Director of Strategic Partnerships-Office of Communications & Marketing-UTK

The Office of Communications and Marketing at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, seeks applications and nominations for the position of Director, Strategic Partnerships. The Director, Strategic Partnerships is responsible for expanding and elevating the university’s brand mission and goals through key partnerships with external clients and serves as an integral member of the Office of Communications and Marketing’s leadership team.

UT is the state’s flagship research university, a campus of choice for outstanding undergraduates, and a premier graduate institution. As a land-grant university, the institution fulfills its access mission through a commitment to excellence in learning, scholarship, and engagement.

The Office of Communications and Marketing is dedicated to advancing the university’s reputation. Staff members support the institution’s mission and goals, promote its successes and achievements, inform and engage its stakeholders, and ensure the integrity of its brand. We craft audience-focused communications based on data, best-practices, and emerging trends.

The division comprises several cross-functional teams, employing more than 50 full-time professionals with expertise in design, development, video production, content strategy, feature writing, editing, marketing, media relations, internal communication, and special events.

• Partner Relations: Develop brand-forward integration solutions that deliver value to our university students and staff. Coordinate with other areas of campus to plan and secure inventory across marketing activations, events and initiatives. Keep stakeholders informed of affinity partnership relationship status, problems, concerns and potential areas for growth. Oversee day-to-day partner management, ensuring the execution of contractual obligations and curating executive summary reports.
• Program Development: Lead the development of the first cross-campus brand partnership solution for the university that grows both brand reputation and revenue while aligning with the university’s vision and goals. Develop and publish partnership branding governance and guidelines in alignment with The University of Tennessee processes. Serve as a resource for the university community on the topics of brand-forward partnerships.
• New Partner Development: Identify target gaps and potential partners, leveraging research across peer institutions and internal campus stakeholders.
• Serve as a member of the leadership team for the Associate Vice Chancellor of Brand Partnerships, providing counsel and sharing information across organizational boundaries and with administrators, faculty and staff campus-wide.

Qualifications

Required: Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of eight years of relevant experience. Experience building and maintaining strong relationships with industry partners and key internal stakeholders.

Preferred: Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of ten years of relevant experience and a comprehensive understanding of strategic partnership cultivation.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Ability to be a self-starter
• Ability to produce prosperous partnerships fruitful at elevating our university’s brand, reach, and revenue.
• Skill for cultivating and maintaining relationships with university faculty and external clients.
• Ability to have a collaborative mindset combined with a deep understanding of brand marketing and
• Ability to represent the office and university in a professional manner to all constituents, including partners on and off campus.
• Ability to maintain an in-depth knowledge of university priorities, including a broad understanding of institutional strengths and marketing goals.
• Ability to have a collaborative mindset
• Deep knowledge of brand marketing and business development

Salary

The hiring range for this position is MR15. Salary is dependent on qualifications and experience.

Benefits

The university offers a highly competitive benefits package that includes health insurance and retirement plans through the State of Tennessee, generous annual and sick leave accruals, longevity pay, tuition waivers and discounts, discounted athletics tickets, and more.

Application Process

A review of all applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. For full consideration, applicants must apply electronically and submit a cover letter, resume, and the names, addresses and phone numbers of three references. A minimum of two references should be current or previous supervisors.

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has shaped leaders, changemakers, and innovative thinkers since its founding in 1794. The university is home to more than 38,000 students and 10,000 statewide employees—the Volunteers—who uphold the university’s tradition of lighting the way for others through leadership and service.

UT Knoxville offers over 900 programs of study across 14 degree-granting colleges and schools. As Tennessee’s flagship land-grant university, its footprint spans the entire state. The university holds the highest Carnegie classification for research activity and has deep partnerships with industry leaders and the US Department of Energy’s largest multidisciplinary laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The Knoxville campus serves and recruits for UT Knoxville, including the Institute of Agriculture and the Space Institute, as well as the UT Institute of Public Service.

UT Knoxville considers its employees its number one asset. With values that focus on work-life balance, compensation, and innovation leadership, all Vols are supported to advance professionally. Employees have access to career development and coaching, continued education, and an extensive list of development and training possibilities. The Volunteer employee experience implements structures and practices that attract and retain a diverse community and that support a culture where everyone matters and belongs.

The university holds a strong commitment to its land-grant mission of learning and engagement, with a tradition of service and leadership that carries that Volunteer spirit throughout the state and around the world. It has been ranked nationally as “Best Employer for New Graduates,” “One of America’s Best Large Employers,” and “Best Workplace for Women,” and has been designated as “Best Place for Working Parents” by Forbes Magazine.

Apply today and join the Tennessee Volunteer community!