Director of Marketing and Communications

University College Dublin (UCD) is one of Europe’s leading research-intensive universities. We are proud of our strong Irish roots and our global reach.  Ranked within the top 1% of higher education institutions world-wide, today UCD is Ireland’s largest university with 39,000 students, an annual turnover of €828 million and annual research awards worth €220 million. We are a dynamic and engaged university that makes a difference to the world, to Ireland and in the lives of our students.

UCD now seeks to appoint a Director of Marketing and Communications who will drive innovative marketing and communications, enhance the University’s brand, reputation and influence and support student recruitment and research and innovation activities across the University, as well as provide strategic leadership to further develop the marketing and communications function.  

Reporting to the Vice-President for Strategy and External Engagement, the Director of Marketing and Communications will play a crucial role in advancing the University’s strategic objectives through innovative marketing and communications initiatives. The Director will also be responsible for evaluating and tracking the effectiveness of the unit’s activities and play a key role in capturing university-wide efforts that tell the story of the University’s impact. The successful appointee will contribute to market insights that inform the development of UCD’s programmes and portfolio, implement robust digital engagement plans to increase awareness and engagement across various platforms and develop crisis communication plans to maintain trust and credibility. The Director will build and sustain partnerships with both internal and external stakeholders such as the University Management Team, senior leaders, UCD colleges, UCD Global, UCD Research, NovaUCD, , Academic Affairs and others. They will also oversee the management of the marketing and communications budget, develop brand guidelines and oversee the management of UCD’s website, social media accounts, and other digital assets.

The successful individual will bring a strong track record of strategic senior leadership experience in a large and complex organisation and ideally in the higher education sector. They will also have experience of strategic external and internal communications and marketing, utilising the latest technologies to deliver results, and the ability to be a trusted advisor to leadership. In addition, they will have a track record of developing relationships with stakeholders internally and externally to their organisation.

How to Apply

Applications should consist of a full curriculum vitae, detailing academic and professional qualifications and experience, full employment history and relevant achievements. CVs should be accompanied by a covering letter describing briefly how candidates meet the criteria outlined in the person specification, why the appointment is of interest and what they believe they can bring to the role. The closing date for applications will be 12 noon Irish time on Thursday, 24^th July 2025.

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