Marketing & Communication Strategist

The University of Minnesota is seeking a Marketing & Communication Strategist to design and run marketing and communications for a designated unit within University Services, with a focus on supporting the University Bookstores. The role centers on delivering fresh approaches to improve the customer experience and drive growth through cross-functional collaboration and data-driven campaigns. This on-site position is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and involves coordinating with campus partners to align messaging with brand standards.

Responsibilities

• Plan, execute, and assess digital and print campaigns aligned with the department's goals, including budget oversight.
• Draft and distribute communications for students, faculty, staff and other community members via email, social media and additional channels.
• Oversee email marketing platforms, manage subscriber lists, and analyze performance metrics.
• Develop and maintain web content and brand style guidelines to optimize user experience, improve search visibility, and drive traffic to the university bookstore site, ensuring compliance with university and external branding requirements.
• Maintain and update business information across digital channels to maximize reach.
• Identify, monitor, and analyze key marketing metrics; translate insights into actionable recommendations.
• Stay informed on industry best practices, monitor trends, and identify opportunities for growth.
• Manage internal communications to keep team members informed about department and campus events and promotions.
• Produce and distribute newsletters and other content for the department team members.
• Lead the department's employee engagement committee and related processes.
• Support the standardization and updating of process and reference materials, and develop video training components.
• Assist with planning, execution, and staffing of virtual, in-person and offsite events around campus and the community.
• Collaborate with internal departments to implement strategic promotional campaigns across social media, newsletters and internal channels to drive event attendance.
• Assist with logistics and management of large-scale events, coordinating staffing, budgeting and day-of logistics.
• Meet with key campus partners, student groups and external vendors to facilitate meetings and successful cooperation.
• Ensure a high standard of customer service is provided by staff and students during all events and promotions.
• Contribute across functions as needed.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, communications or a related field plus at least two years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination totaling six years.
• Experience planning and delivering multichannel marketing campaigns.
• Experience in a retail setting.

Technologies

• Adobe Creative Cloud
• Drupal
• Shopify

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with retail operations and processes.
• Graphic design background with Adobe Creative Cloud or equivalent design software.
• Experience with email marketing platforms.
• Proficiency with content management systems such as Drupal and/or Shopify.
• Strong writing and editing across multiple publications and audiences.
• Experience creating content for social media channels.
• Ability to capture and perform light edits on photos and video.