Director of College Communications

The Director of College Communications is responsible for leading the Office of Marketing and Communication in its efforts to market the Lyon College brand and communicate the mission of Lyon College. Reporting to the Chief of Staff, this person is responsible for developing and leading the College’s communications, including internal, and external messaging; the College’s marketing strategy; crisis communications; and media relations strategy. Additionally, this person is charged with advising senior leadership on the College’s public relations strategy.

Essential Job Functions

• Provide communications support, develop and advise on the College’s internal, and external messaging
• Supervise a dynamic team of creative marketing and communications professionals and support them in developing content and other MARCOM projects
• Work with local, state, trade, and national journalists to communicate about and promote the College
• Serve as a College spokesperson and support community relations
• Research and develop communications materials to support the College’s messaging goals including speeches, talking points and background information for media interviews and speaking engagements as designated
• Identify situations requiring immediate media and/or public response and responsible for crisis communication planning and the College’s crisis response
• Oversee budget planning and day-to-day operations for the MARCOM office
• Monitor industry trends and best practices

Requirements

• Undergraduate degree in a field related to marketing, communications, journalism, English, or public relations
• A minimum of two-three years’ experience creating and executing effective communications strategies
• Ability to communicate effectively through writing and speaking, relating complex information to multiple audiences and stakeholders
• Experience supporting the development and execution of a marketing and communication plan
• Leadership, management, and/or supervision experience
• Ability to work within a team structure and a high-paced environment, meeting deadlines and managing multifaceted projects
• Excellent storytelling skills and the ability to effectively identify, represent, and amplify content to and across multiple diverse communities

Preferred

• Master’s degree
• Successful communications and marketing experiences in the context of colleges and universities and/or academic programs
• Successful experience developing operational budgets and managing unit finances
• Demonstrated ability to utilize analytics, conduct surveys, and develop metrics to assess the effectiveness and value of proposed and deployed communication strategies
• Proficiency in media distribution systems (e.g. Cision) and social media management platforms (e.g. Facebook Creator Studio)
• Knowledge about equity, social justice, diversity and inclusion
• Accreditation in Public Relations (APR)