Description

Executive Director of Brand, Marketing and Creative Strategy

Position Number: 500657
Full Time or Part Time: Full Time
Anticipated Recruitment Range: $93,242 - $125,000
Position Type: Non-Faculty
Job Category: Non-Faculty Professional

Organizational Unit Overview:

Job Duties:

• Serve as ECU’s chief steward of the institutional brand, ensuring clarity, consistency, and credibility across all audiences and channels.
• Lead the development, articulation, and ongoing evolution of ECU’s brand positioning, narrative framework, and value proposition.
• Ensure the brand reflects ECU’s mission, vision, academic strengths, research enterprise, and community impact.
• Guide the strategic application of the brand across recruitment, reputation-building, research visibility, advancement, and public engagement.

• Provide executive oversight and strategic direction for central marketing functions, which may include:
  • Brand and creative services
  • Strategic marketing and campaigns
  • Marketing initiatives that drive awareness, engagement and conversion throughout the enrollment funnel.
• Establish enterprise-wide priorities that guide both central and distributed marketing activity.
• Apply market research, analytics, and audience insights to optimize messaging, targeting, and channel strategy.
• Ensure coordination across functions to reduce duplication, fragmentation, and inefficiencies.

• Provide strategic direction regarding brand and creative university-centric vision in producing high-quality, audience-centered assets, campaigns, and visual identity systems.
• Oversee development of integrated marketing campaigns that elevate ECU’s brand, support enrollment objectives, and reinforce institutional priorities.
• Ensure brand standards are upheld and evolve in response to emerging trends and strategic needs.

• Serve as a strategic partner to enrollment management, advancement, academic leadership, research, and health sciences.
• Ensure brand alignment across recruitment, retention, reputation, philanthropy, and research materials.
• Advise senior leadership on market positioning and emerging trends affecting ECU’s visibility and competitiveness.
• Support institutional initiatives through integrated messaging and coordinated go-to-market strategies.

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing brand, marketing and creative services organization.
• Define clear roles, expectations, and career pathways for staff across central and distributed teams.
• Build institutional capability in modern marketing practices, including audience insight, digital optimization, and performance measurement.
• Foster a collaborative culture that values shared accountability and continuous improvement.

• Establish and monitor metrics that connect brand and marketing efforts to institutional priorities and outcomes.
• Use data and insight to inform prioritization, resource allocation, and strategic decision-making.
• Promote a culture of learning, experimentation, and accountability across the marketing ecosystem.

• Work closely with the CCO as a key member of the University Communications leadership team.
• Collaborate with senior university leadership to align marketing strategy with institutional goals, including enrollment, reputation management, and community impact.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to the senior leaders on brand and marketing matters.

Minimum Education/Experience:

• Advanced degree with 6 years of relevant experience, or Bachelor’s degree with 8 years of relevant experience.
• Minimum of 6 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in marketing, brand strategy, or a related field.
• Demonstrated success leading enterprise-level brand or marketing functions within complex organizations.
• Proven ability to operate effectively in decentralized or matrixed environments.
• Strong executive presence with the ability to influence, align, and lead across multiple stakeholder groups.

License or Certification Required by Statute or Regulation:

Preferred Experience, Skills, Training/Education:

• Experience in higher education, academic health systems, or similarly complex public institutions.
• Familiarity with enrollment marketing, reputation management, and stakeholder communications.
• Experience designing governance models, operating frameworks, or enterprise-wide standards.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through organizational change.

Special Instructions to Applicant:

Additional Instructions to Applicant:

• In order to be considered for this position, applicants must complete a candidate profile online via the PeopleAdmin system and submit any requested documents. Additionally, applicants that possess the preferred education and experience must also possess the minimum education/experience, if applicable.
• Unless otherwise identified in the applicable job posting and consistent with University policy, the University will principally employ individuals who reside in the State of North Carolina to the greatest extent practicable. As such, most positions at East Carolina University require employees to live and work in North Carolina (or live within a reasonable daily commuting distance from their duty station) after hire. Candidates should be prepared to relocate within a reasonable, agreed-upon time after an offer of employment has been made and accepted to meet this requirement.

Job Close Date:
Open Until Filled: Yes
Initial Screening Begins: 05/22/2026

To apply, visit https://ecu.peopleadmin.com/postings/93618









Copyright ©2025 Jobelephant.com Inc. All rights reserved.

Posted by the FREE value-added recruitment advertising agency


jeid-a3b64cfca808b94b9aad26d8d69ec37a