Communications Director jobs in Topeka, KS

Position Overview

The Associate Director of Campus Communications is an integral member of the KU Lawrence and Edwards Campus Team and contributor to robust distribution of essential communications within the University of Kansas. Campus Communications serves as the communications hub for the several reporting administrative and support units of the Provost’s Office (e.g. Operations, Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology). The primary audience is KU faculty and staff, and, on occasion, students and external audiences. This office works very closely with and provides information and input to guide communications decisions, messaging and/or coordination for Faculty Affairs, Student Affairs, Academic Success, Academic Affairs and Graduate Studies, Policy Office, International Affairs, and Analytics, Institutional Research and Effectiveness etc. This position is a liaison to units such as Public Affairs, the Office of Research, and academic unit communicators.

Like the units represented, individuals working on campus communications must have broad and deep knowledge of the institution, as well as possess teamwork fluidity, being able to address pressing needs quickly and interchangeably. Campus Communications has the goal of ensuring internal audiences are regularly informed of news and information that will assist in their professional success and bring them ever more closely to the vision, mission, values, priorities, and goals of the University of Kansas.

This position will provide communications planning, message development, message process control and message delivery covering activities, projects and initiatives for the highest level of a range of administrative units. The Associate Director will further develop relationships with campus partners, identify appropriate audiences and channels, and evaluate effectiveness of communications efforts. The Associate Director will build collaborations that raise the profile of internal messaging, administrative units, and administrators and increase the potential success of campus efforts. In addition to developing messages, this position manages and editorial calendar and assigns work for two full-time staff who also develop written and visual content in a variety of formats and manage social media accounts. The Associate Director should stay current on available and emerging communications tools and strategies and, when appropriate, advocate for their adoption to ensure the best possible outcome for the varied audiences KU serves. The Associate Director will also oversee periodic evaluation of communications effectiveness. The position, while focused on internal audiences, also must consider a message’s impact on external audiences. This individual will need to prepare accordingly and work collaboratively with the Office of Public Affairs, KU News Service and with General Counsel.

Job Description

50% Lead Strategic Campus Communications for the Office of the Provost, Information Technology, Finance, Human Resources and Operations.

• Develop strategic communications plans for services, programs and initiatives, or primary units in collaboration with their respective leadership.
• Increase awareness of primary unit services among the university community while advancing the goals of those organizations.
• Provide communications consultation for vice provosts, associate vice provosts and the Chief Information Officer, including crafting regular messages to campus, talking points, speeches, quotes and editing of reports.
• Collaborate closely with senior leaders of units to proactively identify communications needs and ensure appropriate communications strategies are incorporated into advancement plans.
• Manage content for various media including web, print, email, social media etc., as well as external news organizations.
• Website design and content maintenance, working with Drupal 8 and KU branded design templates
• Ensure day-to-day execution of communication efforts with the focus on engaging targeted audiences.
• Manage design and production of publications, including newsletters, advertisements (print, online, multimedia, etc.), posters, fliers, brochures, postcards, invitations, and signs.
• Coordinate development and regular distribution of campus-wide “newsletter” style communications for faculty and staff. Develop communications responsive to the campus environment and user satisfaction.
• Regularly evaluate effectiveness of communications activities and strategies.
  
  
  

20% Management

• Provide leadership, direction and workflow oversight for reporting communications staff in Campus Communications. Monitor progress on standing and new projects and assignments.
• Edit and approve content. Ensure major stakeholders in the subject have the opportunity to provide review and feedback.
• Provide supervision, mentoring and direction of staff.
  
  
  

20% Special and Recurring Projects

• Communications planning, content creation and implementation of special projects with potential for significant impact on segments of the university community, on behalf of major offices, the Office of the Provost and units reporting through the provost office.
• Ad hoc communications work – such as emails, social media posts, website content and news release creation – for various provost office units.
• Consulting and advising, crisis mitigation, message development or review for various administrative offices; provide guidance to staff in provost office units on navigating KU’s communications structure.
• Coordinate regular briefing sessions with reporting administrative and or academic unit communicators.
  
  
  

5% Media Relations

• Serve as a primary media resource for assigned units, developing and coordinating public statements and talking points for KU News Service.
• Provide KU News Service with news releases for regional external media outlets, and, as appropriate, trade and higher education publications.
  
  
  

5% Other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in English, journalism, strategic communications, marketing or related field.
• Five years’ experience developing, writing and editing a diverse group of communication and marketing materials (e.g. fliers, announcements, press releases, general and feature articles, social media, short videos, reports and correspondence).
• Two years’ supervisory experience.
• Work experience demonstrating skills in copy editing, fact-checking, and writing for clarity and continuity.
• Experience producing and maintaining written and visual web content as evidenced by application materials.
• Experience developing and implementing a strategic communications plan as evidenced by application materials.
• Demonstrated experience using social media for impact.
  
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience communicating with technical audiences and a demonstrated ability to translate technical material for a general audience.
• Experience with layout and design tools.
• Experience with video creative tools
• Experience working in a large, complex organization.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a fast paced, highly agile environment.
• Experience in crisis communications.
  
  
  

Additional Candidate Instructions

Only complete online applications will be accepted. An application packet will include the following items:

• A cover letter describing how you meet the required and preferred qualifications;
• A complete resume/CV
• A list of 3 professional references.
  
  
  

Application review will begin Monday, November 4th, 2024 and continue until a qualified pool of applicants is identified.

Contact Information to Applicants

Jill Hummels

jhummels@ku.edu

Advertised Salary Range

Starting at $80,000

Work Schedule

M-F, 8-5

Application Review Begins

Monday November 4, 2024

Anticipated Start Date

Monday December 16, 2024