Recruitment & Outreach Specialist

The VCU Graduate School has an exciting opportunity for a Recruitment & Outreach Specialist! VCU combines learning, research, creativity, service, and discovery with a commitment to inclusive excellence. Ranked by U.S. News as one of the 30 "most innovative" public universities in the country, VCU is a premier, urban, public research university home to multiple nationally ranked programs. All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU's generous benefits package that includes competitive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, Virginia Retirement System (VRS), professional development & certifications, tuition waiver, parental leave, caregiving leave and community service leave. Learn more about VCU's benefits here: https://hr.vcu.edu/careers-at-vcu/why-work-at-vcu/. Summary: The Recruitment & Outreach Specialist will develop a recruitment plan for graduate education. The position will strategize and implement marketing campaigns to increase the visibility of all VCU graduate programs by leveraging traditional and digital channels to promote graduate education and employ innovative approaches to engage prospective graduate students. This position will conceptualize, design, coordinate, and execute strategies for marketing and communicating services, events, and accomplishments to VCU and external audiences, including students, faculty/staff/administrators, employers, alumni, and the community. This position also determines and evaluates the effectiveness and efficiency of communications. Additionally, this position will be responsible for increasing the visibility and profile of all VCU graduate programs, graduate student activities and accomplishments, and other events, classes, and workshops.
Core Responsibilities: Recruitment

• Develop a recruitment plan for graduate education.
• Serves as the primary recruiter for the Graduate School at national, regional, and state-wide graduate recruitment events.
• Ensures participation in national, regional, and state-wide graduate recruitment events
• Strategize and implement targeted marketing campaigns to promote graduate education.
• Cultivate strong relationships with schools/colleges/departments/faculty/staff/students.
• Develop and collaborate with schools/colleges/departments to create effective virtual recruitment strategies to attract a diverse pool of prospective students.
• Coordinate external stakeholders recruitment visits to the university (i.e., prospective students, TRIO, McNair, etc.).
• To serve as the main point of contact for partner universities for questions regarding graduate programs.
• Serves as the Graduate School liaison to the Global Education Office Director of Recruitment.

Outreach
Communications

• Develop and implement a comprehensive Graduate School communication and marketing plan for the year that includes a timeline and key deliverables for signature events.
• Conceptualize, design, coordinate and execute strategies for marketing and communicating services, events, and accomplishments to VCU and external audiences, including students, faculty/staff/administrators, employers, alumni, and the community.
• Develop a consistent and cohesive identity for the Graduate School aligned with VCU's brand identity standards.
• Establish, track, and analyze results and outcomes of all marketing pieces to measure success and make decisions to improve messaging/content/imagery, etc., to maximize return on investment of future pieces.
• Manage applicable social media applications and content creation as part of communication strategy and update applications appropriately ensuring real-time accuracy of information.
• Develop content for the website, newsletter, and social media to highlight Graduate School programming.
• Facilitate interactions between the Graduate School and graduate students, graduate program directors, and associated staff.
• Work with graduate program directors and staff to increase awareness of their programs, events, and professional development opportunities.
• Work with graduate student organizations and their constituents to increase awareness of graduate school activities and events.
• Work with schools/colleges' communications staff to collaborate on graduate student-focused initiatives and events.

Event Planning

• Develop, organize, and facilitate all Graduate School event plans from conception to implementation, such as:

Research symposiums

New graduate student orientation

Assist with May and December commencement ceremonies

Virginia Council of Graduate Schools (VCGS)

Meet the Dean

Graduate Student Headshot

Propose innovative ideas to spotlight graduate students and graduate education.

• Solicit and facilitate the coordination of event speakers, hosts, etc.
• Advertise events, track registrations, and perform follow-up surveys/analytics on attendance.
• Attend on-campus and off-campus events providing oversight as needed to take photographs to highlight the events.
• Design and solicit vendors for production of promotional materials for the Graduate School and Professional Development Office.
• For sponsored Graduate School events, process invoices for professional services, rental facilities, catering, marketing material, and supplies.

Professional Development

• Collaborate with the Director of Professional Development to develop, organize, and facilitate all professional development event plans from conception to implementation.
• Collaborate with the Director of Professional Development to develop a comprehensive communication plan from conception to implementation content for the website, newsletter, and social media to highlight professional development programming with deliverables.
• Coordinate graduate courses associated with PFFP and LEAPD programs for graduate students. Collaborate with the Professional Development Director to ensure courses are scheduled with eligible faculty to teach.
• Support the successful implementation of the Leaders and Entrepreneurs Academy for Professional Development (LEAPD).
• Support the successful implementation of the Preparing Future Faculty Program (PFFP).
• Support the logistical planning for sponsored Professional Development events to include processing invoices for professional services, rental facilities, catering, marketing materials, and supplies.
• Attend on-campus and off-campus events, providing oversight as needed to take photographs to highlight the events.
• Monitor graduate school email accounts for PFFP and LEAPD.

Website/CRM development, maintenance, and design

• Meet branding objectives and ensure visual consistency between Web and print publications.
• Collaborate to develop, design, and maintain templates using a university-approved web content management system.
• Manage and implement CRM communications and marketing strategies for the Graduate School.

Minimum Hiring Standards:

• Bachelor's degree in communications, public relations, journalism, marketing, advertising, English, digital/graphic design, business or related field or equivalent experience.
• Diverse experience in outreach activities for a university or large organization.
• Experience in planning and coordinating large events.
• Ability to identify with the needs and concerns of adult and non-traditional students.
• Ability to project a positive image of the University and Graduate School through public speaking and interaction with stakeholders.
• Ability to establish positive and effective working relationships with colleges and academic departments.
• Evidence of the ability to develop knowledge of, respect for, and skills to engage with a diverse environment and effectively interact with diverse groups.
• Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff, and student environment or commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU.
• Proven experience in content development; excellent writing and editing skills for social media, web, and print communications.
• Evidence of strong communication skills, including listening, writing, and speaking required.
• Excellent interpersonal skills are required.
• Ability to work flexible schedules to attend events and meet deadlines.
• Capacity to work creatively in both collaborative and independent contexts.
• Demonstrated ability to use discretion and good judgment, maintain confidentiality, and work under multiple deadlines.
• Occasional overnight travel.
• Ability to understand and comply with University and State policies, procedures, and guidelines.
• Working knowledge of software applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Proficiency in the Adobe Creative Suite and other graphic design software.
• Professional working experience in web design/development.
• Knowledge of web content management systems such as T4 or WordPress and competency in desktop publishing/web editing tools.
• Proven experience working with social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc), Google Analytics, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), email marketing platforms (LISTSERV® Maestro Email Marketing Software, MailChimp, etc.), web accessibility best practices, web content management, and web application testing.

Preferred Hiring Standards:

• Experience with SLATE CRM Technology.
• Extensive knowledge of Content Management Systems, preferably TerminalFour.