Columbia Business School is now at a transformative point of our 100+ year history of leadership and impact in business education and practice, catalyzed by our upcoming move to our new, state-of-the-art campus.
The Business School is seeking a Chief Marketing and Communications Officer (CMCO) who is primarily responsible for development of an integrated and holistic strategy to support the School’s fundamental objectives and overarching vision as established by the dean. Reporting directly to the dean and serving as a member of the School’s senior leadership team, he/she/they guide the development of a unified set of marketing, communications and public relations activities that collectively raise visibility of the School, engage a broad range of audiences and stakeholders, and crystalize a differentiated brand identity in a competitive marketplace.
Responsibilities
Overseeing a talented team of practitioners and working with a small number of direct reports, the CMCO guides a robust set of strategy and tactics:
Establishes and directs a coordinated strategy that supports the dean’s vision and the School’s leading priorities, including: demonstrating the impact of faculty thought-leadership; recruiting the best and brightest prospective students; preparing the next generation of students to serve as leaders in the digital future of business; engaging the School’s esteemed and global alumni community; and working cross-collaboratively to elevate awareness of School-wide initiatives that tackle some of the world’s most pressing problems.
In collaboration with the School’s dean and senior staff, the CMCO serves as the voice of the School’s marketing, communications and PR efforts to senior leadership and ensures all activities are aligned with leadership’s priorities and inclusive of the School’s broad constituencies, including faculty, staff, prospective and current students, and global alumni. They are a primary point of contact for a number of senior leaders and departments that have shared interest in and ownership of key constituents of the School, including but not limited to: Admissions; Student Affairs; External Relations and Development; Career Management; and Centers and Programs.
Works closely with the Vice Dean of Research to create a strategy for faculty research promotion to ensure that both internal and external audiences are aware of faculty impact beyond what is taught in the classroom. This strategy must include the website, media outreach, School-sponsored conferences and events, marketing materials, magazines and postings, and social media.
Oversees all content creation for the School by supervising a team of writers, videographers, designers, and editors as well as various contract/freelance vendors who produce various content vehicles, including a podcast, a print and digital magazine, numerous videos, online-only articles and other content.
Responsible for implementing the School’s new website, ensuring that stakeholder needs are addressed and deadlines are met and that content is effectively managed and prioritized.
Works with the Director of PR to develop strategies to increase the visibility of faculty, the dean, students and alumni of the School through proactive earned media coverage and promotion across the School’s social media channels. The CMCO will also work with the Director of PR to manage crisis situations and oversee tactical aspects of the School’s PR program, including third-party rankings, collaborations with business media, outreach metrics, and branded merchandise.
Works closely with Director of Marketing to develop collateral to support Admissions; he/she/they will collaborate with the Director to implement a marketing and enrollment management strategy (full funnel) for the MBA, Executive MBA, MS and PhD programs.
Works to measure the performance of all activities and campaigns, assess them against goals, and adjust tactics when necessary. He/she/they will also provide ongoing reporting, develop actionable insights, test and learn new approaches, conduct thorough analyses on marketing ROI, and successfully develop cost-effective solutions.
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree required. Advanced degree strongly preferred. Minimum of 8-10 years of experience in progressively responsible roles in marketing and/or communications required.
Must have demonstrated excellent written, oral, interpersonal communication, organizational and follow-through skills. Writing and editing experience necessary, as well as managerial experience in supervising projects and/or directing the activities of communications and marketing staffs. Must have the ability to lead and work in a high-volume, high-demand, and highly-collaborative, supportive, team-oriented office. Must be organized, creative, enterprising, persuasive, and tactful. Must demonstrate flexibility and the ability to perform well under stress. Must possess understanding of the job at the strategic as well as tactical levels. Must be able to work well with people at all levels of the organization. Some evening and weekend hours required.
Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran
Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.
About Columbia Business School
Columbia University is one of the world's most important centers of research and at the same time a distinctive and distinguished learning environment for undergraduates and graduate students in many scholarly and professional fields. The University recognizes the importance of its location in New York City and seeks to link its research and teaching to the vast resources of a great metropolis. It seeks to attract a diverse and international faculty and student body, to support research and teaching on global issues, and to create academic relationships with many countries and regions. It expects all areas of the university to advance knowledge and learning at the highest level and to convey the products of its efforts to the world.
