Director, Marketing and Communications (College of Medicine-Tucson)

This Director-level position plays a critical role in aligning and executing strategic marketing and communications efforts that support the shared goals of Banner - University Medicine Tucson and the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson. The individual will lead cross-organizational initiatives, provide strategic direction to the medical school's communications staff, and act as a liaison to ensure consistency, collaboration, and impact across both entities.

• Serve as the primary liaison between the hospital/system and medical school marketing/communications teams, facilitating seamless collaboration and unified messaging.
• Supervise a team of multi-disciplinary communications professionals to produce and deliver high-quality written and video content.
• Develop and implement an innovative and sustainable web presence.
• Evaluate COM-T staff performance, manage operational budgets for communications, marketing, events, and stakeholder relations.
• Deeply understand and intuit the client(s) needs and develop strategies to meet their objectives. Lead the development and execution of holistic, integrated marketing and communications plans that align with the school's strategic plan and priorities, and work with teams to execute on all initiatives, monitoring outcomes and adjusting tactics as needed. Own all related projects and processes from beginning to end, ensuring all work done aligns with UofA and College of Medicine-Tucson Marketing and Communications and the school's goals and priorities. Develop a service partnership agreement for the client, and ensure all aspects are executed on time and as described; if new projects or needs arise that do not align with the agreements, collaborate with the executive director and chief of staff to determine how to balance those needs with existing projects. Develop systems, reports, and presentations to convey impact to internal and external stakeholders.
• Serve as a trusted resource and advisor for School of Medicine leadership, developing strong relationships and providing strategic advice aligned to their goals based on a thorough understanding of marketing and communications best practices. Think strategically about the diverse needs of the school's various audiences (e.g., faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors, community members, peer institutions) and provide recommendations for cost-effective and efficient solutions.
• Serve as a team leader for a cross-disciplinary team within College of Medicine-Tucson (communications and content planning, media relations, alumni relations, creative, web, marketing, etc.) to ensure that all projects (newsletters, web updates, enrollment marketing, organic/paid social, event communications, etc.) are executed on time and in alignment with their client(s) strategic objectives and brand guidelines. Partner with a communications manager to identify news opportunities and share them through school and university communications vehicles, social media pages, and websites. Collaborate consistently with team leaders across UofA and College of Medicine-Tucson to ensure recommendations align with industry best practices, as well as MarCom workloads and priorities. Work with other team leaders within the department to assign projects and tasks to subject matter experts within MarCom as appropriate.
• Review all work before delivery to the client(s), including strategic alignment and proofreading, and checking that all requirements and/or changes have been addressed.
• Develop strong familiarity with assigned client unit(s) and ability to write on behalf of leadership, including for speeches, talking points, email messages, presentations, quotes, articles, and publications.
• Develop and implement integrated marketing and communications strategies that promote shared priorities across both institutions.
• Provide strategic guidance and oversight to communications staff at the medical school, ensuring alignment with broader institutional goals.
• Lead and manage joint marketing projects, including community outreach campaigns, education events, public relations initiatives, and print and digital content creation.
• Oversee planning, promotion, and execution of a major annual community-facing signature event (e.g., a non-formal gala-style event).
• Coordinate direct marketing efforts to diverse external and internal audiences, including current and prospective patients, students, faculty, donors, and the general public.
• Guide joint social media strategies and content development across entities to enhance brand presence and engagement across platforms.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to produce compelling stories that highlight joint successes, research, clinical innovation, patient stories and education.
• Manage creation and distribution of weekly and monthly B - UMT internal digital newsletters.
• Write and edit stories and other content for internal and external publication.
• Track and report on the effectiveness of initiatives, providing insights and recommendations for improvement.
• Maintain a deep understanding of each organization's brand standards, mission, and audience needs to ensure message consistency and integrity.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience developing a wide range of content in various media (print, digital, video, etc.).
• Strong creative skills, including ability to provide creative direction to complex joint projects such as a magazine-style newsletter.
• Strong organization skills and ability to simultaneously manage multiple deadline-driven projects.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, timelines, and stakeholder relationships with diplomacy and professionalism.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional projects and teams, foster collaboration and influence execution of work and outcomes without direct authority.

This job posting reflects the general nature and level of work expected of the selected candidate(s). It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities. The institution reserves the right to amend or update this description as organizational priorities and institutional needs evolve.

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent advanced learning attained through professional level experience required.
• Minimum of 7 years of related work experience, including 3 years of managerial experience, or equivalent combination of education and work experience.

• Bachelor's degree in the fields of Marketing, Communications, Public Relations, Journalism or related field; Master's degree preferred.
• At least 10 years of relevant experience in marketing and communications, preferably in healthcare, medical education, or health sciences.
• Prior experience working in academic medicine, health sciences or large healthcare systems is highly desirable.
  Graphic design, photography and photo-editing skills are highly desirable.