Position Detail - Director of Web Communications and Development

Position Type: Staff Full-Time (Hybrid or Remote)

Hours per week: 37.5   

Weeks per year: 52

Work Schedule: 8:30-5:00 

Salary Range: $105,000 - $110,000

Department Summary & Job Purpose:

The Director of Web Communications and Development drives the web strategy, user experience and development for www.mtholyoke.edu and is a key partner in delivering College messaging across other digital platforms including email, digital signage, intranet and the events calendar. The Director has primary responsibility for executing web development efforts, demonstrates initiative in developing solutions that bridge the creative with the technical, and works in partnership with colleagues in developing solutions for the College’s long-range goals for disseminating digital content, both internally and externally. The Director will be responsible for ensuring that the representation of digital content reflects the mission and brand of the College to an audience of prospective students, current students, faculty, staff, and alums. The Director is expected to be a working manager of the webteam and a highly productive member of the College Relations team.

Core Job Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Web Strategy Works with key stakeholders along with the Internal Communications Governance Committee at the College to determine priorities for the digital content. Researches potential users to understand behavior and preferences. Brings all elements together into a comprehensive web strategy and evolution roadmap for mtholyoke.edu. Project Management and Web Development Achieves overall excellence by managing an agile development format, fostering teamwork, and delivering outstanding customer service/support. Drives and delivers web development tasks utilizing industry standard methodologies and best practices. Ensures project goals are met within scheduling and budgeting parameters. Leads campus partner interviews to determine needs, technical impact, and present recommendations. Produces project scope/briefing documents to share with campus partners and colleagues to ensure transparency and tracking of outcomes. Provides subject matter expertise to technical and non-technical staff and campus community. Provides oversight and guidance to outsourced development efforts. Effective User Experience Leverages customer insights and best practices to build customer journey flows. The College website should convert the College’s mission, objectives and user insight into specific actions to engage audiences in learning about Mount Holyoke. Such actions might include requesting a visit to campus, speaking with a representative from the College, learning more information about our community, and ultimately applying. Content Strategy Based on insights and business objectives, partners with other members of the College Relations team to determine appropriate content, structure and format in order to deliver a compelling and informative experience to clients, prospects and partners. The Director, in partnership with the Associate Vice President for Marketing and Communications, Director of Strategic Content and Director of News and Media will map out a content matrix to build strategy for content across audiences, types, and locations along the customers/users journey. Search Engine Optimization Leads ongoing/quarterly keyword analysis across geographies, and ensures website content is optimized for key search engines (e.g. Google, Yahoo, etc.). Measure and Drive Results; promote key objectives Collaborates with AVP of Marketing and Communications to set website performance benchmarks and deliver agreed upon annual Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) including positive return on investment, improved brand awareness metrics, site traffic, optimization targets, leads, etc. Compiles monthly/quarterly analytic reports on activity, demonstrates insight from the reporting, and communicates an on-going plan for how the learnings will inform the digital roadmap. Possesses a keen understanding of Mount Holyoke’s key objectives and strategic initiatives as well as the needs and behaviors of its audiences. Works with key stakeholders to understand business objectives and requirements; communicates plans and progress effectively and regularly to stakeholders. Technology and Content Management Demonstrates a strong understanding of technology and trends and identifies the need and drives the adoption of technologies that support the web experience. Provides technical leadership for development and innovative solutions that move the College’s website and intranet forward. 
• Serve as the primary architect, manager, and advocate of College-wide web and intranet strategy. Collaborate, plan and execute Mount Holyoke College’s website design, navigation, layout, and user experience including graphics, video, audio, hierarchy and architecture.
• Develop and lead the integration of web strategies across the campus, working with and building support from LITS, academic and administrative departments, and other external agencies associated with the maintenance of the institutional site. 
• Work directly with internal departments/constituents to develop user-oriented webpages or microsites that align with Mount Holyoke College’s brand. 
• Acts as advisor and front-end support for College partners in regard to systems that either integrate with or drive users to the website. 
• Ensure compliance with WWW Consortium (W3C) guidelines and for ADA compliance and take part in the LITS TechAccess committee. 
• Regularly monitor/track web statistics related to visitor activity, analyze and interpret a variety of data pertaining to site usage, both internal and external. 
• Research and assess technology trends; when possible, integrate new resources into existing digital environments.
• Present updates and recommendations to all levels of College leadership. 
• The Director is expected to be a working manager and highly productive member of the College Relations team.

Qualifications: • • A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. Masters preferred.
• 5-8 years related business experience in web strategy and/or content management
• Demonstrated management of a small but mighty team
• Understanding of general web system architecture and demonstrated experience managing a website across all functions.
• Understanding or experience of applicable Web technologies for information and knowledge management. Ability to engage with key stakeholders/content owners and to translate business requirements into streamlined user experiences. The ability to convey technical information to a non-technical audience is essential.
• An excellent eye for balance between functionality and design.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Ability to socialize ideas, make recommendations, and communicate clearly with co-workers and leadership team.
• Self-starter who thrives on teamwork, yet is able to make decisions and drive a point of view.
• Ability to meet deadlines and complete multiple projects in a fast-paced environment.
• Flexibility to adjust to changing requirements, schedules, and priorities.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Effective project management skills.
• The ability to be creative in turning challenges into solutions.
• Willingness to update knowledge with regards to applicable technologies
• Experience overseeing the development and maintenance of a large Drupal installation
• Background managing multi-discipline web or software development projects
• Proven experience working with diverse teams to achieve medium and long-term strategic goals
• Experience overseeing [/managing/supervising] third party vendors, including but not limited to web developers, hosting providers, systems administrators and analysts
Specific Skill Requirements
• Fluency in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP
• Expertise using Google Analytics and other tools to evaluate website performance.
• Experience with best practices in SEO and SEM.
• Comfort with social media tools (Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook, Youtube, Wistia, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.) and the ability to embed them within content.
• Proficiency with Photoshop
• High degree of comfort with changing technologies

Preferred Qualifications:

License/Certifications:

Compliance Requirements: 

Physical Demands: Sedentary work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally and all other sedentary criteria are met.

Talking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word. Those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly.

Sufficient clarity of speech required includes those which permit the employee to discern verbal instructions and communicate effectively in person and by telephone.

The employee is required to have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; and extensive reading.

Employee operates office equipment and computers to perform essential duties and responsibilities.

Working Conditions: The employee is not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions (such as in typical office or administrative work).

Protection from weather conditions but not necessarily from temperature changes. Activities occur inside and outside environments.  

Background Checks:

Mount Holyoke College is committed to providing a safe and secure environment, supported by qualified employees that will allow all of its students, faculty, staff and those associated with them to successfully carry out the mission of the college. As a condition of employment, the College will conduct appropriate background checks for all new hires. Mount Holyoke has designated the Office of Human Resources as the office responsible for ensuring that background checks (CORI, SORI, Credit History, & Driver Credential) are completed and utilized in the hiring process and Five College Office of Compliance and Risk Management as the office responsible for facilitating background checks as articulated in this policy.

Special Instructions for Applicants: 

Apply online; application materials must include:

1. A cover letter summarizing interests and qualifications
2. A complete resume or curriculum vitae
3. Contact information for 3 professional references

Mount Holyoke College is a women’s college that is gender diverse. The College is committed to providing equal access and opportunity in employment and education to all employees and students. In compliance with state and federal law, Mount Holyoke College does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, genetic information, sex, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, ancestry, veteran or military status, or any other legally protected status under federal, state or local law. The College does not discriminate on the basis of gender in the recruitment and admission of students to its graduate program.

Mount Holyoke College is an Equal Opportunity Employer.