Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications - Operations

Position Summary:

The Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications Operations serves as the operational deputy to the Director of Marketing & Communications. This position translates institutional priorities into coordinated work by leading department operations, project and capacity management, staff supervision, and cross-functional implementation.

The Associate Director works across creative, content, media relations, social media, executive and internal communications, photography, video, and web. The role requires design and production experience sufficient to review work and provide creative feedback.

Job Description:

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

35% - Department Operations and Project Portfolio Management

Leads department operations and project portfolio management by moving department work from request through completion in alignment with institutional priorities, department capacity, and established decision-making processes.

• Manages intake, scoping, prioritization, assignment, schedules, review, and project closeout.
• Maintains the department portfolio, production calendar, workload view, and status reporting.
• Assigns and rebalances work within established priorities; negotiates routine scope and timelines and elevates institutional priority or resource conflicts to the Director.
• Identifies risks, dependencies, capacity constraints, and stalled decisions and coordinates resolution.

25% - People Management, Team Coordination and Accountability

Supervises designated creative and production staff and coordinates team accountability, workload management, and professional development in support of a collaborative department culture.

• Sets expectations, conducts evaluations and regular check-ins, provides coaching and development, and addresses performance concerns.
• Balances workload, coordinates coverage and handoffs, and clarifies roles and responsibilities.
• Facilitates team meetings, project reviews, conflict resolution, and coordination of interns, freelancers, and temporary support.

20% - Strategy Implementation and Cross-Functional Delivery

• Organizes cross-functional implementation of marketing and communications strategies established by the Director and relevant functional leads by translating priorities into coordinated work plans, deliverables, timelines, and review processes.
• Develops integrated work plans with clear objectives, deliverables, owners, milestones, and review points.
• Coordinates contributions across content, creative, web, media relations, social media, photography, video, in conjunction with executive and internal communications.
• Keeps work aligned as priorities or scope change and provides the Director with concise status and resource recommendations.
• Maintains functional leads' authority for discipline-specific strategy and quality decisions.

10% - Stakeholder and Creative Production Coordination

Coordinates routine stakeholder relationships and creative production processes by clarifying scope, timelines, approvals, production requirements, and handoffs with campus partners and department contributors.

• Clarifies project scope, roles, timelines, approvals, and deliverables with campus partners and communicates material changes.
• Reviews concepts and production files for alignment with the project brief, audience, channel, and production requirements.
• Uses Adobe Creative Cloud as needed to review files, troubleshoot workflow, or make limited production adjustments.
• Provides constructive creative feedback in coordination with the Designer/Brand Manager and other functional leads.

10% - Administration, Vendors and Process Improvement

Manages administrative systems, vendor coordination, purchasing workflows, and process improvements that support timely, accountable department delivery.

• Coordinates vendors, estimates, purchasing, contracts, proofs, invoices, and production schedules.
• Monitors operational expenditures and supports budget and resource planning.
• Evaluates workflow performance and maintains practical processes, documentation, and continuity plans.

Required Education, Specialized Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in marketing, communications, design, business administration, project management, or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• 4 or more years of progressively responsible experience in marketing, communications, creative services, project management, or a related environment.
• Experience leading operations for a multidisciplinary in-house marketing, communications, or creative team.
• Demonstrated success managing concurrent, cross-functional projects from intake through delivery.
• Working proficiency with Adobe Creative Cloud, particularly InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop, sufficient to review files and provide informed creative feedback.
• Experience with project- or work-management systems and process improvement.
• Strong judgment, organization, facilitation, communication, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and student success, as well as experience working with broadly diverse communities.

Preferred Education, Specialized Skills and Experience:

• Experience managing vendors, contracts, purchasing, print production, and budgets.

• Knowledge of integrated marketing and communications workflows across print, digital, web, social, photography, video, media relations, and executive communications.

• Demonstrated ability to use approved artificial intelligence tools responsibly and effectively to support planning, content or creative development, workflow improvement, or decision-making within the position’s area of responsibility. Ability to critically evaluate AI-generated outputs and to apply institutional policies and professional judgment when using AI-enabled tools.

• Experience using data to assess workload, resource use, and delivery performance.

• Experience in higher education, nonprofit, or public-sector communications.

• Familiarity with Fort Lewis College, its mission, and its institutional culture.

• undefined

Reports To / Supervisory Responsibility:

• Reports to the Director of Marketing & Communications and serves as the Director's operational deputy.

• Supervises designated creative and production staff and assigned student employees or interns.

• May represent the Director in defined operational matters; institutional strategy, major resource decisions, reputational matters, and final escalation authority remain with the Director.

Work Environment:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that an employee can expect while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Full-time, 12-month, exempt position; typical schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with occasional evening, weekend, and travel requirements.

• Work is primarily office-based and requires extended computer use. Reasonable accommodations may be made for qualified individuals with disabilities.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by the employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential function

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to, stand, sit; talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer and telephone keyboard reach, stoop kneel to install computer equipment
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision requirements due to computer work
• Light to moderate lifting is required

Travel:

5% of travel can be expected for annual conferences as budget allows.

FLSA Status/ Position Type/Expected Hours of Work/ and Salary Range:

• Exempt or Non-Exempt (Consider using the FLSA Exemption Test Worksheet)
• Full Time, 1.0 FTE
• Permanent
• Full Year
• Typical Work hours, M-F 8-5, occasional weekends

Compensation

The salary range is $67,500 to $71,000, plus a comprehensive benefits package.

Application Process
A complete application packet includes:

• ​Cover letter addressing interest and qualifications for the position
• Resume
• Names and contact information for three current, professional references

Application materials received by 11:59 PM on October 11, 2026, will receive full consideration.

The successful candidate will be required to submit official transcripts

and pass a background check.

About Fort Lewis College:

On a sage-brushed mesa overlooking downtown Durango and the La Plata Mountains, Fort Lewis College is Southwest Colorado’s premier public undergraduate research institution. With more than half of the 3,300 students identifying as people of color, FLC’s academic programming and campus life thrive on nurturing safe, diverse spaces for intellectual exploration and helping people achieve their career goals. A Native American-serving, Non-Tribal Institution, FLC is committed to promoting economic development in neighboring tribal communities and connecting students with the education they need to be the change in the world they want to see. Degree programs span the arts, business, education, health sciences, humanities, and social and natural sciences. Coursework builds on the natural, cultural, and historical resources found around the Four Corners region. Students work closely with faculty on research projects with real-world implications. Like the mountain town it resides in, FLC promotes a culture of work-life balance for students, faculty, and staff. Skyhawks enjoy unparalleled access to a healthy outdoor lifestyle thanks to 300 days of sunshine a year and more than 300 miles of hiking and biking trails in and around Durango

Notice to Prospective Employees:
 The Fort Lewis College is required by the Clery Act of 1990 to notify prospective employees, current employees, students and applicants where to access our Campus Security Report.  The report is updated and published annually in accordance with the Higher Education Amendments of 1998, Federal Student Right-to-Know, the Federal Drug-free Schools and Campuses Act of 1989. This report contains information about:

• Fort Lewis College's alcohol and other drug policy

• Sexual assault policy

• Campus security policies

• Campus/community resources

• The Colorado Riot Offense Statute restriction on enrollment

• Where to find registered sex offender information

• Crime statistics for the previous three calendar years

• Reporting crimes

 
 The Campus Security Report can be accessed in two ways:
By going to the internet website at:   www.fortlewis.edu/AnnualSecurityReport Fort Lewis College Student Affairs Office will also provide a paper copy of the annual security report upon request.   You can reach them at (970) 247-7331.

Equal Opportunity
Fort Lewis College does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, color, religion, national origin, sex*, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, family or domestic status, political beliefs, veteran status, pregnancy, or genetic information. Accordingly, equal opportunity for employment shall be extended to all persons. The College shall promote equal opportunity, equal treatment, and affirmative action efforts to increase the diversity of students, faculty, and staff. The College is dedicated to building a culturally diverse and pluralistic faculty and staff committed to teaching and working in a multicultural environment. To file a report, get resources, read policies, or make an appointment, See www.fortlewis.edu/CARE.

Discrimination Questions?

Office of Compliance and Community Standards
David Pirrone, Director of Compliance
210 Berndt Hall
1000 Rim Drive
Durango, Colorado 81301
(970) 247-7182 [email protected]

Questions about Title IX sex discrimination?    
Office of the Title IX Coordinator
Madeleine Gillman, Assistant Director of Compliance and Title IX Coordinator
210 Berndt Hall
1000 Rim Drive
Durango, Colorado 81301
(970) 247-7049 [email protected]

Information about Fort Lewis College’s alcohol and drug policy, sexual assault policy, campus security policies, campus crime statistics, fire safety procedures and fire statistics, and campus/community resources can be found in the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. Hard copies are available upon request.

* Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Part 106 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, including in admission and employment. Inquiries about the application of Title IX and CFR 106 to Fort Lewis College may be directed to FLC's Title IX Coordinator and/or to the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights of the Department of Education.

ADAA Accommodations
Any person with a disability as defined by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) may be provided a reasonable accommodation upon request to enable the person to complete an employment assessment. To request an accommodation, please contact Kristin Polens by phone 970-247-7459 or email [email protected] at least five business days before the assessment date to allow us to evaluate your request and prepare for the accommodation. You may be asked to provide additional information, including medical documentation, regarding functional limitations and type of accommodation needed. Please ensure that you have this information available well in advance of the assessment date.