Career Center

Department: The Garage
Salary/Grade: EXS/7

Job Summary:

The Garage at Northwestern is a physical space, community, and network of resources for students interested in entrepreneurship. The Garage brings together bright minds from across all corners of campus, creating a lively culture and community – diverse, welcoming, and wildly experimental. The 11,000 square foot space features a state-of-the-art makerspace and has incubated more than 1,000 student startups since inception in 2015.

The Garage Marketing & Community Manager is responsible for overseeing the daily execution of the Garage’s Integrated Marketing and Communications strategy, and the tactical development of marketing and communications content campaigns (including the annual reports, Board of Trustee reports, donor and gift updates, and other related collateral) across owned channels (website, newsletters, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, TikTok, etc.). The Marketing & Community Manager will also develop original content on innovation and entrepreneurship and pitch to internal/external media channel partners, potential donors, and alumni. This role is also responsible for ideating and implementing community building initiatives on digital channels (e.g., Slack), as well as in-person events. The role includes coordination of photography personnel, internal/external freelance writers, and contractors (as appropriate) at several events through the year.

Some evening and/or weekend hours may be necessary, as dictated by programmatic responsibilities.

Specific Responsibilities:

Marketing and Communications

• Conceptualizes, writes, edits and produces original multimedia content (copy, video, etc.), and works in close collaboration with University marketing partners, including Global Marketing & Communications and other departments and centers, to distribute The Garage content and source supplemental material.
• Directs daily implementation of The Garage’s Marketing and Communications strategy, across digital and print marketing, communications, and social media platforms, ensuring content is current and aligned with marketing campaigns, and branded positioning for The Garage is accurate and engaging. 
• Responsible for conceiving forward-looking content campaigns that align with The Garage strategic foci to engage prospect students, donors, and alumni.
• Works directly with the Executive Director to conceptualize strategic content for The Garage annual report, writes features and minor pieces, and coordinates hiring/manages workflow of temporary personnel, including designers, freelance writers, and/or other contractors as necessary.
• Writes and edits The Garage development collateral, in collaboration with the Executive Director, INVO, Alumni Relations & Development, Foundation Relations, and others, as necessary.

Student Engagement

• Develops and implements community building initiatives to connect students with each other, surface needs & asks from startups, and build a collaborative culture.
• Comprehensively manages student engagement initiatives, including program marketing, student recruitment/evaluation/selection, application/proposal development, etc.
• Serves as client-facing liaison for internal/external program stakeholders, including co-sponsors or program facilitators (e.g. investors, potential mentors, alumni).

Supervision

• Coordinates hiring / manages workflow of temporary personnel, freelance writers, and/or other contractors, as necessary, to achieve strategic content or collateral needs (content expertise, coverage, placement, etc.)

Miscellaneous

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s in journalism, communications, or a related field;
• 2+ years professional experience working in public relations, journalism, or communications (or equivalent experience);
• 2+ years’ experience managing program development in a fast-paced environment;
• At least 1 year of demonstrated project management.

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

• Excellent writing and editing skills; creative drive to generate compelling communications materials for varied audiences;
• Extremely strong interpersonal, communication, facilitation, skills;
• Familiarity with graphic design software, social media marketing, and newsletter management;
• Familiarity or willingness to learn basic HTML / website content-management platform;
• Must be able to multi-task and work in a high-energy, fast paced environment;
• Ability to prioritize with firm deadlines, and to work independently;
• Ability to establish and maintain good relationships with a variety of constitutes, including faculty, board members, administrators, students and co-workers.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience building significant social media followings for brands;
• Prior experience working at a university, particularly a research university;
• Experience managing vendors / contractors

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Demonstrated experience / original work in graphic design and multimedia communications (photography, magazine, audio, video, etc.);
• Knowledge and interest in entrepreneurship, startups, and venture capital

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 requires all staff and faculty to be vaccinated against COVID-19, subject to limited exceptions. For more information, please visit our COVID-19 and Campus Updates website.

The Northwestern campus sits on the traditional homelands of the people of the Council of Three Fires, the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa as well as the Menominee, Miami and Ho-Chunk nations. We acknowledge and honor the original people of the land upon which Northwestern University stands, and the Native people who remain on this land today.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer of all protected classes, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply. Click for information on EEO is the Law.