonstrated appreciation for the depth of issues facing MBA schools, and an interest and in-depth understanding of the management research interests of faculty at Kellogg School of Management required.

• Demonstrated ability to work with all levels of academic, administrative and corporate management required.

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, ability to develop messaging and positioning on complex topics and issues required

• Proven good judgment and an ability to work collaboratively across functions and groups to achieve established objectives required.

• Ability to work with tact, diplomacy and discretion required.

• Strong organizational, project management skills and workflow coordination skills required.

• Exceptional attention to detail required.

• Demonstrated ability in handling multiple priorities and meeting tight deadlines required.

• Ability to quickly analyze and integrate information from relevant (and sometimes disparate) sources required.

• Demonstrated initiative and ability to self-start required.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in a management-level communications role.

Target hiring range for this position will be $165,000 - $173,000 per year. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Benefits:
At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness:
Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities, and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.
We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development:
Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status. View Northwestern's non-discrimination statement. Job applicants who wish to request an accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. View additional information on the accommodations process.

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