Chief Marketing and Communications Officer

The Marketing and Communications team at the Viterbi School of Engineering brings together creative professionals, strategists, and digital specialists under one unified structure serving all departments, centers, and institutes across Campus, ISI, and ICT. This centralized model ensures a cohesive institutional voice, strengthens brand consistency, and enhances visibility through shared expertise in information collection, creative representation, and digital dissemination.

The organization leverages analytics, automation, and emerging AI-enabled tools to elevate efficiency, expand capacity, and support modern storytelling. Every team member contributes to a collaborative environment that advances the School's mission of education, research, and innovation.

POSITION SUMMARY
The Chief Marketing & Communications Officer serves as the School's senior strategist for institutional marketing, communications, and brand reputation. This role provides vision, executive leadership, and operational oversight across all three functional domains of the future-state organization:

Information Collection & Content Development Creative Representation & Special Projects Content Dissemination (Web & Social Media)

The Chief develops School-wide messaging frameworks, leads major institutional campaigns, and ensures aligned, high-quality communications across all academic departments, research centers, ISI, ICT, and administrative units. The position oversees executive communications, crisis and issues response, media relations, and institutional storytelling that elevates the School's academic excellence, research leadership, and global impact.

The Chief also leads the adoption of analytics, AI-assisted tools, and modern digital practices to optimize performance, scale capacity, and advance the School's long-term strategic goals.

This position requires creativity, strategic judgment, and agility in a complex, rapidly evolving higher education and media environment.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute an integrated, multi-year marketing and communications strategy aligned with the School's mission, institutional priorities, and long-term strategic plan.
• Establish unified messaging frameworks that strengthen the School's reputation among prospective students, alumni, donors, faculty, industry partners, and global audiences.
• Lead strategic planning across all three functional domains, ensuring coordination, efficiency, and consistent service delivery.

Executive & Institutional Communications

• Serve as the School's lead spokesperson and primary communications advisor to the Dean and senior leadership.
• Direct executive communications, high-profile announcements, and internal School-wide messaging.
• Lead crisis and issues communications, ensuring timely, coordinated, and accurate messaging in partnership with the Dean's Office, University Communications, and relevant campus partners.

Creative, Content, and Digital Oversight

• Oversee development of high-impact storytelling, campaigns, and multimedia content that amplify the School's academic and research strengths.
• Direct the integration of creative, content, and digital workflows to ensure consistency and quality across platforms.
• Ensure strong governance for web publishing, digital channels, and brand standards across departments and institutes.
• Champion accessibility, usability, and audience experience across all digital platforms and communications materials.

Cross-Functional Partnerships

• Maintain a close strategic partnership with Viterbi IT's Digital Communication Group, which supports WordPress governance, Sites@USC, the Viterbi Web Calendar, Image Archive, and digital signage infrastructure, ensuring aligned platforms and cohesive digital experience.
• Collaborate with VASE Admissions and Recruitment to align messaging, strengthen prospective-student engagement, and support coordinated student recruitment strategies across digital, social, and web channels.

AI, Analytics, and Innovation

• Drive adoption of AI-enabled tools to improve content creation, research discovery, workflow automation, and audience targeting.
• Use analytics, dashboards, and modern performance measurement tools to guide decision-making, assess impact, and optimize storytelling and digital reach.
• Foster a culture that embraces innovation, responsible experimentation, and continuous improvement.

Organizational Leadership

• Build and mentor a collaborative, service-oriented team culture grounded in creativity, accountability, and strategic alignment.
• Ensure equitable baseline marketing coverage for all academic departments, research institutes, and administrative units.
• Partner with School leadership, department chairs, and center/institute directors to ensure coordinated support, accurate representation, and alignment with institutional goals.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS & TEAM STRUCTURE
Reports to: Dean of the Viterbi School of Engineering or Dean's delegate. The reporting relationship may be adjusted within Viterbi as needed to support evolving operational needs.

Supervises: Four direct reports, including the Strategic Marketing Manager, the Creative Strategy Manager, the Digital Media & Web Manager, and the Public Relations & Social Media Manager. Provides indirect leadership to an additional seven staff for a total team of eleven communications and marketing professionals.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Advanced degree in marketing, communications, journalism, public relations, or a related field.
• Extensive experience leading complex, multi-channel communications and marketing functions in higher education, research, or other mission-driven organizations.
• Demonstrated success in developing and implementing comprehensive brand, creative, and digital strategies that advance institutional goals and enhance reputation.
• Proven ability to manage crisis communications and sensitive issues with discretion, clarity, and sound judgment.
• Experience overseeing internal communications and organizational messaging that promote transparency, engagement, and alignment across diverse audiences.
• Deep understanding of digital marketing, analytics, and emerging technologies, including AI-powered platforms that enhance content creation, automation, performance measurement, and strategic decision-making.
• Experience identifying and responsibly implementing AI applications to improve storytelling, workflow efficiency, and audience targeting while upholding institutional standards and ethical practices.
• Strong leadership and management skills with experience mentoring creative and communications professionals in a collaborative, service-oriented environment.
• Exceptional written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to advise senior leadership and represent the institution to internal and external stakeholders.
• Strategic thinker with a record of innovation, adaptability, and results-driven decision-making in complex organizations.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Hybrid flexibility; this position is expected to maintain a strong onsite presence across the School's departments, research institutes, and administrative units to ensure meaningful engagement and consistent service delivery. The Chief may also be called upon to provide communications leadership during emergencies or periods of operational continuity planning.

The annual base salary range for this exempt position is $174,678.74 - $197,915.03. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope of responsibilities, work experience, education and training, skills, internal equity, and market conditions.

DISCLAIMER
This description outlines the general nature and level of work performed; it is not an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or skills required. Management may assign or reassign duties to respond to organizational priorities and evolving needs.