Director of Advancement Communications

Job Description:

Budget Title: Staff Associate (SL-4)

Salary: $85,000 - $100,000

Binghamton University seeks an experienced and strategic communications leader to serve as Director of Advancement Communications . The Director provides strategic leadership for communications that advance the University's fundraising priorities, strengthen alumni engagement, and inspire philanthropic investment.

Working in close partnership with the Division of Advancement, the Director develops and executes integrated communications strategies that support major gifts, annual giving, donor stewardship, alumni engagement, and comprehensive fundraising campaigns. The Director serves as a communications strategist for University Advancement while ensuring alignment with the University's overall brand strategy, institutional messaging, and marketing priorities. The Director reports directly to the Vice President for Communications and Marketing and has a dotted-line reporting relationship to the Vice President for University Advancement.

The Director directly supervises an Advancement Communications staff member and works collaboratively across the Division of Communications and Marketing, leveraging the expertise of writers, designers, web developers, digital marketers, photographers, videographers, social media strategists, and media relations professionals to deliver integrated communications that advance the University's philanthropic goals.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and implement a comprehensive advancement communications strategy aligned with the University's strategic priorities, fundraising objectives, and brand platform.
• Serve as the primary communications advisor to University Advancement leadership on fundraising campaigns, donor engagement, alumni relations, and philanthropic storytelling.
• Collaborate with Advancement Leadership to create communications and materials for major gift cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.

Fundraising and Campaign Communications

• Lead messaging and content strategy supporting major gifts, principal gifts, annual giving, comprehensive campaigns, and special fundraising initiatives.
• Oversee development of case statements, donor proposals, stewardship reports, campaign collateral, and impact publications.
• Develop compelling stories that demonstrate the impact of philanthropy through student success, faculty excellence, research innovation, and alumni achievement.

Content Strategy and Digital Communications

• Oversee advancement communications across print, digital, email marketing, web, social media, video, and emerging communication channels.
• Ensure advancement communications are consistent with University brand standards, editorial guidelines, and institutional messaging.
• Partner with the Division's digital communications team to optimize web content, email strategy, and audience engagement.
• Utilize analytics and engagement metrics to evaluate communications effectiveness and continuously improve performance.

Collaboration and Institutional Partnerships

• Serve as the primary communications liaison between the Division of Advancement and the Division of Communications and Marketing.
• Collaborate with advancement leadership, alumni relations, development officers, academic units, and central communications staff to advance shared institutional priorities.
• Coordinate communications supporting advancement events, alumni programs, campaign launches, donor recognition, and stewardship initiatives.
• Partner with media relations, creative services, editorial, digital communications, and social media teams to ensure integrated execution of advancement communications.

Leadership and Operations

• Provide direct supervision, coaching, and professional development for Advancement Communications staff.
• Lead Advancement Communications through a combination of direct supervision and cross-functional collaboration, leveraging the specialized expertise of the Division of Communications and Marketing to execute integrated communications initiatives.
• Establish editorial standards, project workflows, and communications priorities to ensure timely, high-quality deliverables.
• Manage budgets, external vendors, freelance resources, and agency relationships as appropriate.
• Foster a collaborative culture focused on innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Required Competencies

• Strategic thinking and communications planning
• Effective storytelling and editorial judgment
• Collaborative leadership and relationship building
• Project and workflow management
• Data-informed decision making
• Written and verbal communication skills
• Sound judgment, discretion, and professionalism
• Commitment to collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in communications, marketing, journalism, public relations, or a related field.
• Minimum of eight years of progressively responsible experience in communications, public relations, or advancement communications.
• Demonstrated experience developing strategic communications initiatives that support fundraising, engagement, or institutional priorities.
• Effective writing, editing, and storytelling skills for alumni, donor, and external audiences.
• Experience managing communications projects and collaborating across multiple stakeholders in a fast-paced environment.
• Knowledge of higher education advancement, donor relations, stewardship, and alumni engagement.

Preferred:

• Experience working within higher education advancement or nonprofit fundraising.
• Experience supporting comprehensive fundraising campaigns.
• Demonstrated success integrating print, digital, and multimedia communications strategies.
• Familiarity with CRM platforms, digital marketing analytics, content management systems, and email marketing platforms.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position. If you currently need sponsorship or will need it in the future to maintain employment authorization, you do not meet eligibility requirements. Additionally, please note that Binghamton University is not an E-Verify employer.

Additional Information:

Offers of employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a pre-employment background check and verification of degree(s) and credentials

Binghamton University is a tobacco-free campus.

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Cover letters may be addressed "To the Search Committee."

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Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer
The State University of New York is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. It is the policy of Binghamton University to provide for and promote equal opportunity employment, compensation, and other terms and conditions of employment without discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, disability, national origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, veteran or military service member status, marital status, domestic violence victim status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, or arrest and/or criminal conviction record unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification or other exception.

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Application Instructions:

All applicants must apply via Interview Exchange:

Deadline for Internal Applicants:


Deadline for External Applicants: Open until filled

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the vacancy is filled.

Please submit:

1. Resume,
2. Cover letter, and
3. Contact information for three professional references

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