Associate Director, Digital Communications

Overview

Department: Alumni Relations & Development

Job : 53183

Location: Evanston, Illinois

Hybrid work arrangement: Eligible for up to two days remote and three onsite.

The associate director, digital communications (web and email) manages and oversees the web marketing program for Alumni Relations and Development (ARD) at Northwestern University and serves as the department's project lead on maintenance of website content. This position will lead the web marketing strategy for ARD; collaborate with ARD teams to develop project execution goals, timelines, and success metrics in order to deliver a best-in-class digital experience for alumni and donors;

manage web projects from start to finish with ARD partners; manage email calendar and process, and review and edit emails in partnership with the senior associate director; implement the latest in best practices for web communications; and identify and analyze peer web presences for benchmarking and potential innovation. As ARD's website editor, this position ensures that the websites have refreshed, engaging content in coordination with ARD program teams.

Please note:

The role is eligible for a hybrid work arrangement.

Project Management"

• Collaborate with Marketing and Communications team and internal clients on developing strategies and creative approaches for digital communications
• Edit and approve outgoing emails and newsletters to alumni and donor audiences for accuracy, best practices, and adherence to established policies, strategy, and compliance with University guidelines
• Manage the broadcast email calendar to ensure consistency in communication volume
• Build and deploy special messages and an HTML-based alumni newsletter
• Work with Marketing and Communications team members to establish project timelines and defined, metrics-based goals
• Project lead web-based projects, proactively communicating progress with ARD partners and delivering project components on time
• Build and maintain strong partnerships with stakeholders throughout the ARD and across the University, including schools and units

Manage and Coordinate ARD's Websites

• Co-manage website content for all digital properties owned and used by ARD, including alumni.northwestern.edu, giving.northwestern.edu, law.alumni.northwestern.edu, events.ard.northwestern.edu, and our.northwestern.edu
• Work with vendors on third-party sites supporting ARD initiatives, such as planned giving, mentorship, Learning for Life, and the Women's board site, and lead the migration of the final site to the University enterprise CMS
• Develop and continually update documentation of process guidelines and usage policies
• Serve as a subject-matter expert on ARD's use of its websites and related technologies, including providing occasional advanced support for staff and troubleshooting of landing pages, event registrations, and/or forms
• Collaborate, build, and help maintain digital tools to assist ARD staff with communications such as generators for UTM code, email signatures, and our all-alumni newsletter Purple Line
• Implement Google Tag Manager tags on our sites and ensure they are firing correctly
• Support our custom web applications, including the Alumni-Owned Small Business Directory, Alumni Authors CATalogue, and several Homecoming and Reunion Weekend pages
• Co-manage our Google Custom Search, ensuring our signature events and giving initiatives are prioritized for users
• Support marketing content updates to the alumni portal, Our Northwestern, and develop communication strategies to promote the portal to alumni
• Lead occasional ARD-specific training on Cascade CMS as supplement to the University-led training, and support staff as they navigate updating pages related to their teams and initiatives

Develop Digital Marketing Strategies

• Measure, track, and report the effectiveness of web communications, such as light boxes on websites, and develop actionable best practices for improving performance
• Create and follow goals within Google Analytics, such as users making a gift or submitting a form
• Manage and monitor Google Analytics and work alongside our senior business data analyst on monthly website reports for internal partners toward the goal of continual growth and adoption
• Develop data-gathering best practices for web-based engagement, in relation to the University's constituent database of record and products including Blackthorn for events and Give Campus for giving

Miscellaneous

Performs other duties as assigned.

• Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in a major such as journalism, communications, marketing, or related; OR appropriate combination of education and experience.

• Advance knowledge of a content management system, as well as email and event management tools
• Analytic skills and ability to analyze and derive insight from data
• Ability to use both data and experience-based…