Director of Communications & Public Engagement

University of Kansas

Lawrence (KS)

On-site

USD 62,000 - 72,000

Full time

2 days ago

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Job summary

University of Kansas in Lawrence seeks a Director of Strategic Communications for the School of Architecture and Design. This 1.0 FTE appointment leads communications and marketing initiatives to translate achievements into compelling narratives that boost enrollment, engagement and reputation.

Reporting to the Dean, you will collaborate with KU Marketing, oversee a staff, and coordinate content across web, print, and events to advance the School’s mission and impact.

Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree in Journalism, Communications, Marketing, Business Administration or related field, plus five years of related experience.
Experience with editing, writing and website maintenance.
At least one year of supervisory experience.
Experience working with a wide range of populations.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement an integrated strategic communications plan.
Collaborate with Department Chairs to align priorities, events and messaging.
Provide editorial direction and brand management for the School.
Oversee marketing and communications materials and review processes.
Coordinate photography and documentation of school activities.
Maintain the School website with regular updates and annual refresh.

Skills

Strategic communications

Editorial direction

Team leadership

Editing

Stakeholder collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Journalism/Communications/Marketing

Tools

AI for analytics

CMS / Website maintenance

Photography coordination

Job description

Position Overview

This position is a 1.0 FTE appointment serving the School Architecture and Design at the University of Kansas.

Working in collaboration with the Dean and the leadership team of the School, the position oversees all communications and marketing initiatives for the School and its units to translate complex students, alumni, faculty and staff achievements and impacts into clear, compelling narratives that improve student enrollment, retention, engagement and success; support advancement and fundraising; and promote reputation and community excellence.

The position is a member of the Dean's leadership team. The position liaises with KU Marketing and Public Affairs, and KU Endowment Association on matters related to communications and public engagement. The position supervises the Graphic Designer of the School and a staff of student employees. The Position serves at the pleasure of the Dean and reports to the Dean.

Job Description

Responsibilities Related to Strategic Communications (90%)

Strategic leadership responsibilities:

Works with the Dean and the leadership team of the School to develop and implement an integrated strategic communications plan to advance the School's brand and increase awareness of its programs, activities, and mission. The plan will identify priority audiences, messages, channels, responsibilities, an editorial schedule, and measures of success.
Works directly and regularly with Department Chairs to understand departmental priorities, upcoming initiatives, events, accomplishments, recruitment needs, and opportunities for communication and promotion. Meets with the Chairs collectively or individually at least four times each academic year( twice per semester) to maintain consistent communication between the departments and the School's communications efforts.
Provides editorial direction and brand management to enhance School brand and reputation.
Provides oversight of the School's marketing and communications materials. Establishes and manages a process for review and feedback on visual communications, actively seeking input from School leadership to help ensure materials appropriately represent the School and its programs.
Develops a communications strategy for increasing the visibility of faculty research, scholarship, and creative activity across Architecture & Design, identifying opportunities to promote faculty expertise and accomplishments to academic, professional, industry, media, alumni, donor, and public audiences.

Day-to-day management responsibilities:

Maintains a clear editorial and project process for intake, prioritization, approvals, production, status updates, publication, and follow-up across web, social media, email, print, media relations, and events.
Builds and executes systematic and sustainable processes for documenting School outputs, events, lectures, faculty and student research, and activities with alumni, community and industry.
Maintains an active presence across the School and regularly engages with faculty and students to develop a strong understanding of the School's programs, people, activities, accomplishments, and culture. Identifies stories and communications opportunities through direct engagement with the School community rather than relying solely on submitted content.
Attends key School events, Annual Board Meetings, lectures, exhibitions, reviews, student activities, and other activities as appropriate to identify and capture stories, moments, quotes, achievements, and other content for use across School communications.
Meets regularly with faculty across Architecture and Design to learn about their current and emerging research, scholarship, creative activity, publications, exhibitions, awards, grants, collaborations, and areas of expertise. Proactively identifies opportunities to translate and promote this work through School communications rather than relying solely on faculty to submit stories or requests.
Coordinates photography and other documentation of student work, faculty activities, events, exhibitions, facilities, and the everyday life of the School, working with professional photographers, student employees, faculty, and staff as appropriate.
Builds and executes systematic and sustainable processes for managing assets for public communications that strategically and creatively promote the past, present and future of the School.
Establishes a sustainable, repeatable and effective way for faculty, staff and students to submit requests, understand priorities, know who approves the work, and see what is moving forward.
Maintains the School website as a current and accurate representation of its programs, people, student work, research, activities, and accomplishments. Establishes a schedule for ongoing updates and an annual refresh of student work, photography, program information, and editorial content so that the website remains timely, relevant, and visually engaging.

Production responsibilities:

Manages the School's websites and webpages including maintaining current content, improving navigation and usability, and ensuring information is accurate and accessible.
Manages the production of marketing and recruitment collateral materials of the School in collaboration with the Director of Recruitment and Enrollment and the Chairs, highlighting the Return on Investment (ROI) of a specific academic program through career outcomes, salary data, and alumni success; student experience; and innovation and research.
Manages the production of weekly newsletters for students and faculty in collaboration with the Director of Student Services and Success and the Chairs, highlighting weekly events and activities, policy updates, programmatic changes, and School resources to improve internal community engagement, inclusivity, and belonging.
Manages the production of the bi-monthly ArcD Newsletter highlighting student, faculty and alumni achievements and stories to improve engagement within the broader School community, including alumni, donors, and industry and community partners.
Manages the semiannual or annual publication/s of the School focusing on research, community, and economic impacts of the School for regional, national and international audiences.
Develops and produces ongoing stories and content that make faculty research, scholarship, creative activity, and expertise accessible and visible to audiences through the website, newsletters, social media, publications, media outreach, and other appropriate channels.

Supervisory and Other Responsibilities (10%)

Supervises the Graphic Designer of the School and a staff of student employees.
Develops guidelines to distinguish the director's strategy, priority-setting, and approval responsibilities from the designer's creative and production responsibilities.
Establishes clear expectations and review processes for the quality and consistency of visual communications produced by the School. Actively seeks design expertise and feedback to help establish and maintain the visual direction of the School, ensuring that communications reflect the quality and standards of a School of Architecture and Design.
Develops clear expectations for staff development, workload priorities, coverage, delegation, and consistent service to the members of the School community.
Serves on committees, as needed.
Participates in and provides communications support for School activities including Board meetings, alumni events and award ceremonies, donor events, lecture series, and exhibitions.
Performs other duties in support of the mission of the School.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree in Journalism, Communications, Marketing, Business Administration or a related field and five years of related experience
Previous experience with editing, writing and website maintenance
At least one year of supervisory experience
Prior work experience working with a wide range of populations, as demonstrated by application materials and work history

This position requires a formal degree in the cited discipline area(s) to ensure that candidates have advanced knowledge, analytical skills and professional competencies necessary to perform the duties of the position. The level of degree is commonly recognized as the standard qualification for similar roles in the public and private sector, ensuring that the university remains competitive with industry aligned practices, enhances collaboration with external partners, and supports the delivery of services and programs that meet professional and market-driven expectations.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with AI technologies for predictive analytics and yield modeling; personalized campaigns; and for administrative automation and document processing
Excellent computer skills and demonstrated interest and capacity in database management
Experience collaborating with different levels of leadership, including university and school leaderships as demonstrated by application materials and work history
Experience with strategic communications
Knowledge of developing surveys and analyzing data for reporting purposes
Proven experience exercising initiatives, decision-making and self-discipline
Experience in all or some of the other areas of responsibilities of the position
Demonstrated effective written communication skills as evidenced by application materials
Demonstrated organizational skills and demonstrated ability to handle multiple projects and juggle priorities

Additional Candidate Instructions