Assistant Director - Communications

Assistant Director - Communications

About the Opportunity

JOB SUMMARY:

The Assistant Director of Communications provides guidance and support for internal and external communications, aligning the communications strategy with the university's vision. The Assistant Director will develop the strategy in partnership with leadership and implement a comprehensive and integrated communications plan to connect department units to a variety of stakeholders.

RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

1) Internal Communications:

• Develop and establish an internal communications strategy with the Associate Director of Marketing and Communications and in consultation with the department leadership team.
• Ensure internal communications messages are consistent across all mediums and for different units of the organization; develop common language and visual representations (in collaboration with Marketing Associate) of complex thoughts and ideas, distill and sharpen key messages.
• Ensure internal communication messages are consistent with external communication messages.
• Draft messages, talking points, presentations and speeches for leadership for internal audiences as needed.
• Create strategic systems to guide and train departments in monitoring their internal email and newsletter metrics to analyze for data-driven decision making.
• Maintain centralized EI Newsletters
  

2) External Communications

• Plan, edit, and write content across high priority/sensitive (pre-matriculate/emergent) newsletters and emails.
• Coordinate with the Associate Director of Marketing and Communications to address crisis situations that affect department units.
• Create strategic systems to guide and train departments in monitoring their external email and newsletter metrics to analyze for data-driven decision making.
• In partnership with the Website Coordinator, curate and develop content for various department websites.
  

3) Stakeholder Management

• Develop and maintain relationships with the marketing and communications teams within the Colleges, Institutes, ODEI.
• Develop and maintain relationships with the marketing and communications teams within the Office for External Affairs, Chancellor's Office, Enrollment Management, network campuses, and other divisions on campus.
• Manage email contractors/vendors as needed to provide a unified communications approach delivered across multiple platforms.
  

4) Event Communications & Supervision

• Support event planning through the supervision of the Events Coordinator
• Lead communications efforts on department-related events including publicizing and creating print, web, and other materials for unit events.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree required in marketing, communications, public relations, journalism or closely related field. 5-7 years of experience in strategic marketing and/or communications, preferably in higher education, or a complex and fast-moving corporate environment.
• Highest-level writing skills, with the demonstrated ability to write persuasively on a wide variety of topics and to adapt style for a range of audiences, using correct grammar, punctuation, spelling, editing, formatting, and proofreading. Two to four years of experience writing in a professional environment, preferably in the higher education fields.
• Skills to build compelling internal communications plans; must be able to make complex information comprehensible and compelling for different audiences.
• Show a demonstrated ability to build relationships and work with distributed stakeholders to drive a single communications strategy. Strong interpersonal skills.
• Employ a digital-positive approach, always on the lookout for new and better techniques and platforms for outreach.
• Demonstrated research, data gathering and interview skills to compose effective written materials. Demonstrated success in using analytical, judgment and problem-solving skills to determine needs and arrive at consistently sound conclusions.
• Effective organizational skills, including the ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities simultaneously
• Technical and digital experience with diverse platforms, including website creation/maintenance, design (e.g., Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, WordPress), and social media (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, Twitter).
• Experience with brand development preferred.
• Familiarity with AP style.

Position Type

Marketing and Communications

Additional Information

Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer.

Northeastern has a comprehensive benefits package for benefit eligible employees. This includes medical, vision, dental, paid time off, tuition assistance, wellness & life, retirement- as well as commuting & transportation. Visit www.northeastern.edu/benefits for more information.

Northeastern University is an equal opportunity employer, seeking to recruit and support a broadly diverse community of faculty and staff. Northeastern values and celebrates diversity in all its forms and strives to foster an inclusive culture built on respect that affirms inter-group relations and builds cohesion.

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

To learn more about Northeastern University's commitment and support of diversity and inclusion, please see www.northeastern.edu/diversity.


To apply, visit https://northeastern.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/careers/job/Boston-MA-Main-Campus/Assistant-Director---Communications_R112017



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