Director of Presidential Communications

Job Summary

The Director of Presidential Communications reports to the President and President's Chief of Staff, and, through presidential communications, serves as an active catalyst for constructive and collaborative change, helping propel the University to be a global Jesuit institution that is student- and patient-centered, research-driven and mission-focused, and is working with the people of St. Louis to re-imagine, transform and unity our city.

Serves as a key advisor to the President on effectively promoting the University's Jesuit mission and values, its institutional priorities and initiatives; conceives, designs and develops communications vehicles in the President's written and spoken voices that advance the University's visibility and standing among its key stakeholders locally, nationally and internationally.

Actively fosters trusting relationships with leaders of University stakeholder groups to gauge and understand perceptions and to better frame audience-centered messaging.

In collaboration with Marketing and Communications staff, creates written, visual and audio content for the Web, social media, email and other outlets; serves as the President's primary representative for marketing and communication projects.

Job Duties

Communications Advisor

• Serves as a key advisor to the President on University image and works with the President to design and develop initiatives that advance University visibility and reputation; is an engaged and collaborative participant in crisis prevention, crisis management and crisis resolution situations, which includes being on call for emergency response. Builds relationships with University leadership and stakeholder groups and supports the President's communications to the University community, alumni, elected officials, and church leaders. As a member of the President's office team, works to strategically identify opportunities to enhance the President's engagement with University stakeholders. Travels with the President as needed.
• Advises the President and members of the President's Executive Staff, especially the President's Chief of Staff, regarding key constituencies, providing context and background information on current or prospective challenges; helps support the gathering and analysis of information, data and context that may inform the President's strategic considerations; exercises sound judgment while assessing internal and external issues, helping to devise and execute communications plans, and managing audience-centered communications by the President; proactively identifies opportunities and obstacles that could affect the successful execution of the President's commitments including elevating issues about which the President should be aware and framing approaches to actively engage the University's key constituencies, pursue strategic opportunities, prevent and resolve problems and/or mitigate risk; helps identify potential and real crisis situations and elevates them to the President, Chief of Staff, General Counsel or appropriate Executive Staff member; provides frequent feedback to other members of the President's Office team and participates in pre/post-mortem practices as a regular part of pursuing excellence.
• Builds and nurtures relationships with students, faculty and staff, and external community leaders to better serve as both a resource for the President and a point of contact to pursue mutual opportunities, resolve complex issues and help move forward the Universities strategic priorities; participates in key meetings with faculty, administrators, and others as needed and delegated; listens to the views and concerns of students, faculty and staff, and external community leaders and reports findings to the Chief of Staff and appropriate members of the Executive Staff; accurately represents the President's position in internal meetings and discussions to help drive understanding and move decision-making forward; helps facilitate the needs of the President's Executive Staff to raise critical issues with the President and obtain needed responses, guidance and decisions; helps resolve concerns of constituencies, when appropriate, as well as assists constituencies in gaining access to the most appropriate senior leader when opportunities and challenges arise.
• Helps the President and the President's Executive Staff prioritize issues and schedule demands, optimizing the President's workweek and ensuring the highest value priorities of the University are being pursued; participates in institutional planning, budget creation, policy development and problem resolution.

Communications Lead and Content Creator

• Researches, conceives, writes and edits speeches, remarks, talking points, letters, email messages, social media posts, citations, audio and video scripts, and reports in the President's voice; meets deadlines; manages the President's email and social media accounts, manages and delegates general correspondence as appropriate; and creates content reflecting an understanding of the University mission, Jesuit values, the University strategic plan, and campus and external constituencies.
• Assists the President, Chief of Staff, Assistants to the President, the President's Executive Assistant and Provost with communications on subject matters that typically require considerable sensitivity, discretion, judgment, or negotiation.
• Serves as the President's representative when collaborating with MarCom staff on various projects.

Communications Project Management

• Actively manages strategic communications projects and special assignments from concept to completion, on time and on budget; develops and executes project plans in partnership with the President's Executive Staff, the Provost's Office, Vice Presidents, the Deans, faculty, staff, students and other internal and external stakeholders; engages strategically with key opinion leaders to help ensure constructive input, participation and support; proactively identifies opportunities and obstacles that could affect the successful execution of communications plans and other project plans, and refines plans accordingly to ensure expectations are re-framed, if needed, and are delivered punctually for review by the President and Chief of Staff; keeps the President's Chief of Staff informed of progress, potential barriers and new opportunities.
• Maintains knowledge of Saint Louis University history and the University's style guide; implements systems to assess content effectiveness; gathers data and metrics, analyzes results and make recommendation; performs special projects and other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Personal Characteristics

• Knowledge of and appreciation for Jesuit higher education.
• A deft and trusted advisor, content creator and project manager who exemplifies a University culture of trust, innovation, collaboration, inclusion and diversity.
• Ability to create compelling content in multiple forms — video, audio and short- and long-form text — and in the President's written and spoken voices.
• Ability to support and advance Saint Louis University's mission and its Jesuit, Catholic values and traditions. Ever curious to discover new pathways and pursue possibilities over perfection.
• Ability to quickly build and sustain the trust and confidence of the President and the President's Chief of Staff, and to maintain strict confidentiality.
• Ability to continually prioritize and juggle competing demands and deadlines, and help initiate and execute the President's communications projects punctually and effectively.
• Ability to help identify and implement methods to measure the success of our communications initiatives and to improve.
• Ability to quickly discern the common interests and roles of internal and external influencers who may be enlisted to help the President attain the University's strategic objectives, then earn and maintain trust among those stakeholders.
• Ability to quickly discern possible impacts of potential and real crises on the University's mission and values, strategic objectives, operations, audience expectations and reputation.
• Ability to view and analyze the impacts of potential and real crises in context of events and issues of current prominence.
• Relentless attention to detail.
• Superior writing, editing and proofreading ability and oral communication skills.
• An adept user of leading and institutional technologies in an administrative setting.
• Knowledge of English grammar and AP style.
• Knowledge of marketing/communications and its role in an educational environment
• Strong interpersonal and human relations skills.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelors plus 5-10 years of progressive communications experience

Cover Letter Required

Please attach cover letter in attachments section of the application.

Vaccine Protocol

Saint Louis University will require COVID-19 vaccinations for all students, staff, and faculty who are physically present on our St. Louis campuses. As a prospective and/or a new employee at Saint Louis University, you will be required to comply with the University's vaccination protocol. Proof of full vaccination will be required before the start of employment in order to work at Saint Louis University. If you are not vaccinated, you will be required to begin the vaccination process at the time of your first day of employment. Exemptions may be granted on the grounds of religious beliefs or medical circumstances. Failure to comply with the vaccine requirement within 30 days of an employee's start date will result in termination of the employment.

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