Strategic Communications Manager - Office of Academic Affairs

Responsibilities

• Develop, draft, coordinate, and distribute regular and just-in-time OAA communications to the Empire State University community.
• Serve as a communications partner to OAA leadership by advising on messaging strategy, audience needs, timing, tone, and appropriate communication channels.
• Translate complex academic priorities, processes, and initiatives into clear, accurate, and accessible communications for faculty, staff, and other stakeholders.
• Ensure consistency in voice, tone, formatting, accessibility, and branding across OAA communications materials.
• Provide planning, production, messaging, hosting support and follow-up for regular live video community open forum sessions with the Provost.
• Lead support for OAA and the Provost's communication needs for live and virtual events and meetings.
• Lead communications planning and coordination for faculty review, promotion, tenure, and related academic processes.
• Develop proactive communication plans, reminders, updates, and deadline messaging that support clarity, consistency, and timely engagement.
• Maintain communication schedules, track key dates, and anticipate messaging needs connected to faculty processes and academic operations.
• Partner with OAA colleagues to ensure faculty-facing communications accurately reflect policy, process, audience needs, and institutional priorities.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, Marketing, English, Public Administration, Higher Education Administration, or related field.
• Professional experience developing, coordinating, and implementing communications for academic audiences.
• Excellent writing, editing, proofreading, and message-framing skills, including the ability to communicate complex information clearly and accurately.
• Experience managing web content, SharePoint sites, content calendars, or similar digital communication platforms.
• Strong organizational, project management, and follow-through skills, including the ability to manage multiple deadlines and priorities with appropriate independence.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, and collaborate effectively with leadership, subject matter experts, and cross-functional partners.
• Strong skills with the MS Office productivity suite of tools.

Preferred

• Experience in higher education, academic administration, faculty affairs, or shared governance environments.
• Familiarity with faculty processes such as review, promotion, tenure, academic policy implementation, or related academic operations.
• Experience with SharePoint, Microsoft 365, digital newsletters, workflow tools, or similar platforms.
• Knowledge of accessibility standards, inclusive communication practices, and plain-language writing for digital content.
• Experience supporting executive, leadership, or enterprise-level communications.
• Multilingual communication skills.

Benefits

• This position offers a benefits package which includes NYS health insurance, free dental and vision, competitive retirement options, and generous vacation, sick and holiday accruals; and a strong emphasis on work-life balance. We also offer professional-development activities for professionals and support staff.