Director of Marketing Operations

Location

Abilene, TX | United States

Job description

Director of Marketing Operations

Job no: 493730
Work Type: Staff full-time
Location: Abilene
Categories: Staff

About ACU

ACU is affiliated with the fellowship of the Church of Christ. All applicants must be professing Christians and willing to support the Christian mission and purpose of Abilene Christian University while employed by the university.

Director of Marketing Operations

Abilene, Texas

Marketing & Strategic Communications

Exempt Full-time

• Establish Project Management Framework
• Implement and Manage Strategic Prioritization of Work
• Implement and Lead Project Management Process and System
• Change Management
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Project Portfolio Management
• Risk Management
• Continuous Improvement of Project Management Inside and Outside the Marketing Team

1. Establish Project Management Framework:

• • Conduct a detailed analysis of existing project workflows within the Marketing Department, identifying gaps, bottlenecks, and inefficiencies
  • Develop a project management framework for both internal projects (marketing-initiated strategies) and client projects (outside requests from campus partners), working toward a goal of 80/20 – 80% of work being marketing-initiated strategies and 20% being client projects

1. Implement and Lead Strategic Prioritization of Work:

• • Lead the transformation of the current client-task-oriented approach to one where deliverables arise from well-thought-through strategies
  • Work closely with departmental leaders to understand overarching strategies and goals
  • Transform the approach to business/results prioritization, ensuring tasks and projects are derived from strategic priorities and goals rather than individual tasks that do not align with overall strategy, do not drive student enrollment, or do not drive tuition revenue
  • Develop and implement a strategic prioritization model that aligns with departmental objectives and drives impactful outcomes

1. Implement and Manage Project Management Processes and System:

• • Research, evaluate, and select a project management system tailored to the Marketing Department's specific needs
  • Lead the seamless integration of the chosen system with existing tools
  • Develop and deliver a training program to educate team members on new project management framework, process, and utilizing the new project management system effectively
  • Lead projects from strategy development and requirements definition through deployment, identifying schedules, scope, resource allocation, and implementation plans, including risk management
  • Report out to VP of Marketing and advice on alignment of team resource allocation to strategic priorities

1. Change Management:

• • Conduct a comprehensive organizational culture assessment within the Marketing Department, identifying cultural barriers to change
  • Develop a strategic change management plan, including targeted communication campaigns inside and outside the team, workshops, and incentives
  • Develop and deliver a hands-on training program to educate key stakeholders on new project management approach and framework, including new approach to the prioritization of work within the Marketing Department
  • Implement a feedback loop by monitoring, documenting, measuring, and communicating the success of change initiatives, making adjustments based on real-time insights

1. Stakeholder Engagement:

• • Foster strong relationships with key stakeholders through regular check-ins and collaborative workshops
  • Implement a robust communication plan, ensuring transparency and alignment between project goals and organizational objectives
  • Establish a feedback mechanism to capture stakeholder input and integrate it into project planning and execution
  • Collaborate with departmental leaders to define and measure key performance indicators (KPIs) for project success

1. Project Portfolio Management:

• • Conduct an exhaustive audit of existing projects, categorizing them based on strategic importance, urgency, and resource requirements
  • Develop a dynamic project prioritization framework, incorporating input from key departmental leaders to align projects with the overarching goal of driving enrollment
  • Implement a real-time project tracking and reporting system for enhanced visibility into project status and resource allocation
  • Collaborate with team members to develop strategic plans for projects, ensuring each task contributes to larger, strategic objectives
  • Implement a system for tracking and measuring the strategic impact of individual tasks and projects

1. Risk Management:

• • Conduct a thorough risk assessment for the transformation and project management initiatives, identifying potential roadblocks
  • Develop and implement proactive risk mitigation strategies, with a focus on maintaining project timelines and quality
  • Establish regular risk review sessions to adapt strategies as needed throughout the project lifecycle

1. Continuous Improvement of Project Management Inside and Outside the Marketing Team:

• • Implement regular project management process assessments, incorporating feedback from team members and stakeholders
  • Cultivate a culture of continuous improvement by identifying areas for optimization and efficiency gains
  • Integrate feedback mechanisms such as post-project reviews to capture insights for ongoing improvement in project delivery

• Skills

• • Strong project management experience, PMP or other project management certification preferred
  • A bridge-building mentality, a strong relational leader
  • Strong organizational and management skills
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Training Required

• • Ongoing CPE
  • Regular reading in higher education and marketing publications
  • ACU network programs: Concur, Banner, etc.

Professional

• Bachelor's degree in Project Management, Business Administration, Marketing, or a related field
• Proven experience (5+ years) in project management, including building project management functions
• Strong experience with project management tools and software
• Strong understanding of change management principles

Personal

• Ability to navigate complex organizational politics and foster positive relationships
• Experience managing priorities and work without direct supervision of team members

• Work is performed in an office environment; must have the ability to sit for long periods of time (4-6 hours)
• The strong preference for this role is that it would be in-person on the Abilene campus. A hybrid role may be considered for extremely strong candidates.

ACU does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, sex, disability, genetic information, national or ethnic origin in employment opportunities, in keeping with applicable state and federal law.

ACU is committed to maintaining a safe and secure campus environment and protecting the university's financial and physical assets.  Therefore, Abilene Christian University conducts background checks on all candidates for employment in security sensitive positions.

Advertised: January 09, 2024 Central Standard Time
Applications close: Open until filled

Job tags

Salary