About the job

Company Overview

Educational & Institutional Insurance Administrators, Inc. (EIIA) is a member-driven consortium of private, faith-inspired colleges, universities, and seminaries providing innovative insurance and risk management services. EIIA was formed over fifty (50) years ago during the 1960s when a number of historically black colleges and universities associated with the United Methodist Church were unable to obtain property and casualty coverages from the traditional insurance marketplace. The United Methodist Church assisted the colleges by encouraging them to purchase the coverage as a group. This generated adequate premium volume for an insurance company to offer coverage. EIIA was formally incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation in 1976 with the specific purpose of providing group purchasing and administration of insurance programs for higher education institutions.

The group purchasing of the property and casualty coverages for these colleges was so successful that the concept spread to employee health and welfare benefit programs, long-term disability, life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment, and student health and accident needs of these institutions. Risk management services were added to aid these institutions in managing and avoiding risk.

EIIA’s office is located in downtown Chicago and currently works in a hybrid/hoteling office environment. EIIA’s staff of insurance and risk management professionals serves more than one hundred and forty-five (145) higher education institutions located in thirty-nine (39) states. In addition, EIIA operates two (2) Vermont domiciled captive insurance companies and two (2) grantor trusts.

EIIA Members participate in the Master Property & Casualty (P&C) Program consisting of 11 coverages. The Risk Management (RM) Team consists of a staff of several individuals who support their assigned Members with risk management advice, campus surveys, presentations and more. EIIA also utilizes third-party vendors to provide services in addition to guidance documents that are created, published, and posted on the Member website.

Currently, EIIA is seeking a Manager Marketing and Communications Strategy that will report to the President & CEO or designee.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The Manager Marketing and Communications Strategy (MMCS) focuses on five (5) areas of concentration: Website /User Experience, Public Relations, Revenue Generation, Social Media, and Brand Management. As a steward of the corporate brand, the MMCS will provide guidance and oversight over sales campaigns, digital marketing, website and client portal strategy, and creating increased market awareness to EIIA, its mission, and value proposition.

Significant Job Responsibilities

Website/User Experience

Review and evaluate existing EIIA website’s structure, ease of navigation and content.
Assess and report current website metrics and usage.
Build out prospect, member, and stakeholder personas – including the formation and/or enhancement of an EIIA advisory council sub-committee in tandem with EIIA colleagues.
Establish a content development and management strategy.
Recommend changes as needed, identify/evaluate vendor partners, and build a ROI case for recommended changes.
Manage website change projects.

Public Relations

Create a comprehensive public relations strategy, including:
Article Placement in specialty trade publications and websites.
Create an EIIA speakers bureau and identify speaking engagements related to specific higher education topics and audiences.
Establish a consistent flow of press releases to announce new members, partnerships, products, and business initiatives.

Revenue Generation

Partner with EIIA product groups – Property and Casualty, Student Insurance and Employee benefits – to build sales campaigns to a targeted list of higher education institutions.
Work with EIIA business partners to convert leads to sales.

Social Media

Drive significant increase in EIIA’s social media engagement.
Create and execute content strategy to establish consistent flow of interesting and fresh content.
Educate, train and drive greater social media presence with key EIIA leaders and staff.

Brand Management

Maintains the lead role in creating or reviewing, distributing, and evaluating member communications such as the RM Newsletter, President to President communications, and market updates.
Works with applicable EIIA staff in creating agenda and building out brand consistent materials for the annual membership meeting.
Maintains and updates presentation materials and overall brand compliance.

Supervisory Responsibilities

This position does not have any direct supervisory responsibilities.

Required Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty accurately. The requirements listed here and throughout, are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Deep commitment to the Company’s core values and ability to model those values in relationships with colleagues and partners.
Comprehensive general knowledge of communications design principles, including an understanding of underlying engagement strategies (e.g., emotional, psychological).
Experience in website management, public relations digital marketing and social media.
Demonstrated ability to grow market engagement and revenue.
Experience managing designers, technical personnel, outside consultants, and contractors.
Ability to instruct, motivate, and evaluate performance of freelance staff and consultants.
Experience working with a wide range of people from diverse language, racial, cultural, ethnic, economic, and other backgrounds.
Ability to work and communicate sensitively with diverse populations.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in program work, even at introductory level, strongly beneficial.
Experience in business to business marketing.
Strong writing skills and the ability to convey product benefits in clear and concise terms that will resonate with the audience.

Education and Experience

Bachelor’s degree, preferably with a major in marketing, communications, or public relations and three (3) to five (5) years of experience in same.

Primary Skill Sets

Demonstrated ability to think creatively about and recommend new communications avenues, in print and/or online.
Ability to work effectively with minimal supervision.
Capacity to relate collaboratively with multiple constituencies and to create a positive, collegial working environment. Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain productive relationships with colleagues, staff, and external partners. Ability to use facilitation skills and participatory approaches to problem-solving. Affinity for work in team settings.
Strong organizational and communications skills, including ease in making professional presentations. Solid computer skills.
High standards of personal and professional integrity. Demonstrated good judgment.
Ability to exercise discretion, engage in sound critical thinking and problem-solving, conduct complex data-based conceptual analysis, and make fair decisions.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described within this description are representative of those that must be met by an employee to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. The position is a hybrid position but requires the ability to commute to downtown Chicago and function in a traditional office environment as necessary.

Travel

Minimal travel, possibly to participate in the EIIA Annual Members Meeting or meetings with vendors and conferences; less than 5% of total time.

Work Environment

Hybrid model. In office as needed. The work environment characteristics described throughout this document are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.

Background Check Required

This position is subject to pre-employment screening which includes a criminal background check, verification of work history, academic credentials, licenses, and certifications.

Other Duties and Accommodations:

The above is intended to describe the general content of and requirements for the performance of this job. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities, or physical requirements. Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Come join our EIIA Team! Interested candidates should forward a cover letter, resume, and salary requirements to Joe Dudzik at jdudzik@eiia.org

EIIA is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

EIIA

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