"Assistant Vice President, Brand Strategy and Marketing"

Assistant Vice President, Brand Strategy and Marketing

Company:
Pace University

Job Location:
New York City (Lower Manhattan) campus

Category:
Communications, Marketing, and Public Affairs

Type:
Full-Time

Pace University is ranked the #1 private, four-year college in the nation for upward economic mobility by Harvard University’s Opportunity Insights, evidence of the transformative education the University provides. To add to our esteemed staff, we are seeking an Assistant Vice President, Brand Strategy and Marketing at our New York City (Lower Manhattan) campus.

Responsibilities:

The Assistant Vice President for Brand Strategy and Marketing is Pace University’s senior brand authority and creative leader. This individual sets the vision for how the brand is expressed across campaigns, digital platforms, environments, experiences, and internal culture—ensuring Pace presents itself with clarity, confidence, and distinction.

The AVP will manage the creative team as well as the marketing and brand experience teams, which serve as the primary brand “activators.” Through strategic direction and creative leadership, this role will significantly influence the work of teams across University Relations, shaping how the Pace brand is expressed and experienced across all touchpoints.

Equally comfortable in strategy sessions and creative reviews, the AVP leads multidisciplinary teams and external partners to produce work that is conceptually strong, emotionally resonant, and unmistakably Pace.

Position Duties:

• Define and articulate a clear, compelling brand vision for Pace University that differentiates the institution and inspires internal and external audiences. Serve as the University’s creative and brand steward, ensuring the brand is not only protected but actively and imaginatively activated. Translate brand strategy into powerful creative ideas, narratives, and expressions across channels and experiences.
• Oversee the Brand Experience team, which is responsible for developing and maintaining brand guidelines, frameworks, and brand pyramids, ensuring consistency, clarity, and alignment across all touchpoints. Set and uphold high creative standards across concept development, storytelling, design, and execution.
• Lead brand activation efforts through oversight of the marketing and brand experience teams, ensuring creative ideas are effectively brought to life across platforms and experiences. Ensure all brand touchpoints—from major campaigns to everyday interactions—deliver a cohesive and engaging experience.
• Oversee integrated marketing strategies aligned with institutional priorities, including enrollment, reputation, advancement, and engagement. Balance long-term brand building with short-term performance objectives.
• Partner closely with Enrollment Management and campus stakeholders to deliver campaigns that are both strategically sound and creatively bold.
• Lead, inspire, and develop the creative, marketing, and brand experience teams, fostering strong collaboration between those who develop ideas and those who activate them. Influence and guide brand-related work across University Relations through clear direction, creative leadership, and strategic alignment.
• Foster a culture that values curiosity, collaboration, innovation, and accountability. Encourage thoughtful risk-taking while maintaining focus, discipline, and results. Act as a mentor and creative catalyst for team members.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to the Board of Trustees, senior leadership, deans, and campus partners on brand-related decisions. Build alignment and enthusiasm around the brand as a shared institutional asset. Lead internal brand education and engagement initiatives.
• Oversee relationships with creative agencies, designers, strategists, and production partners. Ensure Pace University’s brand presence is distinctive, consistent, and compelling in the marketplace and media landscape. Shape how audiences experience Pace online, on campus, and in the broader world.
• Use insights, research, and analytics to inform creative strategy, guide decision-making, and assess brand health and impact. These insights and research originate from metrics tracked by the Strategy and Data Analytics team, set annually through strategic planning, and may also include external research partners as needed.
• Draw insights and develop strategies based on both qualitative and quantitative measures that are responsive to yearly goals and objectives. Some years/campaigns may focus on awareness; other years may focus on reputation. Conduct focus groups and draw conclusions from them to implement brand and marketing work.
• Evaluate success against annual KPIs, which may shift year to year, including awareness, reputation, and perception of metrics, as well as outcomes tied to institutional and Board-level Transformation initiatives.
• Stay current with trends in branding, marketing, design, culture, and technology, both within and beyond higher education. Continuously evolve the brand to maintain relevance, competitiveness, and resonance.
• Performs other such duties as may be assigned from time to time.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, branding, design, business, or related field.
• Minimum of 12 years of progressive experience in brand leadership, marketing, or integrated communications.
• Experience developing brand guidelines, brand frameworks, or brand pyramids.
• Demonstrated success in building, evolving, and activating brands through creativity and strategy. Experience in a creative agency, brand-side leadership role, or similarly fast-paced, idea-driven environment, preferred.
• Experience leading creative teams and/or agencies with confidence guiding concept development and execution.
• Experience leading large-scale brand campaigns, rebrands, or major brand platforms, preferred.
• Strong strategic thinking paired with exceptional creative judgment.
• Executive presence with the ability to influence, inspire, and build trust at all levels.
• Familiarity with higher education, cultural institutions, or mission-driven organizations, preferred.

Salary Range: $200,000 - $230,000/Year. Please apply at: 6000630:Career Search

Benefits Offered

• Medical, vision and dental insurance for preventive care or diagnostic and surgical procedures as well as an incentivized medical plan waiver option for those who choose not to participate (FT Employees).
• Income protection in the event an employee is not actively at work, due to illness (FT Employees).
• 403B investment opportunity to save toward financial security in retirement (PT and FT Employees).
• Programs and services that assist in balancing work and personal life (PT and FT Employees).
• Educational opportunities for the employee and eligible members of their family to pursue a degree at Pace or another higher education institution (PT and FT Employees).
• Opportunity for faculty and staff to participate in Pace’s award-winning health and wellness program, Pace Yourself to Wellness, which is designed to inspire employees to engage in healthy habits while optimizing health care resources (PT and FT Employees).
• Discount purchase plans for everything from entertainment, shopping and travel (PT and FT Employees).

About Pace University

Ranked in the top 9% of private US colleges that provide the best return on tuition investment, Pace University transforms the lives of its diverse students—academically, professionally, and socioeconomically. Currently, the University enrolls more than 13,000 students in more than 150 bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs. Pace University is at the forefront of creating opportunity. Through the convergence of strong academics, experiential learning, and dedicated advising, Pace University empowers its students and positively impacts its communities.

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