Director,Marketing,University Relations Job Saskatoon area,Saskatchewan Canada,Marketing / Advertising / PR

Director, Marketing, University Relations

Summary:

The director, marketing plays a central role in shaping how the university presents itself to prospective students, partners, alumni, and the broader community. This position leads the development and execution of strategic marketing initiatives that strengthen the university’s brand, support recruitment goals, and elevate the institution’s reputation across local, national, and international audiences.

Key responsibilities include providing strategic leadership, campaign and content development, digital marketing and analytics, stakeholder collaboration, and team leadership. Employing a blend of strategic thinking, creative leadership, data driven decision making, and a deep understanding of the higher education landscape, this role leads a portfolio that strengthens the university’s brand and impact.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Creates an overall strategy for marketing at the university in collaboration with unit leadership.

Develops and implements integrated marketing strategies aligned with institutional priorities, such as research visibility, community engagement and faculty, staff and student recruitment.

Leads brand stewardship efforts to drive consistent messaging and visual identity across all colleges, departments, and campaigns.

Translates university goals into actionable marketing plans in collaboration with senior leadership.

Oversees multichannel marketing campaigns including digital, print, social, and video, that promote academic programs, research achievements, and campus initiatives.

Guides the creation of compelling content that reflects the university’s values, strengths, and diverse community.

Champions campaign approaches that are inclusive, accessible, and reflective of the university’s commitment to equity, diversity, and Indigenous engagement.

Manages digital marketing strategies including search engine optimization, search engine marketing, social media, email marketing, and web content optimization.

Employs analytics tools to measure campaign performance, track key performance indicators, and inform continuous improvement.

Identifies emerging trends in higher education marketing and recommend innovative approaches.

Supports program specific marketing needs in close collaboration with colleges, schools, and administrative units .

Partners with communications, recruitment, alumni relations, and research offices to support cohesive messaging.

Manages relationships with external vendors, creative agencies, and media partners.

Oversees all marketing for compliance with institutional approval processes and alignment with unit strategies.

Supervises and mentors marketing efforts across the organization, fostering a collaborative, creative, and high-performance environment.

Oversees the work of creative teams, including media production.

Oversees project timelines, budgets, and resource allocation while managing competing deadlines and priorities.

Manages the full employee lifecycle, functions and activities of the team while facilitating a strong commitment to customer service and teamwork in all activities.

Communicates and acts in a respectful and professional manner, collaborates effectively, abides by policy, contributes to a positive and productive work and learning environment, and models these behaviours across the institution.

Builds and leads diverse teams, champions inclusive leadership, and values different perspectives.

Engages in and supports the understanding and growth of employees with the frameworks, initiatives and activities relating to equity, diversity and inclusion and Indigenous engagement.

Sets and achieves actionable goals in alignment with Indigenous engagement and equity, diversity, and inclusion frameworks; addresses systemic inequities affecting underrepresented equity groups.

Undertakes related duties, as assigned, consistent with the nature of the position.

Qualifications:

A bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, business, or a related field; a master’s degree is an asset.

Minimum of seven years of progressive experience in marketing, preferably in higher education or a complex public sector environment.

Demonstrated success in leading integrated marketing campaigns.

Experience managing teams and collaborating with diverse stakeholders.

Strong strategic planning and project management abilities.

Excellent writing, editing, and storytelling skills.

Ability to balance creativity with data driven decision making.

Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work in a collaborative academic environment.

Proficiency with digital marketing tools and analytics platforms. 