Assistant Director for Communications

The Chronicle Of Higher Education, Inc.; Salt Lake City (UT); On-site; USD 57,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

The Chronicle Of Higher Education, Inc. is seeking an Assistant Director for Communications & Outreach Services to lead and coordinate communications and outreach activities for the office, and supervise staff.

The role involves updating the office website, developing a communications calendar, coordinating with campus partners, and ensuring timely, accurate, and inclusive messaging across channels.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Education, Communication, or a related area, or equivalency.
• Two years related experience; an in-depth knowledge of the specialty area as well as federal-statelaws and regulations governing their procedures; and demonstrated organizational, communication and human relation skills required.
• Related experience includes: instructional design, teaching, instructional video/multi-media production, public speaking, compositional writing, and computer operation.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate communications and outreach activities for the office.
• Provide supervision of permanent and/or temporary staff members.
• Maintain and update the office website ensuring content is informative, succinct, accurate, logically presented, navigable, consumable, and inclusive.
• Establish and monitor a communications calendar/plan; coordinate with fellow managers.
• Develop and maintain annual calendar of planned and strategic office communications.
• Serve as liaison to marketing and communications teams within the university.
• Communicate to the public using an effective, approved social media strategy.

Job description

Assistant Director for Communications & Outreach Services

Job Summary

The position is responsible for leading and coordinatingcommunications and outreach activities for the office, as well asproviding assistance with processing and service areas of theoffice. Duties may include supervision of permanent and/ortemporary staff members.

Responsibilities

OUTREACH

• Designs, delivers, and refines outreach events and programmingto ensure students, families, and colleagues are appropriately andsufficiently aware and informed of the types and sources of fundingopportunities
• Uses training lens and consumer information lens for thedesign, content, and delivery of outreach events
• Collaborates effectively with campus partners for outreachevents, including our office representation at other offices'outreach events as well as other offices' representation at ouroffice outreach events
• Ensures outreach events are scheduled/planned well, anddelivered with complete, accurate, timely, and informativecontent

COMMUNICATIONS

• Effectively supervises team of permanent and temporary staffwho respond to application and program inquiries in a timely,accurately, and inclusive manner, and support the work of theoffice.
• Maintains and updates office website ensuring content isinformative, succinct, accurate, logically presented, navigable,consumable, and inclusive; Provides technical and operationalsupport for office website
• Establishes, monitors, and maintains communicationscalendar/plan in consultation with fellow managers
• Establishes guidelines for outgoing office communications toensure they are consistent, accurate, complete/thorough, succinct,inclusive, and effective
• Serves as lead for developing communication content generatedby system operations
• Develops and maintains annual calendar of planned and strategicoffice communications
• Serves as liaison to marketing and communications teams withinthe university
• Communicates to the public using an effective, approved socialmedia strategy
• Follows established protocol in media contacts
• Ensures consumer information disclosures are accurate,compliant, consumable, and timely
• Collaboratively establishes and manages schedule to ensureoffice inquiries are fielded in a timely and effective manner;schedule and inquiries led by daily team of Managers on Duty
• Uses training lens and consumer information lens for thedesign, content, and delivery of office communications

PROFESSIONALISM & CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

• Actively participates in professional meetings, conferences,and workshops; meets and communicates clearly with colleagues insimilar positions/roles; researches industry practices; sharesresulting knowledge and research with management and staff in orderto serve well the students and the institution
• Ensures area policies and procedures are current andaccurate;
• Provides clear and accurate documentation of transactions,conversations, interactions, and edits to records affecting studenteligibility and/or compliance with applicable regulations,statutes, and/or policies
• Maintains professional appearance and demeanor, including whenengaging students, families, colleagues, and members of thepublic
• Maintains access to and a working knowledge of relevantinternal and external systems

MANAGEMENT OF OFFICE; EFFECTIVE SUPERVISION & MANAGEMENT OF AREA

• Effectively advances processing and service workloads includingdelivery of services and processing according to scheduled andad-hoc calendaring; adjusts accordingly in collaboration withfellow managers to ensure balanced, timely, accurate,well-documented, equitable, and inclusive services and processingwithin benchmarks established by Executive Director
• Serves as a partner in monitoring and assuring that overalloffice operations are functional, accessible, efficient, compliant,inclusive, and free of conflicts of interest
• Maintains a current detailed timeline and status of all ongoingand anticipated projects/tasks for the area, and keeps fellowsenior managers apprised on a schedule established by the ExecutiveDirector
• Follows established timelines/calendars for projects/tasks
• Effectively supervises and manages staff providingcommunications, outreach, and services
• Professionally addresses and works toward resolution of complexor novel situations encountered
• Facilitates cooperative and collaborative community andinstitutional relationships.
• Prepares and implements appropriate changes in policies,procedures, regulations, and technologies
• As needed, serves on and/or oversees various office committees,which may include such functions as communications plan, appealsprocesses, outreach, personnel, forms and publications, etc.;collaborates with other employees on office committees regardingpolicy, procedures, and training opportunities; position may alsobe asked to serve on Enrollment Management and/or Universitycommittees
• Advises fellow managers of anomalies, trends, or patternsaffecting systems functionality and/or student and programeligibility
• Ensures clear and accurate documentation of transactions,conversations, and interactions affecting student eligibilityand/or compliance with applicable policies
• Adheres to all statutory, regulatory, and policy guidance,including office policies and procedures
• Actively collaborates in and contributes to overall officeeffectiveness, including:
  • Monitoring to ensure systems and technology platformsareprogrammed and operating appropriately and effectively
  • Ensures appropriate records management procedures andcompliance with recordkeeping and archival requirements
  • Maintains privacy and confidentiality of student and familydata and information
  • Maintains security of student records and relatedinformation
  • Contributes as needed in preparation of operating and programbudgets, annual new year startup design, data/statistical reportsand evaluations, and complex funding applications
  • Helps ensure professional, timely, accurate, and inclusivedelivery of services and policies
• Performs other duties as assigned by supervisor and/orExecutive Director

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Education, Communication, or a related area,or equivalency (one year of education can be substituted for twoyears of related work experience). Two years related experience; anin-depth knowledge of the specialty area as well as federal-statelaws and regulations governing their procedures; and demonstratedorganizational, communication and human relation skills required.Related experience includes: instructional design, teaching,instructional video/multi-media production, public speaking,compositional writing, and computer operation.

Applicants must demonstrate the potential ability to perform theessential functions of the job as outlined in the positiondescription.

Preferences

Prefer previous work experience within an office that administersscholarships and/or financial aid programs. Experience in the useof computers for instructional and educational support including afamiliarity with Internet and training experience in an educationalenvironment preferred.

Special Instructions

Requisition Number: PRN45876B

Full Time or Part Time? Full Time

Work Schedule Summary: Monday thru Friday; 8:00 – 5:00 withsome weekend and evening work as necessary

Department: 00294 - Financial Aid

Location: Campus

Pay Rate Range: $57,000 - $62,000

Close Date: 11/10/2026

Open Until Filled: