American University

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Assistant Director, Advancement Communications

Full Time • Washington, DC, United States of America

62,400 - 66,560 (Yearly) Added 1 day, 21 hours ago

Summary

LOCATION

Washington, DC (Hybrid, 3-4 days on campus per week)

QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor's degree, 2-4 years of relevant experience, excellent oral and written communication skills, ability to manage multiple projects, solid knowledge of web content management systems, and proficiency in video editing software.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Manage advancement communications programming, oversee media and content production, handle web and digital communications management, and support project management for various communications and collateral projects.

INDUSTRY

Higher Education

SHORT DESCRIPTION

This position supports advancement communication project management and media production to enhance donor engagement and philanthropic support for American University.

American University is a student-centered research institution located in Washington, DC, with highly-ranked schools and colleges, internationally-renowned faculty, and a reputation for creating meaningful change in the world. Learn more about

American University

Department:

Advancement Communication & Campaign Operations

Time Type:

Full time

Work Modality:

Hybrid 01 (On Campus 3-4 Days/Week)

Union:

Excluded

Job Description:

Summary/Objective:

After the successful completion of Change Can’t Wait: The Campaign for American University, University Advancement is maintaining a sophisticated development program, and the Office of Donor Engagement and Advancement Communications plays a key role in the department’s activities. Donor Engagement and Advancement Communications is a central University Advancement unit that leads and executes a broad range of cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and communications strategies in support of institutional priorities. The work of DEAC increases meaningful engagement and philanthropic support for American University by building and strengthening the university’s relationships with alumni, prospects, and donors.

This position is responsible for supporting advancement communication project management, web and digital communication management, media production, and University Advancement communication services. This position reports to the Director of Advancement Communications and may supervise student workers.

Essential Functions:

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

1.) Project Management

Proactively manage advancement communications programming, ensuring that digital and print communications, social media, and multimedia are produced in concert with the University Advancements' goals and strategies, on budget, on time, and leveraging all best practices (internal to the office and/or from our industry or the for-profit sector).
This includes supporting the management of freelance video, photography, and design projects, and management of student workers.
Act as a responsible steward of resources in maximizing the impact of available dollars in support of the office’s efforts.
Supports the Director of Advancement Communications in mapping out how the delivery of specific communications products (e.g., brochures, case statements, annual fund letters, e-mails, microsites, social media channels, video, event collateral) will add value to and complement fundraising units’ strategies. Participate in campaign communications planning.
With the Director of Advancement Communications, partner with University Communications and Marketing (UCM) to complete key signature university-level projects on behalf of the University Advancement.
Manage production timelines and collateral deliveries.
With the Strategic and Campaign Events and Advancement Communications teams, support the creation and production of event collateral for advancement events.
With the Donor Relations and Stewardship and Advancement Communications teams, as well as other division partners, responsibly support the production of the annual impact report and stewardship communications touchpoints.
Provide consultation to UA colleagues regarding presentations, development events collateral, and printed pieces to maintain brand standards and consistency in department messaging.
Maintain University Advancement’s SharePoint resources, including a library of content and a collection of collateral materials for development officers’ use.

2.) Media and Content Production

Develop original content ideas based on advancement and institutional priorities.
Support the in-house production of video and digital media projects through research, interviews, and video production.
Shoots and/or edits unique video stories, highlights, and other clips for the web, social media, and additional distribution.
With the Director, manage and execute project plans; estimate resources and time commitments, conduct tracking/oversight, schedule tasks, negotiate deliverables and provide status reporting to ensure that project goals and KPIs are achieved.
Has knowledge and experience using AU’s video equipment and editing software.
Ensures that all content produced meets accessibility requirements and reflects AU’s commitments to DEI and sustainability.
Support the management, creation, and production of externally produced multimedia projects including videos.
Plan and develop digital content that supports Donor Engagement, Alumni Relations, Annual Giving, and other University Advancement office efforts.
Understand best practices for digital storytelling and how to maximize reach and engagement with target audiences.
Support the team in establishing benchmarking analytics for web, social, email to ensure that University Advancement takes advantage of opportunities to leverage new media in service of its advancement goals including exploring the benefits of adding more video and/or interactive opportunities to online media offerings, weighing the costs of such an initiative against any potential gain, and collecting and using data to test their effectiveness.

3.) Web and Digital Communications Management

The Assistant Director will manage the Change Can’t Wait impact microsite and /giving subsite and represent University Advancement on university-wide web projects, on topics related to content production, CMS selection, and digital accessibility.
The Assistant Director will also work with the Advancement Writers and other partners, including Alumni Communications, to help produce written materials for publication to the department web pages.
This position will create, design, manage pages; develop content and edit content primarily developed by others.
In conjunction with the Director of Advancement Communications and division and university partners, this position will assist in guiding the direction of department webpages by researching and making recommendations based on best practices.
The Assistant Director, in collaboration with the Associate Director of Alumni & Digital Communications, will support the management of email marketing strategy for University Advancement, including creating and managing advancement communication emails and email invitations.
In conjunction with Strategic and Campaign Events team, create and design online event registration pages.
Working with partners across the division and university, the Assistant Director will create and execute development-related social media strategy and activity.
With divisional and university partners, the Assistant Director will support the design and development of email templates for department use.
The Assistant Director will be responsible for the maintenance and audit of the University Advancement internal SharePoint site and develop processes to ensure DEAC resources are easily accessible to the division.
This position will also make recommendations to the Director on site layout, structure, and function based on best practices.

4.) Other Duties as Assigned

On occasion, the Assistant Director may write, edit, and proofread materials from colleagues across University Advancement including fundraising collateral, donor signage, and donor listings from schools and units.
This position may also assist with vice president or presidential project approval when appropriate, coordinating with the Assistant Vice President of Donor Engagement and Advancement Communications, the Director of Advancement Communications, the Senior Director of Donor Relations and Stewardship, the Senior Director of Strategic and Campaign Events, and the Office of the Vice President.
Other duties and administrative tasks as assigned by the Director of Advancement Communications which may include managing student workers, scheduling rooms, organizing internal meetings, and reconciling purchases on university procurement cards.

Supervisory Responsibility:

This position may supervise student workers.

Competencies:

Prioritizing and Organizing
Displaying Creativity
Supporting Coworkers
Developing Plans
Evaluating and Implementing Ideas
Acquiring and Analyzing Information

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work:

Full time
35 hours per week.
Occasionally may be required to support department events during evenings and weekends.

Salary Range:

$30.00-$32.96 per hour.

Required Education and Experience:

Bachelor's degree.
2-4 years of relevant experience.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously in a deadline-driven environment and proven history of successful collaboration across teams and/or units.
Excellent customer service skills (including responding quickly, diplomatically, thoughtfully, and creatively to feedback from clients, while keeping the project headed toward the agreed-upon goal)
Solid working knowledge of a web content management system or web publishing in general, with strong preference for experience with Common Spot.
Strong working knowledge of video editing software, preferably Adobe Premiere.
Basic proficiency with Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Acrobat.
High-level proficiency with MS Office programs including MS Word, MS PowerPoint, and MS Excel; capable of handling most letter writing, printing, and mailing, and basic desktop publishing.
Extremely high level of professionalism; superior tact, discretion, and sensitivity to confidential information.

Preferred Education and Experience:

Master's degree.
3-5 years of relevant experience.
Working knowledge of HTML, information architecture, and user experience, a plus.
Working knowledge of Adobe AfterEffects, a plus
Working knowledge of photography production, a plus
Experience in higher education or philanthropic campaigns, a plus.

Benefits

AU offers a competitive benefits package including a 200% matching retirement plan, tuition benefits for full-time staff and their families, several leadership development certificates, and has been recognized by the American Heart Association as a fit-friendly worksite.

Other Details

Hiring offers for this position are contingent on successful completion of a background check.
Employees in staff positions at American University must deliver their services to the university from either the District of Columbia, Maryland, or Virginia, or perform work on-site at the university.
Please note this job announcement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
American University is an
E-Verify
employer.

Current American University Employees

American University current employees must apply through their employee Workday account. If you are a current employee at American University, please log into Workday and select the Find Jobs report which will take you to our internal career listings.

For more information or assistance with the American University careers site, email

theworkline@american.edu

American University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution that operates in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The university does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including pregnancy), age, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, personal appearance, gender identity and expression, family responsibilities, political affiliation, source of income, veteran status, an individual’s genetic information or any other bases under federal or local laws (collectively "Protected Bases") in its programs and activities.

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