The Director of Direct Marketing will oversee the Advancement Marketing team, while working with the Executive Director, Data Strategies and Marketing to develop the overall direct response marketing strategy for the Advancement Division, with a particular focus on the Brown Annual Fund (including The Brown Fund, Athletics Annual Fund, Brown Medical Annual Fund, School of Engineering Annual Fund, and School of Public Health Annual Fund). The incumbent will manage the strategies for segmentation, ask amounts, and messaging with an eye toward increasing engagement, growing dollars, strengthening participation, and demonstrating Brown’s values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging within all communications. Additionally, the Director will devise specific plans for engagement communications, stewardship efforts, and mass solicitations that target over 100,000+ prospects and yield approximately $10 million/year in cash from 10,000+ donors included in Brown’s overall alumni participation rate. Furthermore, the incumbent will ensure that messaging is appropriately targeted based on population/segmentation and is consistent across all channels (direct mail, email, texting, student calling, web, and social media) and all Advancement teams.

The Director will also be expected to stay current regarding industry trends in direct marketing and engage in regular professional development to remain knowledgeable about the best practices in the field. This includes actively organizing and participating in benchmarking efforts to assess Brown's performance against peer institutions, while also identifying areas for improvement. The incumbent will leverage innovative marketing techniques to ensure that Brown remains at the forefront of higher education direct marketing and will actively seek opportunities for professional development and networking within higher education fundraising to stay informed about emerging trends, technologies, and best practices.

This position reports to the Executive Director, Data Strategies and Marketing and will work closely with colleagues within the Advancement Analytics, Advancement Communications, Alumni Relations, Advancement Information Services, Data Management, and Brown Annual Fund teams in order to develop strategies to increase the effectiveness of engagement and solicitation efforts. The incumbent will be relied upon to provide consistent status updates related to the health of the marketing program, while proactively introducing new tactics and approaches to help achieve success and meet fundraising goals.

Brown University is committed to advancing diversity, inclusion, and equity and an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

Job Qualifications

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required.

• Minimum of 7 years experience required in marketing and/or communications required.

• Minimum of 2 years supervisory experience required.

Required Qualifications

• Previous experience managing a direct marketing program required.

• Comprehensive understanding of print, digital (email and social), and phone direct marketing channels

• Excellent communications skills, both written and oral, and proofreading skills required.

• Knowledge of tools and marketing practices for measuring success of engagement efforts.

• Supervisory and management experience with the ability to coach, mentor, and tailor professional development plans for individual staff members.

• Excellent computer skills, including Microsoft Office and PowerPoint Google Suite. Video Conferencing technology such as Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams.

• Superior interpersonal skills with proven ability to successfully interact and collaborate with colleagues.

• Ability to navigate a fast‐paced, results‐oriented environment and demonstrated flexibility in meeting shifting demands and priorities.

• Ability to handle confidential information with complete discretion required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in higher education

• Knowledge of Brown University and its mission

Job Competencies

• Demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion as well as an understanding of the contributions a diverse workforce brings to the workplace.

• Demonstrated project management and problem-solving skills, including organizational skills to meet goals and objectives through effective program and project planning.

• Detail-oriented and analytical, but also able to see the “big picture”

• Must possess a positive attitude, self-motivation, and creativity.

• Ability to multi-task and handle multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment

• Ability to adapt to changing technologies is essential

Applicants are asked to submit a cover letter and resume with their application. All offers of employment are contingent upon a completed criminal background check and education verification satisfactory to Brown.

Benefits of Working at Brown:

Information on the Benefits of Working at Brown can be found here .