Associate Vice President for Communications

Position Summary:

The Associate Vice President for Communications serves an essential function in the life of the Seminary, guiding content development, marketing and communications strategy, institutional communications (including crisis communications) and Presidential communications. In practice, this individual will strategize and implement all communication functions at Garrett, ensuring that the Seminary hits key outcomes (ROI) in the areas of marketing, enrollment, development, and strategic partnerships. The AVP for Communications will be in charge of brand strategy, assuring that the Seminary has clear branding that is responsive to our evolving mission, and that this brand is being circulated across the school's various communication mediums.

The AVP for Communications will report to the Vice President for Enrollment with a dotted line to the Vice President for Development. This reflects the two primary areas of impact needed from this position (enrolling students and fundraising). The AVP for Communications will also sit on the Senior Leadership Team. They will work closely with the Director of Marketing to leverage Garrett communications and content, while managing the Public Theology Fellows who produce content for the Seminary.

Required education and experience

• Master's degree in relevant field of study.
• 5 or more years of experience in a higher education and/or ministry setting.
• Knowledge of higher education, theological education, denominational discourse, Christianity in the U.S., global religion.
• Expert in content development and proven track record of meeting ROI targets based on communication/content strategy and tactics.
• Excellent computer skills, including familiarity with Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, Publisher, PowerPoint), and Adobe Suite (particularly Acrobat, InDesign, Premiere Pro, and Photoshop)
• Video editing skills (cutting, clipping, color correction, basic graphics)
• Exceptional communication skills in speaking and writing, with competencies for social interaction in diverse cultural and religious settings. Excellent spelling, grammar, and punctuation skills are essential.

Preferred education and experience

• Deep networks within theological education, the Church broadly conceived.
• Previous experience with the United Methodist/Pan-Methodist traditions.
• Experience with project management tools such as Teams, Asana etc.
• Deep intercultural experience. Comfortable engaging and storytelling across lines of cultural difference.

Essential functions and responsibilities:

• Strategize and implement all content development operations at the Seminary.
• Maintain a differentiated communications strategy that uses video, multimedia, photo, long form and short form formats.
• Provide video editing and even marketing and communications support as needed.
• Lead crisis communications strategy.
• Facilitate institutional communications planning for key institutional decision-making/leadership.
• Engage regularly with the President to prioritize Presidential communication priorities and avenues for positioning.
• Oversee branding guidelines and develop branding strategies that reflect Garrett's sustained and evolving mission.
• Facilitate Garrett's content development meeting monthly.
• Build and facilitate a cross-institutional content calendar that meets strategic outcomes.
• Leverage Garrett faculty with external outlets to increase prominence for Garrett scholarship, teaching, academic vision.
• Support centers and institutes at Garrett. Ensure all receive consistent representation yearly on Garrett communications platforms.
• Meet with the VPs for Enrollment and Development regularly to align content development strategy with enrollment and fundraising outcomes.
• Serve as the editor of Aware magazine. Convene the Aware editorial board for each issue.
• Serve the Enrollment, Marketing, and Innovation committee as required by the VP for Enrollment Management.
• Manage the Public Theology Fellows and support the continuation of this program, providing professional development for the Fellows.
• Travel annually for contextual support in storytelling Garrett's mission across various domestic/international contexts.

Success factors/job competencies:

• Passion for and belief in Garrett Seminary's mission.
• Excellent written, oral, and interpersonal skills.
• Meet key ROI targets in marketing, enrollment, development, strategic partnerships.
• Self-starter who is motivated by setting and achieving goals.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Willingness to travel occasionally and work evenings and weekends as warranted.
• Willingness to be a part of a collegial team.

Physical demands and work environment:

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Physical demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee must be able to stand, walk, sit, use hands to finger, handle or feel objects, reach with hands and arms, climb stairs, and lift/move up to 20 pounds. The individual will regularly be required to communicate professionally in person, over the phone, and through email; and to sit, type, and stare at a computer monitor for prolonged periods.
• Work environment:
• The administrative assistant will be a fully in-person staff role.
• Employee occasionally may be exposed to weather conditions prevalent at the time but work is primarily performed indoors. The noise level in the work environment is usually minimal.