Communications Director

Stanford University School of Medicine; Palo Alto (CA); Hybrid; USD 129,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

Stanford University is seeking a proactive Communications Director for the McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society. Working with the Center team and faculty, you will shape strategic communications, produce content, and expand recognition across campus and the public sphere.

This 100% exempt continuing role combines big-picture planning with hands-on production, newsletters, web updates, social content, and collaboration with external vendors.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and five years of relevant experience or equivalent combination.
• Experience leading strategic communications for complex programs.
• Proven ability to translate scholarship for public audiences and manage multiple projects.

Responsibilities

• Develop communication deliverables in an area of expertise for a unit or a complex program.
• Develop complex communications for various content delivery channels.
• Develop and design complex materials according to defined requirements using software applications and mediums.
• Work with vendors to obtain information to evaluate quality, process, and costs to support vendor selection.
• Maintain knowledge by attending webinars, conferences, networking etc. to remain at the forefront of current industry standards, trends and technology.
• Contribute to the development of communication strategy for the unit or program.
• Analyze data and curate illustrations, photos, and pictures for assignments.
• Work in collaboration with Institutional Communicators on media relations content and other areas.

Skills

Communication skills

Editorial writing

Strategic communications

Analytics & measurement

Project management

Media relations

Education

Bachelor's degree

5+ years relevant experience

Tools

WordPress

Drupal

Mailchimp

Social media

Adobe Creative Cloud

Canva

Job description

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 based on the Stanford campus, with a minimum of 3 days per week on site.

Budgeted Salary

The budgeted base salary range for this position is $129,000 to $135,000 annually.

School of Humanities and Sciences (H&S)

The School of Humanities and Sciences (H&S) is the foundation of a liberal arts education at Stanford. The school encompasses 24 departments and 25 interdisciplinary programs. H&S is home to fundamental and applied research, where free, open, and critical inquiry is pursued across disciplines. As the university’s largest school, H&S serves as the foundation of a Stanford undergraduate education no matter which discipline students pursue as a major. Graduate students work alongside world-renowned faculty to pursue and shape foundational research that leads to breakthroughs and discoveries that shed new light on the past, influence the present, and shape the future. Together, faculty and students in H&S engage in inspirational teaching, learning, and research every day.

Department/Program Description

The McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society prepares students, researchers, and community leaders to face the toughest ethical challenges of our times – in government, industry, universities, and everyday life. Through education, research, and convenings, we work to integrate ethical reflection into decision-making at all levels. Our current areas of focus are technology ethics and civil dialogue.

Our programming reaches audiences across campus and beyond and includes: an undergraduate honors program, ethics courses, varied fellowships, research collaborations, and public events with reno wned speakers. Our work in the area of technology ethics presents opportunities for partnerships across Silicon Valley to advance human values and ethical reflection in technological development. Our civil dialogue programming involves collaborations across campus and with other institutions to prepare students to engage in disagreement with moral courage, respect, and intellectual humility.

Position Summary

We seek a proactive Communications Director to serve as both strategic lead and hands-on producer for our communications efforts. Working closely with the Center team and faculty, this person will envision and implement creative strategies to expand our recognition across campus and in the public sphere. As a communications team of one, this role requires a nimble, collaborative self-starter who moves comfortably between big-picture planning and day-to-day execution—energized by pitching stories or experimenting with new media formats as well as by building newsletters, updating web pages, and drafting social media content. The Communications Director will have the opportunity to experiment with new ideas and can hire contractors to support their work. The ideal candidate will have exceptional writing and copyediting skills, rigorous attention to detail, the ability to use analytics to inform content decisions, and sound judgment in high-visibility work and stakeholder relationship management.

This is a 100%, exempt, continuing position.

Preferred Requirements

Additional Desired Qualifications Include :

• Subject matter affinity: Demonstrated interest in ethics, particularly current areas of focus on technology ethics and civil dialogue, with curiosity to learn more in an interdisciplinary setting.
• Proactive Ownership & Collaboration: Proven track record as a self-directed producer who can brainstorm creative initiatives, follow through independently, and collaborate effectively within a team
• Campus & Media Relations: Strong background in media relations, including cultivating journalist contacts, pitching stories, translating complex scholarship for public audiences, and building and maintaining a strong network on campus.
• Tactical Production & Tech Savvy: Hands-on proficiency with core digital tools, including modern web CMS platforms (e.g., WordPress, Drupal), email marketing services (e.g., Mailchimp), social media platforms, and basic visual/layout tools (Adobe Creative Cloud, Canva). Openness to integrate AI tools where appropriate.
• Vendor & Project Management: Experience directing freelance designers, writers, and photographers to produce varied assets, event collateral, and narrative stories on time and within budget.
• Data-Informed Mindset: Experience using analytics across platforms to track reach, test new ideas, and refine strategies.

Responsibilities

Core Duties

• Develop communication deliverables in an area of expertise for a unit or a complex program.
• Develop complex communications for various content delivery channels.
• Develop and design complex materials according to defined requirements using software applications and mediums.
• Work with vendors to obtain information to evaluate quality, process, and costs to support vendor selection.
• Maintain knowledge by attending webinars, conferences, networking etc. to remain at the forefront of current industry standards, trends and technology.
• Contribute to the development of communication strategy for the unit or program.
• Analyze data and curate illustrations, photos, and pictures for assignments.
• Work in collaboration with Institutional Communicators on media relations content and other areas.

Minimum Education And Experience

Bachelor's degree and five years of relevant experience or combination of education and relevant experience.

Knowledge, Skills And Abilities

• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with internal communications groups across campus.
• Demonstrated excellent interpersonal skills
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex materials and communicate information in a manner easily understood.
• Experience with project management and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Demonstrated ability to perform detailed work with high level of accuracy and attention to detail.