Assistant Director Marketing

Lakeview Building
-SAIC
116 S Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60603, USA

Lakeview Building
-SAIC
116 S Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60603, USA

For more than 150 years, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has been a leader in educating the world’s most influential artists, designers and scholars. Located in downtown Chicago with a fine arts graduate program consistently ranking among the top four graduate fine arts programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, SAIC provides an interdisciplinary approach to art and design as well as world-class resources, including the Art Institute of Chicago Museum, on-campus galleries and state-of-the-art facilities.

SAIC’s undergraduate, graduate and post-baccalaureate students have the freedom to take risks and create the bold ideas that transform Chicago and the world—as seen through notable alumni and faculty such as Michelle Grabner, David Sedaris, Elizabeth Murray, Richard Hunt, Georgia O’Keeffe, Cynthia Rowley, Nick Cave, and LeRoy Neiman.

About the Department

SAIC’s Marketing and Communications team advances the School’s reputation and promotes the value of an art and design education through storytelling, brand stewardship, transparent communications, and collaborative engagement that promotes recruitment and fundraising.

Position Summary

The Assistant Director of Marketing supports the Director of Marketing in developing and executing integrated marketing strategies that advance the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s (SAIC) enrollment, fundraising, brand, and public awareness goals. Serving as a strategic partner and assisting the Director of Marketing on project management, this position manages marketing initiatives from planning through execution, collaborating closely with creative staff and partners across the School to deliver effective, on-brand marketing campaigns.

The Assistant Director works with Admissions, Advancement, Exhibitions, Public Programs, and other departments to expand the reach and visibility of the SAIC brand. This position also helps establish project priorities, manage workflows and timelines, and coordinate marketing initiatives across multiple channels.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the Director of Marketing, develop and execute integrated marketing and advertising strategies supporting enrollment, fundraising, public programs, exhibitions, and institutional brand initiatives.
• Manage marketing projects from planning through execution by establishing timelines, managing project scope, aligning stakeholder expectations, and ensuring deadlines and budgets are met.
• Serve as a strategic marketing partner to departments across the School, providing guidance on marketing strategy, messaging, campaign planning, and brand consistency across print, digital, web, video, and other marketing channels.
• Track campaign performance, analyze marketing data, and assist with planning, budgeting, prioritization, and continuous improvement of marketing initiatives.
• Project manage multiple concurrent marketing initiatives, ensuring effective communication, coordination, and successful execution across internal stakeholders and creative teams.
• Coordinate photography and video productions and oversee the timely delivery of creative assets that support marketing objectives.
• Oversee day-to-day operations of the School's online merchandise store, including warehouse coordination, inventory, invoicing, product development, customer service, and promotional planning.
• Develop and implement marketing initiatives that increase online sales, strengthen institutional brand engagement, and support merchandising strategies.
• Analyze online store performance and coordinate periodic pop-up retail events supporting School initiatives.
• Assist with social media content posting and monitoring, in collaboration with the Communications team.
• Supervise student workers, freelancers, and external vendors as assigned.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, or a related field.
• Three to five (3–5) years of relevant professional marketing experience.
• Experience in higher education, museums, publishing, or arts-related…