Assistant Director, Marketing Communications

Overview

The Marketing and Communications team of the Office of Research and Partnerships (ORP) at the University of Arizona is seeking a highly skilled Marketing Manager II. This role is dedicated to elevating the university's profile in key strategic research focus areas. The successful candidate will lead a professional team to define, direct and produce compelling, audience-focused content that communicates the urgency and significance of U of A research, facilities and faculty excellence.

Reporting to the Sr. Director, Marketing Communications, ORP, this position ensures that all research-focused marketing and branding efforts are clear, high-impact and strictly aligned with the university's mission and goals and with ORP priorities.

• Develop and execute holistic, integrated marketing and communications plans for specific strategic research focus areas.
• Manage day-to-day editing, writing and marketing to highlight U of A research achievements for internal and external audiences.
• Assign, write and edit high-quality content marketing pieces, including web news stories and digital narratives that translate complex scientific discovery into clear, persuasive narratives for both broad and focused audiences.
• Regularly review processes and procedures to refine and streamline team workflow, ensuring rigorous quality control and operational efficiency.
• Ensure all ORP communications efforts are strictly on-brand and aligned with the larger University of Arizona brand and goals and ORP priorities.
• Lead marketing research and campaigns promoting faculty, research breakthroughs and world-class facilities. This includes directing the creation of high-level presentations and printed marketing materials and coordinating with the creative team.
• Propose and develop creative marketing concepts and strategies for national-level events and high-profile research showcases.
• Serve as the primary liaison with central University Marketing and Communications to ensure cross-campus synergy.
• Collaborate closely with the Executive Comms Sr. Director, Social Media Manager, Creative Manager and Events team to ensure strategic narratives are visually and digitally optimized across all platforms.
• Successfully manage multiple competing priorities, managing the workflow for various research focus areas simultaneously to meet tight deadlines.
• Supervise and evaluate a professional multi-disciplinary team, providing direction, setting performance standards and conducting performance evaluations.

• Ability to define the "story" that will best resonate with a specific target audience.
• Mastery of writing and editing with a focus on clarity, compelling hooks and technical accuracy.
• Proven ability to manage multiple large-scale projects and pivot between different research focus areas while managing competing deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to improve workflows and maintain high standards of quality control in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong interpersonal skills to supervise staff and influence stakeholders.
• Detail oriented

This job posting reflects the general nature and level of work expected of the selected candidate(s). It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities. The institution reserves the right to amend or update this description as organizational priorities and institutional needs evolve.

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent advanced learning attained through professional-level experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of related work experience, including 2 years of managerial experience.

• Expertise in content marketing.
• Experience in high-level communications and content marketing within a research-intensive or higher education environment.
• Experience coordinating, organizing and producing executive-level deliverables, including magazines, reports and booklets, and identifying and coordinating advertising/paid media opportunities.
• Experience translating scientific or technical information for a general audience.
• Experience in managing professional creative or communications staff.
• Evidence of using project management tools to streamline team workflows.

• Contact Information for Candidates: Stephanie Doster | scdoster
• Open Date: 2/5/2026
• Open Until Filled: Yes
• Documents Needed to Apply: Resume, Cover Letter, and One Additional Document
• Special Instructions to Applicant: Please provide three (3) examples of marketing collateral that you produced.