Director of Marketing & Communications

Description

About the American Song Archives: The American Song Archives (ASA) in Tulsa, Oklahoma is the home of the archives of Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Cynthia Gooding and many other archival and library collections. The ASA welcomes visitors from around the world to the Woody Guthrie Center and Bob Dylan Center—located in Tulsa’s vibrant Arts District and adjacent to the historic Greenwood District—and hosts academics and writers who utilize the archives for research.

Position Purpose: The Director of Marketing & Communications (MarCom) provides strategic leadership, vision, and oversight for all marketing, communications, audience engagement, education, merchandising and brand initiatives American Song Archives. The position will be responsible for maximizing awareness and revenue for the organization externally while internally leading teams, managing internal communications and uniting people across the organization to maintain strategic initiatives. This job is full-time with benefits based in Tulsa, OK. 

 The Director of Marketing & Communications plays a critical leadership role in connecting audiences to the center’s collections, stories, educational programs and mission. Through strategic communications, creative storytelling, and innovative audience engagement, this position helps ensure the centers’ continued growth, relevance and impact for future generations. This position reports to the Managing Director.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategic Leadership & Organizational Management

• Oversee strategic organization initiatives, from ideation through successful execution, under the guidance of managing director and George Kaiser Family Foundation® (GKFF) leadership and collaboration with exec team.
• Review, design and execute improvements to organizational structure; find knowledge and skills gaps and help address them.
• Improve current processes and optimize organizational procedures for efficiency and productivity.
• Develop and execute comprehensive marketing, communications, branding, and audience development strategies aligned with the museum's mission and strategic plan.
• Position the center and archive as a premier destination for music education, preservation, scholarship and public engagement.
• Establish annual goals, budgets, key performance indicators and audience growth strategies.
• Serve as a member of the senior leadership team, contributing to organizational planning and decision-making.

Brand & Communications Strategy

• Ensure consistent brand standards and messaging across all platforms and public-facing initiatives.
• Act as steward of Woody Guthrie Center and Bob Dylan Center brands, enforcing brand guidelines and standards.
• Develop compelling storytelling strategies that highlight collections, archives, educational impact and community engagement.
• Oversee media relations, public relations, crisis communications and reputation management with external PR team.
• Serve as a spokesperson and representative of the museum when appropriate.

Digital Media & Campaigns

• Lead our media ecosystem including website and SEO initiatives and manage team members who plan and execute email marketing, social media, paid media to drive engagement, education and activism from our visitors, members, followers, and new leads to explore our Tulsa or virtual offerings, visit the center, attend concerts and events, and shop etc.
• Evaluate current paid media approach, agency partners and campaign performance; recommend opportunities for improvement; explore new paid media opportunities, determine whether to test and learn, develop new channels as needed to reach, engage and convert our target audiences.
• Deliver effective creative briefs and requests to external designers to drive development of compelling creative execution for the centers.
• Plan and execute campaigns that will build awareness and drive engagement among identified target audiences, including strong calls to action for our key initiatives (admission, membership, shop).
• Strategize with team on social media, email and website plans and audience data that can be utilized to identify lookalikes and expand our audience with those most likely to convert. 

Audience Development & Engagement

• Leverage internal and external market research to understand and remain focused on attracting visitors to the centers.
• Identify and grow target audiences through data-driven marketing strategies.
• Expand community engagement through innovative outreach programs and partnerships.
• Develop initiatives that increase visitation, membership, donor engagement and online participation.
• Utilize audience research and analytics to inform marketing decisions and improve visitor experiences.

Data, Analytics & Performance

• Analyze and share performance data, key learnings and follower insights.
• Leverage analytics to evaluate campaign performance and optimize marketing investments.
• Monitor ROI and performance metrics across campaigns and programs.

Budget & Resource Management

• Develop and manage departmental budgets.
• Allocate resources effectively across marketing, communications, education and digital initiatives and work with colleagues to do the same.
• Ensure efficient use of internal and external resources.

Team & People Leadership

• Manage agency partners; facilitate not only revenue growth but also professional growth and development of the teams with helpful direction, meaningful work and effective feedback.
•  Foster a collaborative, creative and high-performing team culture.
• Mentor and develop staff through coaching, performance management and professional growth opportunities.
• Coordinate cross-departmental initiatives to ensure integrated messaging and audience experiences.
• Build solid long-term relationships with key stakeholders inside and outside the organization.

Additional Duties

• Other duties as assigned.

REQUIREMENTS & QUALIFICATIONS

Education & Experience

• M.B.A. with relevant concentration.
• A minimum of ten years of relevant work experience professional environment. 
• Demonstrated experience managing multidisciplinary teams and creative professionals.
• Proven success developing integrated marketing and communications strategies.
• Strong knowledge of digital marketing, social media, content strategy, advertising and analytics.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.
• Experience managing budgets and complex projects.

Skills and Abilities

• Strong sense of accountability, with a demonstrated ability to follow through and meet deadlines. 
• Ability to take initiative and manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously.
• Must be a skilled communicator with an understanding of audience, style and digital engagement strategies.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a flexible, collaborative team environment with a dynamic range of events and people.
• Strong knowledge of Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and digital advertising platforms.

Preferred

• Familiarity with graphic design and Adobe Creative Suite  
• Experience within museums, archives, cultural institutions, performing arts organizations, music organizations or nonprofit environments.
• Knowledge of music history, archival collections and cultural heritage preservation.
• Experience with membership, fundraising and donor communications.
• Familiarity with center audience development and visitor engagement strategies.

Physical Requirements

• Physical requirements include the ability to stand for prolonged periods of time and lift up to 30lbs.

Hours & Location

• This is a full-time, in-person position. Regular work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., based in Tulsa, OK at the American Song Archives offices.
• Flexibility to work evenings and weekends as needed for events, programs, exhibitions, and special initiatives.
• Ability to travel may be required.

About our Benefits

As part of our overall compensation package, we offer work/life flexibility, comprehensive health benefits, paid time off, and a generous retirement contributions designed to support you and your family. Details:

• 100% employer paid medical, dental, and long-term disability for full-time employees only. Option to add vision and dependents.
• 401K employee and employer contributions.
• Paid time off to support you while you are out of the office.
• Paid holidays so our employees can spend time with those they care about
• Employer paid AD&D life insurance, with employee options to add supplemental life insurance.