Director, Academic Communication

The Director of Academic Communications reports to the SVP of Institutional Advancement and supports the Chief Academic Officer & Provost (CAO) and owns the vision and execution of multi-dimensional external and internal communications for this senior leader and other leaders in the CAO organization. This includes pitching and securing earned media placements often in collaboration with regional communicators and WGUs PR firm; creating project- based plans and written/audio/visual communications for employee messaging and other needs; and securing speaking opportunities and preparing background briefings for conferences and events for the CAO and other senior academic leaders. The Director collaborates with the CAOs Chief of Staff on thought leadership. The Director will lead a team of communications managers that support WGUs four schools. The Director will work at the intersection of academic leadership and educational technology to ensure seamless adoption engagement and impact of academic initiatives across digital and physical learning environments.

The Director works closely with other senior leaders from the schools regional operations government relations advancement partnerships conferences and events marketing and enrollment teams to drive growth in public awareness and the universitys brand reputation with prospective students current and prospective partner organizations government entities academic institutions and other audiences. Work supports the universitys objective of driving new student enrollment and degree attainment across academic schools and influencing the landscape of higher education to model a more accessible equitable and outcome-based option for working adult learners.

• Develops and executes external and internal communication strategy for the CAO and other leaders in the CAO organization.

• Cultivates trusted relationships with university partners including C-level executives SVPs and communications professionals of all levels including Schools Labs Academy Shared Services (EdTech Financial Aid Advancement etc.) and other departments.

• Leads a team of communications managers that support the four schools at the university and the EdTech/CIO organization.

• Establish and execute a multi-channel external and internal communication strategy that adheres to WGUs established brand standards and voice and maintains brand integrity across all platforms including specific local regional and national audiences geographic markets and academic program goals.

• Elevates the universitys brand with academic and other external audiences including raising the profile of the university in higher education and policy forums.

• Oversees development of multi-year CAO external communications plan that contributes to core university objectives.

• Develops media engagement opportunities and event appearances for the CAO organization.

• Supports CAO and as needed other senior leaders within the CAO organization with university events including monthlytown halls and school summits and higher education and related conferences.

• Provides standards and central coordination (e.g. brand alignment overall university events calendar) for schools and other entities as they participate in focused events such as school-aligned industry conferences.

• Leads develops and inspires a high-performing team fostering a culture of excellence accountability innovation and continuous improvement.

• Provides strategic direction and coaching to the Academic and EdTech communications team ensuring clear performance expectations and alignment with institutional goals and service standards.

• Attract develop and retain exceptional talent building leadership capacity and ensuring the team has the technical expertise regulatory knowledge and student-first mindset to succeed in a complex fast-paced environment.

• Performs other communication and writing duties as assigned.

This job description includes a general representation of job requirements rather than a comprehensive inventory of all required responsibilities or work activities. The contents of this document or related job requirements may change at any time with or without notice.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute a multi-dimensional communication strategy with key objectives and measurable KPIs.

• Proven collaborator with track record of executing complex projects involving cross-functional teams.

• Methodical systematic and highly organized.

• Able to make decisions and drive business forward in a highly complex multi-faceted organization.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Demonstrated ability to build strong relationships across contributors and teams including executives.

• Experience working in academic and communications disciplines including brand development creative owned and earned media and large-scale conferences and events.

• Ability to organize information and effectively present issues recommendations and conclusions.

• Innovative and inclined to explore new approaches for constant learning and optimization of messages.

• Skilled at building developing and leading high-performing teams fostering a culture of accountability innovation and student-centered service excellence.

• Ability to mentor and develop leadership talent building the next generation of communications leaders through ongoing coaching professional development and performance management.

• Strong critical thinker capable of making good decisions under pressure.

• Ability to independently manage time resources and deadlines for multiple projects at a time.

• A bachelors degree in marketing communications or a related field.

Experience

• 12 or more years of communications experience

• Three years of communications marketing or closely-related experience in higher education

• 5 or more years leadership experience

• Mastery of communication via owned media earned media and for events

Experience in lieu of education

Equivalent relevant experience performing the essential functions of this job may substitute for education degree requirements. Generally equivalent relevant experience is defined as 1 year of experience for 1 year of education and is the discretion of the hiring manager.

Preferred Qualifications

• Masters degree in related field.