Position Type: Full-Time
Location: Supports Multiple Campuses
Directly Reports to: Chief Experience Officer
Department: Experience
Classification: Exempt
Salary: Starting at $140,000 annually
Position Summary:
The Sr. Director of Marketing & Communications is the leadership role responsible for building and driving the integrated brand voice, marketing strategy, and public narrative of the organization. This leader oversees three high-impact functions — Marketing Communications, Creative Services, and Public Relations — and serves as the connective tissue between storytelling, brand, reputation and overall communications.
Reporting to the Chief Experience Officer, this role is responsible for how the organization shows up in the world. The ideal candidate brings deep cross-functional expertise - a bias toward measurable outcomes - and the operational command to lead large teams, manage complex vendor and agency relationships, and deploy marketing technology to scale impact. The candidate should be a strong communicator and collaborator.
Responsibilities:
Leadership & Team Management
- Lead, develop, and inspire a team of directors and staff across Marketing Communications, Creative Services, and Public Relations
- Establish clear performance standards - provide regular coaching, and cultivate a high-accountability, high-creativity team culture
- Manage hiring, onboarding, professional development, and succession planning across all three functions
- Foster cross-departmental collaboration and serve as a key liaison to organizational leadership
Integrated Marketing & Communications Strategies
- Develop and execute an annual integrated marketing and communications strategy aligned to organizational goals and audience priorities
- Lead campaign planning across paid, earned, owned, and shared channels with clear KPIs and ROI accountability
- Oversee media planning and buying strategy, ensuring cost-effective reach and frequency across digital, print, out-of-home, and broadcast
- Align Marketing Communications with Events, Membership, Sales, and Experience teams to ensure consistent messaging at every guest touchpoint
- Lead agency reviews, RFP processes, scoping, contracting, and ongoing performance management
- Ensure agency output reflects organizational priorities and brand standards while delivering measurable business outcomes
Brand & Creative Oversight
- Champion the organization's brand identity across all channels, ensuring consistency in voice, visual language, and positioning
- Oversee Creative Services to deliver high-quality assets on time and within budget, from campaign creative to environmental and digital design
- Partner with the Director of Creative Services to build scalable production workflows and maintain creative standards
- Guide brand evolution and refresh initiatives in response to organizational strategy and market shifts
Public Relations & Media Strategy
- Partner with the Director of Public Relations to lead all earned media strategy, press relations, and crisis communications in partnership with communications leadership
- Ensure PR team is cultivating and maintaining key media relationships across local, regional, and national outlets
- Oversee executive communications, spokesperson preparation, and message platform development
- Support crisis communications protocols where needed.
- Assist Director of Public Relations with Management of PR agency relationships, retainers, and deliverables with a results-oriented lens
Budget & Financial Management
- Help develop, manage, and report on an annual marketing and communications budget spanning all three departments
- Drive fiscal discipline through rigorous budget tracking, forecasting, and reallocation processes
- Identify efficiencies and cost savings without sacrificing quality or strategic impact
- Partner with Finance to align marketing investment to organizational revenue and attendance targets
Marketing Technology & Data
- Oversee the marketing technology stack including but not limited to email platforms, marketing automation, social media management, and analytics tools
- Champion data-driven decision-making by establishing dashboards, attribution frameworks, and regular performance reporting in partnership with data teams
- Identify and evaluate emerging MarTech and AI tools to increase efficiency and competitive advantage while best keeping these aligned with our mission
- Partner with the Insights/Data team to translate audience and campaign data into actionable strategy
- Oversee and guide how the privacy policies affect communications.
Qualifications:
Required Experience
- 10+ years of progressive marketing and communications experience, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role managing multi-function teams
- Proven track record leading integrated campaigns across digital, traditional, and earned media channels
- Experience managing and evaluating external agency relationships across advertising, PR, and digital disciplines
- Demonstrated success managing large budgets ($3M+) with full P&L accountability
- Strong media buying and planning background, including digital performance media, programmatic, and traditional channels
- Experience in public relations, crisis communications, and media relations at an organizational or brand level
- Proficiency with modern marketing technology platforms (e.g., Salesforce/HubSpot, Google Analytics, Meta/Google Ads, marketing automation, CMS, Blackbaud)
- All successful candidates for this position will be required to undergo a criminal background check
Preferred Experience
- Experience in a mission-driven, consumer-facing, or cultural institution environment (zoo, museum, tourism, attractions, hospitality, or similar)
- Familiarity with AI-assisted marketing tools, content generation platforms, or advanced analytics applications
- Experience working in a matrixed or enterprise organization with cross-functional stakeholders
- Background in membership, ticketing, or revenue-generating marketing programs
- Agency-side background in addition to in-house leadership experience
Education
- Bachelor's degree required in Marketing, Communications, Journalism, Business, or a related field
- Master's degree or MBA preferred
Supervisory Responsibilities:
- Director of Public Relations, plus a team of four
- Director of Creative Services, plus a team of eight
- Manager, Marketing Communications, plus a team of two
Work Schedule:
- Monday - Friday
- Weekends and nights when applicable when events or programs are going on that need networking support from this role.
About the Saint Louis Zoo: The world-renowned Saint Louis Zoo is dedicated to saving species and bringing people and wildlife together. The Saint Louis Zoo cares for approximately 12,000 animals, many of which are endangered, and is dedicated to local and global conservation to save wildlife. Learn more at: https://stlzoo.org/
The Zoo is committed to the Three Keys (Animals Always, People Matter, and Operational Excellence) and Core Values (Community, Creativity, Openness, Integrity, and Life-Work Balance. Learn more at: https://stlzoo.org/
About St. Louis, Mo: From Explore St. Louis: “Urban explorer, outdoor adventurer, aficionado of family fun – no matter your travel persona, you’ll find plenty to do in St. Louis. The city is brimming with free, world-class attractions and boasts an arts-and-culture scene that’s second to none. Plus, fans of fresh air will be surprised and delighted by our flourishing public parks, miles of trails and exhilarating waterways. Sprinkle in a bit of our secret sauce – the warmth and hospitality of the residents – and you’ll discover that St. Louis dishes up undeniably epic travel experiences. Don’t take our word for it, though. Come and see for yourself.” Learn more at https://explorestlouis.com/
