Managing Principal - Executive Marketing & Communications Advisor

Beta Systems International | Higher Education Client, North Carolina | Hybrid (monthly on-site, otherwise remote) | Contingent on Contract Award

Important: Every qualification listed under Required Qualifications is mandatory. Candidates must meet ALL requirements to be considered. Applications that do not meet every requirement will not be reviewed. This position is contingent upon contract award.

About the Role

BSI is seeking a senior marketing and communications executive to serve as Managing Principal on an executive advisory engagement with a public university in North Carolina. You will be the client's single point of contact and the person accountable for every deliverable, advising the Chancellor and Cabinet directly.

This is a near full-time commitment of approximately 160 hours per month. You will be on campus at least once a month for progress meetings and occasionally for key leadership meetings (with advance notice); the rest of the work is remote. You will also lead weekly business review meetings and submit monthly progress reports.

The role is primarily strategic and advisory. The university's internal marketing and communications team handles most implementation, with occasional hands-on work alongside them.

What You'll Do

• Executive strategy: Serve as a trusted advisor to the Chancellor and Cabinet; support implementation and communication of the university's strategic plan; advise on change management and cross-functional alignment.
• Executive communications and reputation: Develop internal and external messaging for the Chancellor and senior leaders; lead issues management, crisis communications planning, and media relations strategy; deliver executive media training.
• Enterprise marketing and brand: Guide integrated marketing across enrollment, academics, student affairs, athletics, and advancement; act as the institution's brand steward for positioning, messaging, and visual identity.
• Organizational leadership: Assess and strengthen the Integrated Marketing & Communications office; recommend structure and governance; coach marketing leadership; advise on the search for, and onboarding of, a new Chief Marketing Officer.
• Governance and performance: Build governance models, KPIs, and executive dashboards; oversee agency relationships; evaluate budget effectiveness.

Required Qualifications – ALL Must Be Met

• 15–20 years of executive leadership experience in strategic marketing, communications, public relations, brand management, go-to-market execution, or related executive advisory work.
• Brand strategy, integrated marketing, and communications experience for large, complex, matrixed, multi-stakeholder organizations.
• Experience in all of the following: strategic planning, executive communications, brand management, organizational transformation, crisis communications, media relations, social media management, and reputation management.
• More than 10 years serving as a trusted advisor to presidents, chancellors, CEOs, or cabinet-level leadership.
• Experience coaching senior executives and building high-performing marketing and communications organizations.
• Direct experience working within higher education.
• Additional experience outside higher education, in nonprofit, corporate, global, or similarly matrixed organizations. Higher-education experience alone does not satisfy this requirement.
• Proven success managing, training, and developing a department or organization of 30 or more employees.
• Budget management proficiency for budgets of $10 million or more.
• A master's degree.

Preferred

• Direct experience leading or advising on a Chief Marketing Officer search or executive transition.
• Familiarity with public university governance, including boards of trustees.
• Experience with public-sector procurement or contracting.

Engagement Details

• Structure: Employee / 1099 contractor
• Start date: Estimated late-November
• Travel: Monthly on-site visits in Winston Salem, North Carolina, plus occasional additional leadership meetings.

Beta Systems International is an equal opportunity employer.