Brand Campaign Manager

Position Overview

The School of Business seeks a Brand Campaign Director to design and implement a multi-year strategy to elevate the brand of the KU School of Business. This effort will be undertaken in close coordination with the University’s overarching brand campaign. The Director will focus primarily on producing content derived from the research and service of the School’s faculty and provided to audiences including faculty and administrators at peer and aspirant institutions, legislative and education leaders, alumni, donors, and the general public. Though a variety of media will be used, it is envisioned that initially these stories will be told mainly through short-form audiovisual pieces served across platforms. The successful candidate will have solid brand/marketing campaign experience, strong communications experience and technical skills, a demonstrable capacity for finding engaging content within complex research topics, a creative approach to presenting those stories, and experience tracking and reporting outcomes. The Director will work closely with the School’s leadership and communications team and University staff throughout the campaign life-cycle. This position reports to the Chief of Staff but works in close coordination with the Dean.

This is a full-time, 12-month, staff position contingent on funding. It is currently designated as an on-campus position. Alternative and flexible work schedules will be evaluated as per KU policy and School guidelines. Office will be located in Capitol Federal Hall, a 166,500 square foot modern facility that the School of Business has called home since 2016.

Position is benefits eligible. KU offers excellent benefits to employees including generous retirement contributions, paid leave, insurance, and various discount programs. Full details are available at: https://humanresources.ku.edu/benefits. The successful candidate must have appropriate authorization to work in the U.S. before employment begins.

Job Description

Develop and execute brand awareness strategies for the School of Business. Specific duties include but are not limited to:

45% Campaign Design, Implementation, and Outcome Tracking

• With guidance from School leadership, and in close coordination with university branding efforts, develop the School’s brand awareness/elevation campaign strategies for various target audiences.
• Develop implementation plans and engage School’s communications team, university marketing/communications, external vendors as necessary. Plans must be well coordinated with the School’s ongoing communications efforts. Work may include soliciting proposal requests, procurement, contract review, vendor negotiations and management, etc.
• At least annually, re-evaluate campaign parameters and outcomes and adjust design and implementation accordingly.
• Using available data, track campaign impact, resonance with various audiences.
• Regularly report data, insights gained, lessons learned to leadership, university with recommendations for campaign adjustments or realignments.
• Adjust strategy and implementation based on agreed upon changes.
• Other job-related duties as assigned by the Chief of Staff and/or the Dean.
  
  
  

45% Content Discovery, Development, and Production

• Acquire in-depth familiarity with the research strengths and foci of the School and the specific research programs of the faculty.
• Discover and develop content for designated brand campaign strategies – with specific target audiences, media and channels, and metrics in mind for each piece. This may include script writing, audio and videography, and written content.
• In cooperation with faculty, leadership and staff, university marketing/communications, produce and issue content according to the strategic aims and timing developed.
• Be prepared to capitalize on opportunities to tell the School’s stories as they arise – e.g. aligning with faculty discoveries, pertinent regional/national/international stories, alumni and donor stories, with student accomplishments, etc.
  
  
  

10% Miscellaneous Duties and School Support/Service

• Hire, train and supervise staff and/or students.
• Attend regular leadership and communications meetings and share progress and outcomes.
• Attend area and faculty assembly meetings to stay abreast of research and programmatic developments.
• Participate as an active member of the School staff including attending staff meetings and service on School or University committees, as directed.
• Other duties as assigned.
  
  
  

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree OR Bachelor’s degree in marketing, journalism, communication or a related field plus 3 years of related experience.
• Additional 3 years work experience contributing to the execution of strategic goals or planning initiatives, at a foundational level, with an emphasis on supporting broader organizational objectives.
• Minimum of 1 year supervisory experience.
• Demonstrated ability to work collegially with staff and clients in a team environment, as demonstrated by application materials.
• Strong creative communications skills – especially in AV formats – as demonstrated by application materials.
  
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous experience working on brand campaign or similar communications efforts in higher education, particularly in business, economics, or a social science research setting, as evidenced by work history and application materials.
• Advanced audio-visual production experience, as evidenced by work history and application materials.
• Experience collecting and analyzing data for reporting and evaluation purposes, as evidenced by work history and application materials.
• Experience which demonstrates self-motivation and strong attention to detail, strong time management skills, as evidenced by work history and application materials.
• Strong interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills; as evidenced by work history and application materials.
  
  
  

Additional Candidate Instructions

A complete online application requires:

• Current Resume
• A Cover Letter
• Complete contact information for three professional references.
  
  
  

Review of applications will begin February 20th and continue until a qualified pool of applicants is identified.

Contact Information to Applicants

Abby Folsom

abby.folsom@ku.edu

Advertised Salary Range

$72,000-$92,000

Work Schedule

M-F 8-5

Application Review Begins

Thursday February 20, 2025

Anticipated Start Date

Monday April 7, 2025