Job Description

Serving as the university's chief marketing and communications officer and as a strategic advisor to the Chancellor and senior leadership on issues related to the university's reputation, positioning, communications, and public engagement, the Vice Chancellor will join an institution with clear momentum: a new strategic plan, significant capital investment in campus facilities, strong enrollment, an outstanding student experience, and a well-earned reputation as one of the South's leading regional universities. This is an exceptional opportunity for an accomplished communications executive who can navigate complex institutional environments, anticipate stakeholder perspectives, and build consensus while advancing university priorities-and who is ready to help position UT Martin for its next chapter.

The Opportunity

Reporting directly to the Chancellor and serving as a member of the Chancellor's Cabinet, the Vice Chancellor for Marketing and Communications serves as the university's chief communications and marketing officer and as a strategic advisor to the Chancellor and senior leadership on issues related to the university's reputation, positioning, communications, and public engagement. The Vice Chancellor provides strategic leadership for all institutional marketing, branding, communications, media relations, digital communications, and crisis communications efforts for the University of Tennessee at Martin.

The Vice Chancellor develops and implements comprehensive marketing and communication strategies that enhance the university's reputation, support enrollment growth, strengthen stakeholder engagement, and advance the mission and strategic priorities of UT Martin. The position provides leadership for university-wide brand management, recruitment marketing, social media, websites, publications, mass media relations, and all other marketing and communications activities of the university. The Vice Chancellor also serves as the university's lead crisis communications officer, coordinating communication planning and response during emergencies and other significant institutional events.

As a participant in the institution's long-range planning, the Vice Chancellor analyzes and recommends new initiatives and programs as they influence recruitment, fundraising, community relations, legislative relations, public opinion, current and prospective students, institutional partnerships, and other internal and external constituencies. The position is responsible for establishing, presenting, and maintaining an honest, consistent, and legally appropriate institutional message and plan of action to the university and the public.

The Vice Chancellor's duties include, but are not limited to the following:

Strategic Marketing and Brand Leadership

• Leads the development and execution of an integrated university-wide marketing and communications strategy
• Protects and strengthens the UT Martin brand across all platforms and audiences
• Ensures consistent visual identity, messaging, and brand standards throughout the institution
• Partners closely with the Chancellor, Enrollment Management, Advancement, Athletics, and academic leadership to develop integrated strategies that strengthen student recruitment, enrollment, retention, alumni engagement, fundraising, and institutional reputation
• Monitors market trends, higher education communications practices, and competitive positioning

Communications and Media Relations

• Serves as the university's chief spokesperson or designates appropriate spokespersons
• Oversees media relations, press releases, news coverage, and public information activities
• Develops proactive communications strategies that enhance the university's visibility and reputation
• Manages relationships with local, regional, and national media outlets
• Provides communications counsel to the Chancellor, Cabinet, and other university leaders
• Oversees media relations, press releases, news coverage, and public information activities, along with the university's primary communication channels and publications, including the news website, faculty and staff newsletter, and alumni magazine.
• Coordinates statewide and national publications and media relations in cooperation with the University of Tennessee System
• Coordinates communications supporting legislative relations and government affairs in partnership with the Chancellor and the UT System
• Ensures institutional messaging is honest, consistent, and legally appropriate, including compliance with Tennessee public records laws and related university guidelines
• Coordinates communications and media relations supporting Division I intercollegiate athletics in partnership with the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics

Digital Communications

• Provides shared oversight with the Information Technology Division for the university's website strategy, governance, and content standards
• Leads institutional social media strategy and engagement
• Oversees digital advertising, search marketing, email marketing, and other digital communication channels
• Ensures digital communications support recruitment, retention, and institutional advancement goals

Recruitment Marketing and Publications

• Directs recruitment marketing campaigns in partnership with Enrollment Management
• Oversees the development of university publications, magazines, brochures, viewbooks, annual reports, and other institutional materials
• Ensures communications effectively reach prospective students, parents, alumni, donors, legislators, and community partners
• Provides marketing and communications support for development and advancement campaigns, including donor and campaign messaging
• Oversees university photography, videography, and the management of institutional visual assets supporting print and online publications

Crisis Communications and Reputation Management

• Advises the Chancellor and senior leaders on communications strategies, stakeholder engagement, emerging issues, and reputational risk
• Monitors emerging issues and leads proactive issues management to protect and strengthen the university's reputation
• Leads university crisis communications planning and response
• Develops and maintains crisis communications protocols and messaging strategies
• Coordinates communications during emergencies, critical incidents, and other high-profile events
• Serves on university emergency management and crisis response teams
• Provides timely, accurate, and strategic communications to internal and external audiences during crises
• Serves as designated personnel for emergencies, reporting to the assigned work location to ensure continuity of essential communications functions during an emergency or when the university has suspended or delayed operations

Leadership and Administration

• Serves as a member of the Chancellor's Cabinet and participates in institutional strategic planning and decision-making
• Provides supervision, leadership, and professional development for marketing and communications staff
• Exercises full budgetary oversight for the division, establishing the budget and holding full authority to implement budget initiatives, commit funds, and allocate resources and operational priorities
• Fosters collaboration across academic and administrative units
• Provides communications leadership and planning support for university special events, ceremonies, and signature institutional events
• Establishes metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of marketing and communications initiatives

Qualifications

A master's degree in communications, marketing, public relations, journalism, business, or a related field and eight or more years of progressively responsible experience in marketing, communications, broadcast media, print journalism, public relations, media relations, or brand management, including significant leadership responsibility, are required. The successful candidate will bring demonstrated success leading comprehensive, integrated marketing and communications strategies; experience supervising professional staff and managing budgets; excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills with exceptional knowledge of Associated Press Style; and experience with crisis communications and issues management. The Vice Chancellor will demonstrate uncompromised integrity and ethics; strong organizational skills and high attention to detail with the proven ability to manage multiple, competing priorities; the ability to thrive in a collaborative, team-oriented environment; exceptional judgment and discretion in the management of confidential, protected, and sensitive information; and strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to use data to improve communications and marketing effectiveness.

The Vice Chancellor will have an understanding of and appreciation for UT Martin's mission as a provider of high-quality educational opportunities and will share enthusiasm for students; an appreciation for faculty and staff; and a commitment to the university's mission, core values, goals and the system's Be One UT values.

Preferred qualifications include the following:

• Doctorate degree in a related field
• Experience in higher education marketing and communications
• Knowledge of enrollment marketing, digital strategy, and brand management
• Experience working with executive leadership, governing boards, and external stakeholders
• Knowledge of event planning and of fundraising communications support
• Knowledge of Tennessee public records laws and related university guidelines
• Knowledge of Division I NCAA intercollegiate athletics

Key competencies and required knowledge, skills, and abilities include the following:

Strategic and Institutional Leadership

• Ability to think and plan strategically and to align marketing and communications activity with institutional goals and priorities
• Knowledge of higher education at the local, state, and national levels
• Ability to exercise sound judgment and make timely decisions on matters with far-reaching institutional implications
• Political and organizational acumen, including the ability to navigate complex institutional environments, anti