What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director of Advancement Communications position at Amherst College?

Director of Advancement Communications

Amherst Campus

Full Time

JR5692

Amherst has taken a leadership role among highly selective liberal arts colleges and universities in successfully diversifying the racial, socio-economic, and geographic profile of its student body. The College is similarly committed to enriching its educational experience and its culture through the diversity of its faculty, administration and staff.

Job Description :

Amherst College invites applications for the Director of Advancement Communications position. The Director of Advancement Communications is a full-time, year-round position, starting at $125,000, commensurate with experience. Given Amherst's distinction as one of the most diverse liberal arts colleges in the country, the successful candidate will demonstrate the ways in which they bring value to and will work towards supporting a broadly diverse community.

The Director of Advancement Communications will play a pivotal role in shaping and executing a strategic communications vision for Amherst College's advancement efforts, ensuring that all messaging across the division aligns with the College's strategic priorities and resonates with diverse audiences. This role encompasses a strategic and comprehensive approach to communications that spans alumni engagement, fundraising, the Amherst Fund, and beyond, ensuring a cohesive and impactful narrative across all platforms and initiatives.

Reporting to the Associate Chief Advancement Officer, the Director will be a strategic thought partner and collaborator with the Office of Communications, the President's Office, and departments across the College. They will guide and refine messaging to consistently reflect key institutional values and a clear case for support, using data-driven insights to adjust strategies for different audience segments, including younger alumni and other targeted groups.

In this role, the Director will :

Lead Strategic Communications Planning : Develop and oversee a comprehensive communications plan that addresses all areas within Advancement, including the Amherst Fund and alumni relations, eliminating friction points and ensuring alignment with College-wide priorities. This will involve not only crafting messages but also aligning the team and resources needed to execute these effectively.
Serve as a Thought Partner in Institutional Communications : Work closely with other campus leaders to build a fully realized Advancement communications plan, contributing to campus-wide discussions on overarching themes and values. This role demands an understanding of messaging that resonates well with internal and external stakeholders, while also aligning with the broader College community.
Enhance Messaging and Audience Engagement : Tailor and strategically adapt messaging across platforms to reach specific audience groups, such as young alumni, and right-size the approach to maximize impact. The Director will leverage data to shape decision-making and continually refine the effectiveness of each communication strategy.
Advance an Integrated Editorial Approach : As an editorial partner to the alumni magazine and other divisions,, the Director will bring an alumni advancement perspective to storytelling, ensuring that alumni narratives are meaningfully connected to broader College goals. They will represent Advancement in editorial planning, offering recommendations and building partnerships to integrate alumni stories more strategically into College-wide content.
Foster Cross-Divisional Partnerships : Collaborate with partners across the Advancement Division and other College departments to track and respond to communication trends. The Director will assess which messaging and channels resonate most strongly with various constituencies and will seek opportunities to re-engage those who support the College in non-philanthropic ways.

The Director will oversee a team of three and ensure that all Advancement communications are impactful, consistent, and support the College's mission. The ideal candidate will be an experienced leader with outstanding writing, editing, and communications skills who brings both strategic vision

The person in this role is expected to work as part of a collaborative and inclusive team including taking appropriate actions to support a diverse workforce and participating in the College's efforts to create a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming work environment. In addition, all advancement staff members are required to support and staff key events such as Reunion, Homecoming, and Family Weekend. These events may require occasional evening and weekend hours.

Summary of Duties and Responsibilities

Strategy and Communications Development

Develop and implement a forward-thinking innovative communications strategy that supports the goals of advancement and the broader College communications strategy.

Lead the creation of an integrated advancement communications spanning traditional media, digital platforms, and events, to build awareness of the college, fundraising priorities and engagement efforts.

Serve as the primary strategist, writer and editor for key advancement messages, ensuring clarity, consistency, and alignment with institutional goals.

Collaborate closely with the central Communications Office and other College stakeholders to ensure seamless integration of advancement messaging with broader institutional narratives.

Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of communication channels and content to ensure they are reaching diverse audiences effectively, adapting as necessary to reflect changes in strategy or audience preferences.

Oversee social media engagement, strengthening Amherst presence across platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, while exploring new opportunities to enhance visibility.

Leadership and Collaboration

Build and manage a strategic, high-performing communications team that is collaborative, inclusive and adaptable to the growing needs of advancement.

Cultivate strong partnerships with the College's Office of Communications and other campus partners, ensuring that advancement communications are well coordinated and complementary to the institution's overall communications strategy.

Promote a culture of collaboration across advancement, encouraging close working relationships between the Advancement Communications team and colleagues across advancement including but not limited to; alumni and constituent engagement, annual giving, and donor relations.

Manage the expectations and resources of the team, providing clear direction and measurable goals to ensure communications activities are ambitious and also achievable.

Support a collaborative working environment that fosters open communication, active engagement, and an inclusive approach to all aspects of advancement communications.

Represent the Advancement Communications team in key institutional discussions and meetings

Qualifications

Required :

Bachelors Degree

Seven to 10 years' experience of progressively responsible experience in marketing and communications, ideally in higher education.

Proven ability to develop a successful communications and messaging program targeting a wide variety of audiences

Demonstrated experience developing a cohesive vision for communications and engagement based on an institution's strategic goals and priorities; successfully targeting and influencing key audiences; and recognizing the need to adapt and adjust as appropriate over time

Ability to write, craft and disseminate messages in ways that reflect, engage, and enhance various complex community and cultural perspectives

Strong understanding of industry best practices and a holistic understanding of all aspects of communications, positioning, and messaging

Substantial experience evaluating the strengths of existing communications efforts and identifying opportunities for improvement

Excellent creative and design sensibilities, with a strong understanding of the communications process from creative concept through production and execution. Ability to increase efficiency and effectiveness of the communications process without sacrificing quality and impact.

Solid understanding of the advantages and drawbacks of traditional and emerging media, from print magazines to social networking, in conveying information and content in ways that engage and excite constituents

Superior communication skills and the ability to connect with a variety of audiences; clear and effective written and verbal presentation

Experience working in an environment serving many internal clients and external constituents, often with shared responsibility for communications. Proven ability to manage many projects and issues concurrently, leveraging work products and staff as appropriate.

Commitment to diversity in all its forms and across all audiences, internal and external

Able to address conflict and disagreement in calm and constructive ways that lead to positive outcomes; and broad experience in crisis management and communications

Demonstrated understanding of budgets and the ability to manage them

Preferred :

Advanced Degree

Amherst College offers many opportunities for professional growth and development, continued learning, and career advancement.

Amherst College is pleased to provide a comprehensive, highly competitive benefits package that meets the needs of staff and faculty and their families. Benefits are an important part of our overall compensation, so it is critical that you review all of the options to ensure it meets your total compensation requirements. Click here for Benefits Information .

Interested candidates are asked to submit a resume and cover letter online at https : / / amherst.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com / Amherst_Jobs . Please be sure to upload all requested documents prior to clicking Submit. Applications cannot be revised once submitted. (Current employees and students should apply by clicking on the Jobs Hub icon from their Workday home screen) Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

To apply, visit https : / / amherst.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com / en-US / Amherst_Jobs / job / Amherst-Campus / Director-of-Advancement-Communications_JR5692

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Salary : $125,000

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