Director of Executive and Internal Communications

About College of the Holy Cross:

Founded in 1843 in Worcester, Massachusetts, the College of the Holy Cross is among the nation's leading liberal arts institutions. A highly selective, four-year, exclusively undergraduate college of 3,100 students, Holy Cross is renowned for offering a rigorous, personalized education in the Jesuit, Catholic tradition.

Holy Cross highly values the unique skills, perspective, talents and passion that each employee contributes to its learning community. To work at The College is to accept an invitation to participate in the growth and development of all campus members, students, faculty and staff. The College's commitment to diversity is an important feature of the Holy Cross education. Informed by the presence of diverse interpretations of the human experience, Holy Cross is building a community marked by freedom, mutual respect, and civility. We seek others who support our values of diversity and inclusiveness. Job candidates of all diverse backgrounds who embrace the open and inclusive culture of Holy Cross are welcome and encouraged to apply.


Job Description:

As a member of the Marketing and Communications team and reporting to the Chief Communications Officer, the Director of Executive and Internal Communications is a skilled writer and strategic thinker. The director is responsible for creating communications on behalf of the College and its leadership that inspire, motivate and create a sense of belonging. They write executive-level speeches, remarks, and other communications that showcase the vision and the guiding principles of College leadership for diverse audiences. They collaborate with Marketing and Communications teammates and colleagues across campus to plan and produce a communications program for internal audiences of students, faculty, and staff members. They also frequently work with colleagues in the Office of the President, including the Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Chief of Staff, to align on the president's strategy and messaging.

Presidential Communications

• Coordinates efforts to enhance the overall quality of all presidential communications
• Prepares compelling speeches, remarks, lectures, essays, columns, articles, presentations, correspondence, and other written communications of the highest quality for the college president and other senior college leaders
• Tailors each communication for maximum audience appeal and impact, conducting research on audience expectations, event agendas, topics or remarks of other speakers, and physical space and audio/visual set-up
• Provides counsel and feedback to the President on style and delivery of remarks
• Performs content research and develops detailed speech outlines for executive approval
• Ensures written communications align with an overall messaging strategy for the President, using internal and external communication platforms to articulate goals and initiatives in a clear manner
• Maintains current knowledge of peer institutions, current events, industry issues and trends, Jesuit and Catholic issues, policy proposals, and changes in legislation in order to incorporate relevant information into presidential communications

Internal Communications

• Employs best practices to develop engaging messages, clear, effective communications that promote a sense of belonging and transparency among students, faculty and staff members.
• Builds and executes an internal editorial and communications plan that is aligned with the college's strategic plan and implemented with consistency across internal channels. Create, establish and document standard processes, protocols and templates for the internal communications practice area.
• Collaborates with the Chief Communications Officer to establish systems that empower other campus communicators to deliver information to students, faculty, and staff in a manner that reduces email fatigue.
• Works with Chief Communications Officer and colleagues in Information Technology Services to create and maintain an internal intranet to keep campus members informed.
• Works closely with other campus communicators to conceive and coordinate communications that reach key target audiences.
• Manages writing, research and fact-checking support for major announcements and high-level initiatives.
• Collaborates closely with senior leadership on crisis communications and issues management. Develops content for confidential, sensitive or embargoed events with discretion.
• Monitors news and global events to identify opportunities, concerns and interests for the campus community.
• Undertakes other critical writing tasks as assigned.

To mitigate the spread and effects of COVID-19, and as an integral part of its public health and safety measures, College of the Holy Cross requires that all successful applicants show proof of full, up-to-date vaccination (including a booster dose once eligible) by an FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine before beginning employment, unless an accommodation exempting the applicant from this policy has been granted. Applicants who wish to request an accommodation based on a disability or sincerely-held religious belief should inform Human Resources after an offer of employment is extended; please do not include any medical, genetic, or religious information in your application materials.


Requirements:

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree
• 5-7 years' professional experience in the fields of communications, journalism, or publishing
• Experience as a high-level speechwriter
• Industry knowledge of higher education
• Familiarity with common communications tools and technologies
  
  

Core Competencies

Collaboration: Exchanging information, ideas, thoughts and feelings thoughtfully with others in a manner that is proactive and enhances partnerships

Inclusion: Actively engaging with the values of the College by promoting a work environment that embraces diversity and demonstrating respect for the opinions and beliefs of others

Innovation: Performing one's job with creativity and proactivity, improving procedures and problem-solving

Mission/Service Orientation: Focusing on service to others and contributing to the College's collective mission

Responsibility: Taking ownership of one's actions and accountability for one's tasks and duties

The description above represents the most significant duties of this position but does not exclude other occasional work assignments not mentioned, the inclusion of which would be in conformity with the factor degrees assigned.


Additional Information:

This is a full-time, exempt level position. The College is committed to providing competitive market pay for its employees. The salary range for this position, commensurate with experience and qualifications, is $100,000 - $110,000. The College also offers a competitive benefits package for full-time staff, including:

• 10% College contribution to the 403(b) Retirement Plan (1 year wait waiver available)
• Hybrid work
• NEW - condensed summer 4-day work week
• Tuition benefits
• Wellness programs & ongoing Training and Development opportunities
• Generous paid time off
• Free parking and free use of the athletic/fitness facilities.
• Click here to learn more.

College Description

The College of the Holy Cross is a private, Jesuit Catholic, undergraduate institution serving approximately 3,100 students. Founded in 1843, Holy Cross is the oldest Catholic college in New England and has a tradition of academic excellence. It is located atop Mount Saint James in Worcester, Massachusetts. The picturesque, 174-acre campus is an award-winning and registered arboretum.

Region Description

Worcester is a city of approximately 200,000 people centrally located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is approximately one hour from Boston, Hartford, and Providence, and three hours from New York City. Worcester is known as the Heart of the Commonwealth. Worcester offers many cultural and recreational opportunities which you can read more about here .

The College of the Holy Cross is an EEO/AA/Disability/Vets Employer.

A member of the Higher Education Consortium of Central Massachusetts (HECCMA).

To review our Employee Benefit Options, please go to: https://www.holycross.edu/human-resources/benefits

Holy Cross Benefits at a Glance PDF for download: click here


Application Instructions:

Please attach a cover letter addressing the position requirements along with your resume.

In your cover letter please address how your work supports the College's mission as a Jesuit, undergraduate liberal arts college (see http://www.holycross.edu/mission ) and its core commitment to diversity and inclusion. For more information, please visit http://holycross.edu/diversity .