Chief Branding Officer Boston, MA

Transcription

1 Chief Branding Officer Boston, MA Northeastern University seeks an innovative and entrepreneurial Chief Branding Officer (CBO) to develop and articulate a brand promise, position, and experience that compellingly reflects and amplifies public awareness of, and engagement in, the University s unique experiential learning model and its differentiated positioning as a modern global university. Using a brand lens to look at the life of the University and those who contribute to and participate in its transformative impact, including research faculty, current and prospective students, corporate partners, parents, and alumni the CBO will play a critical role in the design and execution of a university-wide brand awareness campaign. The campaign will integrate and maximize University-held and external communications and outreach platforms. This begins with an understanding of the University s collective assets, growth trajectory, and investment priorities as well as the qualitative and quantitative research and validation of target audiences, geographic reach, and educational offerings. This effort will result in the University clearly articulating and delivering on its brand promise, embodying a defined value system, ensuring a consistent set of core messages and stakeholder experiences, and deepening brand loyalty. Grounded in its signature Cooperative Education program (co-op) with a rapidly growing interdisciplinary research enterprise and expanding global profile, Northeastern University integrates classroom learning with real-world professional experience. This creates a unique environment a living laboratory, in which Northeastern faculty, administrators, students, alumni, and co-op partners are afforded unprecedented opportunities to experiment with 21st century learning approaches, interdisciplinary collaboration, an immersive curriculum, and opportunities to network across discipline, affinity and geography. The University is well-positioned to influence the national conversation regarding higher education that centers on value proposition, affordability, relevance, and evaluation. Expanding upon its market attuned posture and experiential learning approach, Northeastern continues to diversify and grow its graduate and continuing education offerings as seen through significant investments in its research initiatives, on-line learning, professional certifications, and the opening of new graduate focused campuses in Charlotte, NC and Seattle, WA. While the University has experienced a meteoric rise in the US News & World Report rankings, it is well-positioned to lead the conversation and set a precedent for what a modern university looks like. In this way, it is primed to tell its own story. The Chief Branding Officer will lead fully integrated marketing campaigns that advance the unique brand promise of Northeastern University. S/he will develop and implement strategies that dramatically increase the influence of the University through deeper engagement with existing audiences and the identification and engagement of new and international audiences. S/he will provide fresh thinking and hands-on leadership in all phases of campaign development from creative strategy and planning to concept and execution and will collaborate heavily with counterparts in public relations, digital, and marketing communications in a manner that encourages transparency and creativity and is results-oriented.

2 The CBO will have supportive and consultative responsibility to other external partners including top, national marketing consultants, which will assist in the identification of the most important audiences for the brand, pinpointing all customer touch points, and discovering and understanding the wants, needs and motivations of key audiences. This will help the CBO ascertain the most important benefits and messages for key audiences and develop strategic plans for the brand so as to coordinate the University s efforts as it engages a myriad of audiences, including alumni, prospective students and parents, news media, individual friends and benefactors of the University, corporations, foundations, and the government. Further, the CBO will serve as a strategic partner and advisor to the External Relations team, the President, the President s Senior Leadership Team, and other University leaders on how to best position and message to various audiences, with the goal of unifying and amplifying the voice of the University. This includes collaborating with the Office of University Advancement during EMPOWER, the $1 billion comprehensive Campaign for Northeastern University, and advising the Global Network team as regional graduate campuses and graduate programming expand and need increased brand recognition. S/he will also collaborate to develop the appropriate brand architecture and portfolio that will support the individual brands of the various Colleges and Schools while strengthening the brand of the University as a whole. The ideal candidate will have a minimum of fifteen years of demonstrated experience in audience segmentation, campaign management, brand management, or marketing theory, extensive strategic and analytic skills around marketing programs, and a proven track record of driving user growth. Candidates must be able to offer a broad, business perspective and a deep understanding of the consumer and media, with strong skills in the science and art of brand positioning, brand portfolio structure, communication strategy, strategic marketing, and multi-channel program development. Experience managing user growth programs including acquisition, retention, and lifetime value is helpful. Northeastern is especially interested in candidates who have performed at the highest levels in their careers and who are conversant with techniques at the forefront of brand loyalty, affinity marketing, and value-driven engagement from the consumer packaged goods or marketing agency settings. Leading candidates will exhibit a capacity to work independently, but with the wisdom to include others when a team approach is the best solution. A collaborative attitude and a deep desire to connect with all constituencies of a university campus is a must, as is wide-ranging curiosity and the capacity for empathy as it relates to uncovering the needs of the consumer and how the brand can best meet those needs. Equally important is the ability to simplify and prioritize critical elements that will help Northeastern build the right brand associations and a talent for conveying inspirational and compelling stories. About Northeastern University Founded in 1898, Northeastern is a global, experiential research university. Grounded in its signature coop program, Northeastern provides unprecedented experiential learning opportunities around the world. The University s rapidly growing research enterprise is strategically aligned with three national imperatives: health, security, and sustainability. Northeastern s excellence in education, research, and urban and global engagement is attracting highlytalented applicants from throughout the U.S. and around the world. This year, it received 49,822 applications for freshman admission the highest in the University s history. The University enrolls about 16,000 undergraduate and 4,500 graduate students representing 125 countries across the student body

3 and is approximately 28% students of color. Students can choose from over 96 undergraduate and 158 graduate programs across its nine schools and colleges. The University facilitated 9,823 co-op placements at almost 3,000 co-op employers in the U.S. and abroad in Ninety percent of graduates from 2006 to 2013 were employed full time or enrolled in graduate school within nine months of graduation and 85% of 2013 graduates who are employed full-time are doing work related to their major. Fifty percent of 2013 graduates received a job offer from a previous Co-op employer. Northeastern University has made dramatic strides across a broad range of priorities: global experiential education, student achievement, academic innovation, faculty strength, use-inspired research, and alumni engagement. Over the past seven years, the University recruited 442 tenured or tenure-track faculty members from around the world Northeastern is home to seven federally recognized research centers and institutes, including the Center for Awareness and Localization of Explosives-Related Threats, the Center for High-Rate Nanomanufacturing, the Center for Translational Cancer Nanomedicine, the Gordon Center for Subsurface Sensing and Imaging Systems, and the Institute for Information Assurance. Northeastern's faculty focus on interdisciplinary research, entrepreneurship, and on transforming research into commercial solutions that address the world's most pressing problems. In 2014 the University announced the public phase of the Empower campaign focused on raising $500 million in private gifts and $500 million in government and foundation funding to support students and financial aid, faculty advancement and expansion, and innovation in education and research. During Aoun's presidency, Northeastern has also established a network of regional graduate campuses and has amassed one of the largest libraries of online and hybrid professional masters programs of any university in the U.S. Learn more about the University s institutional accomplishments in this Institutional Accomplishments report. The Office of External Affairs The External Affairs division consists of two externally focused departments of Northeastern University: the Office of Marketing and Communications and the Office of Government Relations. As a whole, the division works to align the University's public strategies and to promote the University's interests through messaging and programming that support its Academic Plan and strategic goals. The Office of Marketing and Communications actively showcases the strength of the University's teaching and research. The office is made up of a diverse staff who come from a wide range of professional backgrounds many outside of academia. The Government Relations team, which includes Washington, DC-based consultants, builds mutually beneficial relationships with public officials and agencies at the state and federal levels. Specific Responsibilities and Duties of the Chief Branding Officer The Chief Branding Officer will develop and implement strategies that dramatically increase the influence of the University through deeper engagement with existing audiences and the identification and engagement of new and international audiences. The successful result of these efforts will contribute to increasing Northeastern s profile as a major interdisciplinary research university and demonstrating the value of experiential learning and Co-op. It will support the University s expansion of graduate offerings and new campus and learning platforms, catalyze entrepreneurship as a student movement, and tap into the global network of the University.

4 Working collaboratively with External Affairs colleagues, senior leadership of the academy and administration, and across programs and initiatives, the CBO will help define and reach new audiences, develop consistent and targeted core messages and outreach platforms, and conceive of and implement strategies to change the way the public thinks about the University. Responsibilities Lead efforts to understand, segment, and target new audiences. Direct consumer market research and analysis to define, segment, and reach out to new and international audiences. Serve as a thought-leader in developing the University s core messages and, in close coordination with internal and external content creators, develop relevant brand platforms and strategic messages for targeted audiences. Ensure alignment of communication and engagement efforts. Build understanding and collaborative relationships with the External Affairs team to support strategic development of aligned communications. Through thought-partnership and counsel, ensure that communications are consistent such that the University speaks with one voice. Serve as a thought-leader and builder for the University s brand awareness efforts. Provide insight and information to University stakeholders, helping them to define success, measure progress against audience engagement goals, and achieve their marketing and communications goals and business objectives while promoting the priorities and messages of the University as a whole. Support a culture of collaborative communication and continuous improvement across the University s engagement efforts. Build the necessary ecosystem to consistently deliver on brand promise. Design an interconnected system that drives towards brand recognition and brand loyalty. Ensure that every interaction with the University strengthens the brand, and that value is steadily delivered in every touchpoint a stakeholder has with the University. Qualifications of the Ideal Candidate The ideal candidate will have at least a BA or BS degree and a minimum of fifteen years of demonstrated experience in audience segmentation, campaign management, brand management, or marketing theory. S/he will possess superior writing and interpersonal skills as well as the ability to embody the mission of Northeastern University. S/he will bring a mix of successful professional achievements and the aptitude to learn and adapt to the culture of the University. A collegial, collaborative, and accessible leadership style is a prerequisite, as is the creativity, energy, and political savvy needed to introduce and champion new ideas. The CBO is expected to have the following personal characteristics and professional experience: A demonstrated track record of developing targeted campaigns that reach niche markets (agency experience is a plus). S/he will be a visionary, with breakthrough creative development and execution. The demonstrated capacity to craft a substantive and clearly differentiated brand position, which has been successfully communicated to key audiences over a period of time and resulted in measurable difference (i.e., market penetration, improved rankings, funding, or donor support). A broad background in brand management with an inherent sense of the art and science behind brand positioning, brand portfolio structure, communication strategy, strategic marketing, and multi-channel program development.

5 Demonstrated ability to think strategically about an overall program. Ability to engage a group or groups of people in identifying and agreeing to an overall vision for the institution. Measurable results in past planning processes, either as part of the leadership or executive team. The ability to use analytics to inform decisions; strong research abilities and understanding of qualitative and quantitative methodologies, with the capability to interpret big data. An inherently entrepreneurial and creative mind capable of identifying multiple solutions to a given challenge; the ability to resolve these challenges with open dialogue and inclusivity while maintaining the steadfastness needed to see projects and initiatives through to completion. The capacity to personally identify with the uniqueness of the Northeastern experience; the willingness to become a part of an intellectually creative community and participate in its vibrancy while articulating both the tangible and intangible spirit of the University to prospective students, external unaffiliated audiences, corporate partners, alumni, parents, and civic leaders. Ability to establish strong, trusting relationships and the personal strength needed to contribute to the building of a strong, unified marketing presence. Highly developed interpersonal skills, including a demonstrated ability to work in a complex, matrixed team environment. S/he must be collegial and congenial, possessing impeccable writing, presentation, and oral communication skills. Maturity, good judgment, and keen analytical and business strategy skills; ability to think critically, make decisions, and justify recommendations and results based on data and analysis. Strong project, time, and people management skills, including demonstrated ability to think independently and with limited supervision. Characteristics of personal flexibility, and tolerance of ambiguity are helpful. The ability and willingness to travel and work during evenings and weekends as needed. To Apply Applications including a cover letter describing your interest and qualifications, your resume (in Word format), and where you learned of the position should be sent to: nu-brand@nonprofitprofessionals.com. Please type only your name (Last, First) as the subject line. Northeastern University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Educational Institution and Employer, Title IX University. Northeastern University particularly welcomes applications from minorities, women and persons with disabilities. Northeastern University is an E-Verify Employer.