Marketing & Audience Development Specialist

Overview

Reporting to the Director, School of Performing Arts and the Director, Marketing and Communications for the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design (AAD), the Marketing & Audience Development Specialist executes integrated marketing, publicity, recruitment communications, and ticketing/revenue strategy for the School of Performing Arts (SOPA), advancing visibility and enrollment while growing audiences for ~150+ public facing events annually (performances, screenings, lectures, and festivals).

The Marketing & Audience Development Specialist owns SOPA's digital presence (website, SEO, e news, and social media) and partners closely with the college/university marketing and communications network and VT News. The position also serves as the primary liaison to the Center for the Arts ticket office to optimize sales, access, and patron experience.

A smaller portion of the position's portfolio supports the School of Visual Arts (SOVA), primarily promoting exhibitions and public programs in the art gallery and other outward facing initiatives.

Evening/weekend work is expected during event periods.

• Creating season/production creative suites (key art, thumbnails, reels, trailers, posters, programs, digital signage).
• Maintaining consistent brand voice and visual identity aligned with university and college standards; steward approvals across stakeholders.
• Managing content calendars, project trackers, and workflows; prioritize high impact events and recruitment cycles.
• Training and supervising graduate assistants and student employees; manage freelance/vendor contracts as needed.
• Maintaining digital asset libraries; ensure rights/clearances for photos/video/music.
• Overseeing captioning, transcription, and accessibility services for digital content and live streams.
• Coordinating with production, technical, and front of house teams to ensure cohesive patron experience.
• Preparing season wrap ups and quarterly reports with recommendations for the next cycle.
• Aligning work effort to support the goals and priorities of SOPA, SOVA, and the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design.
• Following established brand guidelines, university policies and procedures, and accessibility standards.

The School of Performing Arts (SOPA) along with the School of Architecture, School of Design, and the School of Visual Arts comprise the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design (AAD), which launched in July 2022. SOPA offers programs in music, theatre, and cinema at the graduate and undergraduate level. Programs are delivered in Virginia Tech's Creativity and Innovation District, which concentrates 11 performance spaces within a three-block area on the Blacksburg campus.

Performance venues range from the 1,300-seat Center for the Arts to a 101-seat experimental theatre.

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, arts administration, or related field (or equivalent experience) or significant professional experience.
• Professional experience in marketing/communications for performing arts, entertainment, higher education, or related sectors.
• Demonstrated success managing multi channel campaigns, social platforms, and websites/CMS with strong writing, editing, and visual storytelling skills.
• Working knowledge of GA4, email platforms, and basic design/video tools.
• Experience collaborating with a ticket office or ticketing platform and interpreting sales data to inform marketing.
• Familiarity with accessibility standards (WCAG 2.2) and privacy best practices (opt in/consent, first party data).
• Ability to work event driven hours (some evenings/weekends) and to supervise student staff.

• Master's in arts administration, marketing, or related field.
• Experience in higher ed recruitment marketing and coordination with admissions/graduate units.
• Proficiency with marketing automation/CRM, data visualization (e.g., Power BI), and basic HTML/CSS.
• Motion graphics and short form video production skills; livestream or broadcast experience.
• Media relations experience and on the record writing (advisories, pitches, talking points).
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience of Virginia Tech…