Associate Director of Advancement Communications (Interim)

Job Posting Location:

Claremont, CA

Job Posting Title:

Associate Director of Advancement Communications (Interim)

Job Description:

ABOUT POMONA COLLEGE: Located near Los Angeles, California, Pomona College is widely regarded as one of the nation's premier liberal arts colleges. Established in 1887, Pomona College is known for small classes, a challenging curriculum, close relationships between students and faculty, and a range of student research and leadership opportunities. Pomona is a member of The Claremont Colleges.

JOB PURPOSE: Reporting to the Senior Director of Audience Strategy (Sr. Director), the Associate Director of Advancement Communications will collaborate with the Sr. Director and other colleagues to create and implement complex, integrated multichannel advancement communications that elevate and advance Pomona College’s campaign initiatives, alumni and family engagement, annual giving, donor stewardship, and gift planning efforts.

The Associate Director will be a flexible and experienced professional who understands the unique challenges and opportunities in communicating with a higher-education community and has relevant experience planning and implementing multichannel communications that take advantage of the power of print, web, broadcast communications, social media and video.

Part of a talented and multi-function team, the Associate Director will contribute to the creative vision for a communications program that inspires Pomona donors, alumni and families and generates support for the College’s priorities. In collaboration with team members, the Associate Director will manage the development and production of print, digital and multimedia communications projects. The Associate Director’s work will bolster communications efforts across all channels, strengthening the Pomona brand, elevating the College’s strategic priorities and reinforcing a culture of philanthropy across the Sagehen community.

The Advancement Communications Team is a group of creative thinkers who care deeply about impactful communications, inspiring storytelling, and advancing the mission of Pomona College. The office culture is fast-paced, collaborative, respectful and professional, with some humor and a lot of creative brainstorming. Team members take great pride in the tremendous opportunity and responsibility of advancing and resourcing the College’s mission.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: Reporting to the Senior Director of Audience Strategy (Sr. Director), and working in close collaboration with other members of the Advancement Communications Team and Advancement Division, the Associate Director of Advancement Communications performs, and works collaboratively to perform, the following essential duties and responsibilities:

• Plan, lead and implement print communications projects collaborating with colleagues within the department and division and working with external vendors as assigned.
• Collaborate with Sr. Director and other team members to plan, lead and continually improve multichannel communications efforts through data-informed strategy, creative planning and industry best practices. The Associate Director will create project plans for multichannel communications, managing schedules, workload, production, distribution arrangements and other details to ensure timely progress and successful completion of deliverables.
• Apply alumni and family research metrics to the development of communication strategies.
• Contribute to social media campaigns and video projects that enhance visibility, broaden reach, and drive engagement with the College.
• Contribute to the development of content and messaging for Advancement communications to promote Advancement’s and Pomona’s strategic goals.
• Work collaboratively with team leadership to effectively utilize team members’ skills, contributions, and time.
• Plan, document, and execute process improvements, soliciting and incorporating feedback from stakeholders on key deliverables.
• Steward relationships with Advancement colleagues, campus partners, constituents and story subjects.
• Perform special projects and other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Education: Bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing, journalism, business administration, a liberal arts field, or equivalent combination of education and experience is required.

Licenses/Certificates: A valid driver’s license is required or equivalent means of reliable transportation to off-site meetings and events.

Experience: A minimum of five (5) years of communications experience, preferably in higher education, advancement or development, in a position that includes a trajectory of increased responsibility; strong communication and marketing skills; significant writing and editing responsibilities; and a strong portfolio of multichannel communications projects.

• Excellent visual, written and oral communication skills required.
• Excellent professional judgment, and the ability to communicate with tact and sensitivity with a broad range of constituencies including donors, faculty and staff.
• Highly creative and organized, with demonstrated project management experience and a proven ability to balance multiple concurrent priorities, meet deadlines and work effectively in a complex institution.
• Respect the values of a liberal arts education and reflect the core values of the Pomona College Office of Advancement, which emphasize relationship-building, collaboration, individual initiative and accountability, and professional growth and development.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE AND CRITICAL SKILLS: The successful candidate must possess the knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the essential functions of the job or must be able to demonstrate how the essential functions will be performed (with or without reasonable accommodation) using other knowledge, skills and abilities not listed below.

• Demonstrated ability to effectively create and tell a story through text, video, photos and graphic design.
• Strong, informative and persuasive writing and editing skills and experience developing dynamic and multifaceted communications that drive audiences to take action.
• An understanding of advancement/development best practices related to communications, engagement, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship.
• Ability to analyze and interpret complex data to enhance communication strategies and deliverables.
• Demonstrated experience with Microsoft Office; experience with Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, etc.) is a plus.
• Experience using fundraising databases (Salesforce) or other customer relationship database systems preferred but not required.
• Strong organizational and time management skills with a keen eye to detail and ability to independently complete work that is timely, accurate and professional.
• Experience with social media platforms, websites and emerging media.
• Experience in media relations is a plus.
• Ability to proactively organize, lead, execute, and manage multiple timelines for numerous projects to meet deadlines.
• A professional presence, strong interpersonal skills and collaborative approach to developing high-quality communications deliverables.

REQUIRED HOURS: The regular hours for this full-time position are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday – Friday. Working hours will fluctuate to meet and work outside regular office hours to ensure continuity of service and manage urgent or emergency projects. Travel may be required. Regular hours may vary due to needs of the college or division.

ADDITIONAL POSITION DETAILS: Temporary, full-time, exempt position. The rate for this role is between $75,000 and $88,000 with a competitive benefits package. The specific factors that the College will consider when offering a salary to an individual will include, but not be limited to: education, training, relevant prior experience, and performance in prior roles. All staff positions are ineligible for visa or permanent resident card sponsorship. As a California employer, Pomona College requires all employees to be residents of California.

ADA/OSHA: This job description defines the essential job duties of this position.  The College expects that employees hired for this position can perform the essential functions of this job without imposing risk of substantial harm to the health or safety of themselves or others.  It may also include marginal functions, generally defined within Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

DISCLAIMER: This job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification.  It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this position.  When duties and responsibilities change and develop, the College will review this job description and make changes of business necessity.