Johnson & Wales University (JWU), founded as a business school in 1914 in Providence, Rhode Island, is a private, nonprofit, accredited, comprehensive university that offers an excellent educational experience to students across a diverse spectrum of programs that are designed to prepare graduates to make meaningful and immediate contributions in their fields of choice. JWU serves more than 8,000 graduate, undergraduate, and online students at its campuses in Providence, Rhode Island, and Charlotte, North Carolina, and has an impact that is global, with alumni in 130 countries, pursuing careers worldwide.
JWU is an innovative educational leader, and the University’s seven colleges offer undergraduate and graduate degree programs in arts and sciences, business, engineering, food innovation, hospitality, nutrition, and health and wellness. It also offers undergraduate programs in culinary arts, dietetics, and design. JWU’s unique model provides students with the personalized attention, academic expertise, and industry connections that inspire professional success and personal growth. The time students spend at JWU is nothing short of transformative, as demonstrated by career outcomes, expected earnings, and economic mobility rankings.
The Providence Campus - the university’s flagship campus – is comprised of two locations serving a diverse student body of 4,542 students. The Downcity Campus, located in the heart of Providence, is home to the College of Business, the College of Hospitality Management, the John Hazen White College of Arts & Sciences, the College of Engineering & Design, and the College of Health & Wellness. A short distance south is the Harborside Campus, home to the College of Food Innovation & Technology. Other major facilities on this campus include the Alan Shawn Feinstein Graduate School, the Wildcat Center (home of the NCAA Division III JWU Wildcats), Harborside Village residence halls, and the university’s Culinary Arts Museum. Consistent with JWU’s longtime commitment to creating a greener, cleaner, more efficient, and sustainable campus environment, the University has revitalized close to 100 acres of waterfront alongside the Harborside Campus through significant brownfields remediation efforts.
Additional key facts about the Providence Campus include: 1,157 faculty and staff; average class size of 20; gender breakdown of student population: 62% female and 38% male; student population living on campus: 48%; and approximately 98% of all JWU on-campus students receive institutional scholarships and/or grants from the University. Affiliated with the NCAA and Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC), the University hosts 15 varsity athletic teams.
The University also has a campus in Charlotte, North Carolina that opened in 2004 and currently enrolls approximately 1,100 diverse students from 46 states and 13 countries. The nearly 15-acre, urban campus in Uptown Charlotte offers programs in food innovation, hospitality, business, arts and sciences, and health and wellness, as well as a combination of urban living and Southern charm.
The Vice President of Marketing and Communications (V.P.) reports to the University Chancellor and serves as a member of the Chancellor’s Cabinet. The V.P. is managerially responsible for the central communications and marketing group, and for working closely with a decentralized network of communications and marketing team members in departments such as Admissions and the College of Professional Studies.
Providing strategic vision and institutional thought leadership for university communications and marketing, the V.P. will develop and implement strategic internal and external communications, data-driven marketing programs that align with JWU’s strategic priorities, and advance the university’s mission, image, and reputation. As a member of the Chancellor’s Cabinet, the Vice President serves as the university’s chief marketing and communications strategist to promote JWU’s brand and reputation.
The successful candidate will be a strategic and visionary leader who is student-centered with the passion and ability to articulate JWU’s vision and strategy. Significant marketing and communication work experience, preferably in higher education, is required along with experience in developing and executing successful, comprehensive, communications and marketing strategies in a complex, decentralized organization. This outstanding communicator will also have experience building, motivating, managing, and retaining high-performing teams, and fostering an environment of inclusion, teamwork, and collaboration leading to positive results on work initiatives. This collaborator will possess up-to-date knowledge of effective best practices in marketing, communications, and branding with a proven track-record of success. A bachelor’s degree in a relevant communications, marketing, or related field is required; an advanced degree is preferred. Compensation will be commensurate with experience including a competitive salary and a competitive benefits package.
To make a nomination, provide a referral, or for additional information, please use the contact information below. JWU is committed to enhancing the diversity of its workforce teams and encourages individuals from underrepresented groups to apply. While applications and nominations will be accepted until a successful candidate has been appointed, interested individuals are encouraged to submit their materials as soon as possible as review of candidate materials will begin immediately. The preferred start date is as soon as possible, and preferably no later than early January 2024.
To apply, please submit a resume and/or vita, and cover letter, to:
JWUVPMarCom@buffkinbaker.com
Ken Carrick, Partner Janny DeLoache, Principal
980-296-5401 704-377-7828
Embracing diversity for a richly inclusive community is a guiding principle at JWU. Our students, faculty and staff have varied backgrounds, experiences and perspectives that unite us as one community and contribute to our success. JWU has adopted a statement of diversity, equity and inclusion which reads, in part, that "Johnson & Wales University is firmly committed to nurturing and further strengthening an inclusive and equitable environment that embraces the broad range of diversity of all members of our community. We accept and celebrate diversity in every form – including diversity in thought..."
Johnson & Wales University is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other basis prohibited by law.