Chief Communications Officer

SLAC; Palo Alto (CA); Hybrid; USD 251,000 - 277,000; Full time

Job summary

Stanford University’s School of Humanities and Sciences seeks an experienced Chief Communications Officer. The role reports to the Associate Dean for External Relations and collaborates with university partners to guide communications strategy for 24 departments and 25 programs.

Lead a small team now, with plans to grow, shaping executive communications, media outreach, digital presence, and internal engagement across a global audience.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading communications in a large, complex organization.
• Ability to develop and execute strategic communications plans across multiple audiences.
• Excellent writing, editing, and spokesperson capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a strategic communications plan to elevate the school’s reputation globally.
• Provide strategic communications advice to school leadership and faculty.
• Serve as primary spokesperson and manage crisis communications for reputational issues.
• Oversee media relations, digital strategy, newsletters, and brand management.
• Hire, mentor, and manage staff; oversee annual budget and external contractors.
• Collaborate with University Communications and school leadership to align strategy and branding.

Skills

Strategic communications

Team leadership

Media relations

Crisis communications

Brand management

Executive communications

Writing and editing

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Google Drive

Zoom

Job description

This position has been deemed critical by the School of Humanities and Sciences Dean’s Office and is exempt from the hiring freeze.

Work Arrangement:

This is a hybrid position with 3-4 days per week onsite. May require working flexible hours, including occasional work on evenings and weekends.

Budgeted Salary:

The budgeted salary range for this position is $251,322 – $276,576 per annum.

Department/Program Description:

The School of Humanities and Sciences is Stanford's largest school and home to the majority of Stanford undergraduates, to a significant number of graduate students, and to foundational research across the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. With 24 departments and 25 interdisciplinary programs, H&S fuels world‑class teaching, learning, and research on questions ranging from artificial intelligence and democracy to climate, public health, philosophy, and the arts. Led by Dean Debra Satz, the school is dedicated to ensuring that every Stanford student, regardless of major, engages meaningfully with the humanities, arts, and sciences, and that the school's research and ideas reach and inform audiences far beyond campus.

For more information on the school, click here.

Brief Position Summary:

The School of Humanities and Sciences seeks an experienced, dynamic communicator, skilled manager, and team-builder to serve as our Chief Communications Officer. Reporting to the Associate Dean for External Relations, who also serves as Stanford’s Associate Vice President for Development in the Office of Development, with a dotted line to the Dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences, the person in this role will manage a nimble team of communications professionals and oversee all communications strategies and activities, including executive and internal communications; media relations and issues management; marketing communications; digital strategy and social media; news, storytelling, and content creation; and brand management.

In addition to working closely with the H&S Dean and the Associate Dean for External Relations, this position will collaborate with the school’s senior associate deans, department chairs, faculty, and staff, as well as colleagues from University Communications and other key partners across campus, to coordinate strategies and activities and to leverage resources to maximize communications impact for the school.

While the current team consists of two professional communicators, we anticipate making resources available to grow and build the team over time to carry out the communications activities of the school.

The successful candidate will be a strategic thinker and a talented writer and editor who will bring to the position a collaborative leadership style, a sophisticated understanding of communications and messaging across a wide range of disciplines and audiences, and demonstrated experience working within a large, complex organization.

In This Role You Will:

• Develop and implement a strategic communications plan that addresses all stakeholders and continues to build the school's reputation and visibility on a global level throughmessaging for multiple audiences, promotion of research activities via media outreach and external engagement, a best-in-class digital presence, a robust internal communications and employee engagement program, and oversight of the school brand.
• Provide strategic communications advice to school leadership, faculty, and staff, including working with the Dean to help create and disseminate executive communications, such as speeches, talking points, and messaging.
• Serve as the school's primary spokesperson and direct crisis communications for emergency matters and issues with reputational impact across the school's 24 departments and 25 interdisciplinary programs.
• Devise and implement creative, compelling, and effective means of communicating the breadth and depth of faculty research, student opportunities, alumni impact, academic excellence, and the essential nature of the school and its many disciplines.
• Oversee key school messages and develop strategies for multiple audiences, channels, and constituencies, including faculty, students, alumni, university leadership, and the public.
• Manage the H&S brand to ensure consistency and accuracy in alignment with university brand and name-use guidelines.
• Direct the management and operations of public-facing communications programs, platforms, and channels—including media relations, the school website, social media, and email newsletters—to ensure strategic implementation, efficiency, and consistency with school branding and priorities.
• In collaboration with University Communications, define and execute a proactive media relations strategy that establishes the Dean, faculty leaders, and H&S as thought leaders across the humanities, arts, and sciences.
• Hire, manage, mentor, and retain a staff of professionals; engage outside contractors as needed; and manage the team's annual budget.
• Collaborate with University Communications and school leadership to align communication strategy and activities; support alignment within the school's departments, programs, and units; and establish communication and brand guidelines and best practices to help colleagues achieve goals.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

This is a 100% FTE, continuing, exempt position.

A resume and cover letter are required for consideration.

Thank you for considering employment opportunities with the School of Humanities and Sciences.

Preferred Qualifications:

Additional highly preferred qualifications for this position include:

• Bachelor’s Degree
• Experience with Microsoft Office, Google Drive, Zoom, and standard office equipment.
• Previous experience managing events, from planning to execution, including management of post-event administrative and evaluative tasks.
• Experience maintaining websites, creating newsletters, and flyers.
• Experience with customer service.
• Is comfortable navigating ambiguity and managing changing priorities.
• A strong sense of proactiveness.
• Has a learner's mindset and thinks strategically and holistically about their work.