Responsibilities

• Participate in the development of key messages and strategies incorporating a university-wide perspective to communicate complex information to multiple audiences and constituencies, both internal and external.
• Execute communication strategies of moderate complexity which includes change management, issue management, digital media, etc., with knowledge of the university’s stakeholders and audiences.
• Contribute to devising and implementing creative and compelling ways to communicate the innovations, employee experience, academic excellence, and essential nature of the university.
• Collaborate with or within University Communications and school/unit/functional areas to ensure consistent and complementary strategic plans with overall university outreach and communications.
• Evaluate potential vendors’ quality, process, and cost and make recommendations for selection.
• Maintain knowledge by attending webinars, conferences, networking etc. to remain at the forefront of current industry standards, trends and technology.
• May participate in crisis communications and direct the university’s communications response if needed.
• May provide guidance on protocols and best practices to individuals responsible for communications in within school/units.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree and five years of relevant experience or combination of education and relevant experience.
• Broad and deep understanding of the communications role in institutions.
• Experience communicating at all levels and for all audiences.
• Strong influencing, negotiating, and relationship management skills.
• Ability to earn credibility and influence opinion leaders
• Understanding of strategic communications principles.
• Capacity to write and synthesize complex materials and communicate highly technical or nuanced information in a manner easily understood.
• Ability to mentor, motivate, develop and train staff.
• Ability to guide cross-functions towards a common goal.
• Ability to discern a strategy to move forward and make or escalate decisions as appropriate.

Preferred

• Five years of progressively responsible experience in institutional, organizational, or higher education communications.
• Familiarity with student affairs, higher education administration, or student-facing program areas.
• Experience with media relations, including working with media relations professionals to develop story pitches and responding to press inquiries.
• Experience supporting executive or leadership communications.
• Demonstrated excellence in written and verbal communication, including the ability to write for multiple formats, channels, and audiences.
• Experience developing and executing integrated communications strategies.
• Proficiency with digital content management systems and email marketing platforms
• Excellent collaboration, partnership, and relationship management skills
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.