SUNY Oswego, a highly regarded, public, regional, comprehensive university, seeks a Vice President for Communications and Marketing who will collaboratively advance the mission and vision of SUNY Oswego while furthering the institutional priorities of Student Success, Academic and Creative Excellence, Inclusive Community, Sustainable Institution, and Partnerships.

The Position: The Vice President for Communications and Marketing (VPCM) will report directly to the new President, Dr. Peter Nwosu, and will lead Oswego's accomplished and award-winning Communications and Marketing team toward continued and enhanced achievement in furtherance of the university’s mission and priorities.

The VPCM will be a member of the President’s executive leadership team and will lead the university’s overall marketing, communications strategic planning, content development, outgoing communications management, visibility, and branding activities for the university’s main and branch campuses. In this manner, the VPCM will provide leadership and oversight for the Office of Communications and Marketing in brand development and implementation, content development, social media, website and digital asset management, design, photography, videography, new media services, app development in collaboration with CTS, and budgeting and operations. Of significant importance, the VPCM will possess exemplary writing and communication skills and be able to articulate the campus in language that encourages understanding and pride. The VPCM will have the ability to gather the full scope of the institution’s history and future trajectory when expressing information about the institution.

The VPCM will be a collaborative, forward-thinking leader who can communicate effectively with a variety of constituents, using a broad range of traditional and electronic media. The VPCM will work in close partnership with other members of the President’s executive leadership team, academic deans, Division of Extended Learning, Division of Graduate Studies, Director of the SUNY Oswego Syracuse Campus, Chief Technology Officer, Enrollment Management Division, Office of International Education and Programs, and other university-wide leaders and leverage their talents, knowledge, and skills.

The VPCM will lead the Office of Communications and Marketing to engage key target audiences and tell the SUNY Oswego story of impact, in alignment with the university’s institutional priorities, through a variety of creative methods, including social media, direct marketing, video, print, web, email, videography, photography, graphic design, and news media.

Additional Responsibilities:

Develop and implement a comprehensive communications and marketing plan for SUNY Oswego, set measurable goals, monitor its effectiveness, and review and update the plan on a regular basis.
Provide leadership and oversight for developing and managing the President’s communications and brand in collaboration with the Office of the President.
Engage key internal and external partners and audiences to share in the SUNY Oswego story by supporting an environment that recognizes excellence and promotes a positive atmosphere of achievement and pride.
Create and effectively deploy a public relations strategy that will allow SUNY Oswego to cultivate and enhance meaningful relationships with targeted audiences, including but not limited to media, political leaders, prospective students, students, alumni, parents, friends/donors, faculty, staff and key constituents across the state, nation, and world.
Oversee the development and release of key message strategies across SUNY Oswego’s print communications to leverage brand identity.
Develop long and short-term actionable social media strategies and associated metrics in support of SUNY Oswego’s institutional priorities.
Provide counsel and guidance to executive and administrative leaders regarding public relations, issues management, crisis, marketing, and communications.
Work closely with the President and their staff on an ongoing basis to maintain an institution-wide understanding of current projects, initiatives, and points of pride that align with the university’s institutional priorities and annual goals.
Lead and manage the department’s budget and personnel and explore additional revenue sources to enhance operations and advance the university’s mission.

In addition, this position will be expected to possess communication and interpersonal skills sufficient to work effectively with an increasingly diverse array of students, colleagues, and stakeholders.

Qualifications: The successful candidate will have an inspirational, enthusiastic, accessible, and inclusive leadership style with the ability to empower others and the capability to earn respect and broad-based credibility across the university. The ideal candidate will bring demonstrated experience working in a complex organizational structure, and a proven track record of success facilitating brand awareness, and deploying communication, and marketing strategies. The next VPCM will have experience in strategic planning and demonstrated knowledge of metrics and analytics as well as commitment to meeting quantitative and qualitative targets to measure the effectiveness of brand and message and demonstrated leadership skills focused on building relationships to accomplish organizational mission and goals. They will display excellent judgment and creative problem-solving skills including managing crisis communications and an entrepreneurial spirit and support for innovation and change. They will bring a passion for the mission of SUNY Oswego and possess excellent written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills and the ability to effectively interface with staff, senior management, College Council, and external stakeholders. The next VPCM will be expected to maintain confidentiality, demonstrate a strong work ethic, be available to work non-traditional hours including early mornings and evenings, and perform other duties as assigned. A minimum of five years of experience in leading and managing a communication and marketing team is required. A Bachelor’s degree is required. A Master’s degree or higher in an appropriate area of specialization is preferred. SUNY Oswego works continuously to create an inclusive environment which respects, embraces, and promotes cultural safety, belonging, civil discourse, cultural humility, and other values and goals outlined in SUNY Oswego's Strategic Diversity and Inclusion Plan. As such, the incumbent is expected to contribute to these efforts and possess the communication and interpersonal skills necessary to engage effectively with an increasingly diverse community of students and colleagues.

The Institution: For 161 years SUNY Oswego has been inspiring those who desire to push traditional higher-education boundaries. The campus community cares deeply about its students by providing the best facilities and resources, award-winning faculty and dedicated staff, in-demand academic programs, and applied learning opportunities. Recognized for its overall excellence and value, SUNY Oswego is also known for its extraordinary faculty, its welcoming atmosphere, its embrace of diversity, equity and inclusion as a core value, and its reputation for producing fiercely loyal alumni.

SUNY Oswego currently enrolls nearly 6,000 undergraduates and over 900 graduate students and boasts a 16:1 student to faculty ratio. Thirty-one percent (31%) of the students are culturally diverse and 43% reside on-campus. The university offers more than 70 undergraduate majors, over 70 minors and over 40 graduate programs. Academic programs are organized into one college and three schools: the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; the School of Business; the School of Communication, Media and the Arts; and the School of Education. Students attend classes on SUNY Oswego’s 700-acre main campus on the shores of Lake Ontario, on its downtown Syracuse campus, and through its online and extended learning platforms. Known for its incredible natural beauty and spectacular sunsets, the campus has experienced a facilities renaissance with an investment of nearly $1 billion in campus renovation and construction over the past 25 years.

SUNY Oswego has purposefully worked to increase academic and student success, sustain the university, and position its graduates to live ethical and meaningful lives and build a better world for future generations. Ranked among the top public master's level universities in the 2023 "Top Regional Universities in the North" by U.S. News and World Report, SUNY Oswego is also recognized among Princeton Review's Best Regional Colleges in the Northeast, an honor bestowed on SUNY Oswego every year since 2003. To learn more about SUNY Oswego, please visit https://ww1.oswego.edu.

Location: Located along the Oswego River on the southeastern shore of Lake Ontario, the City of Oswego, New York, is a waterfront community home to approximately 18,000 residents. A port city in the midst of an exciting transformation, Oswego is building upon its strengths, embracing its rich history and natural assets, and developing and restoring healthy, vibrant neighborhoods in and around Oswego’s revitalized downtown. Situated in Central New York, Oswego is a 40-minute drive from Syracuse, 80 minutes from Rochester, and 2.5 hours from both Buffalo and Albany.

Application: Interested candidates should submit (1) a cover letter, (2) a resume, and (3) a separate statement describing your commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in your professional experience or personal life or community engagement to the SUNY Oswego jobs portal at this link.

Thanks for checking out the Vice President for Communications and Marketing opening.

Senior Product Marketing Manager, Nutrition Solutions

Director, Marketing Technology

Sr. Director, Product Marketing GenEd

Director of Marketing

Senior Director, Product Marketing

Vice President for Communications and Marketing

Senior Product Marketing Manager, Nutrition Solutions

Director, Marketing Technology

Sr. Director, Product Marketing GenEd

Director of Marketing

Senior Director, Product Marketing

Thanks for checking out the Vice President for Communications and Marketing opening.

Senior Product Marketing Manager, Nutrition Solutions

Director, Marketing Technology

Sr. Director, Product Marketing GenEd

Director of Marketing

Senior Director, Product Marketing