Executive Communications Specialist
University of Denver
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
The University of Denver seeks an Executive Communications Specialist to shape and deliver the university's executive communications strategy, reporting to the director of internal communications and collaborating with the chancellor, provost, and senior leaders.
The ideal candidate will be a skilled writer and organized executor who can manage multiple projects, craft authoritative messages, and ensure consistent leadership voice across channels while promoting inclusive communications.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in communications, public relations, journalism, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience (veterans with equivalent military certification/education and experience may substitute for the degree qualification).
- 2–3 years of experience executing communications across multiple channels.
Responsibilities
- Draft and edit speeches, remarks, talking points, correspondence, and written materials for university leadership with an aptitude for capturing institutional voice as well as individual expression and tone for various executives.
- Prepare briefing materials and background research for leadership engagements, ensuring accuracy and appropriate tone.
- Manage timelines, approvals, and logistics for executive communications projects from initiation through delivery.
- Maintain organized archives of leadership communications and related assets to ensure consistency and institutional continuity as well as a catalogue of topical responses to various inquires or other needs.
- Contribute to the planning and execution of communications across channels including social media, newsletters, media, and the newsroom as they relate to executive voice and storytelling.
- Monitor best practices in executive communications and proactively recommend innovative approaches.
- Support the development of public-facing content including statements, announcements, and earned media materials.
- Serve as a strategic storytelling contributor, helping connect executive communications to broader institutional narratives.
- Collaborate with media, editorial, design, and video teams to amplify leadership messaging in new and engaging ways.
- Build and maintain messaging toolkits and plans for strategic projects, ensuring consistency with campus partners and communicators.
- Monitor public sentiment and media coverage to inform and refine messaging strategies.
- Help ensure alignment and consistency of messaging across platforms and among university leaders.
- Build and maintain solid partnerships with campus stakeholders to facilitate strategic communications that meet DU goals and maintain consistency of brand voice and positioning.
- Assist in interpreting XM data and audience feedback to inform leadership messaging and public communications.
- Support internal communications efforts alongside the manager of communications and issues management, ensuring audience coordination and message cohesion.
- Support leadership on crisis communication efforts as needed.
- Contribute ideas for new communications programs, researching and recommending innovative techniques.
- Lead and/or collaborate on special projects and initiatives as assigned; attend meetings and serve on campus committees as needed.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Skills
Education
Job description
The Division of University Relations (UR) builds public awareness, understanding, and support for the university’s mission and goals. The division includes marketing, communications, and public affairs units and embraces an integrated approach to executing best-in-class work that achieves strategic outcomes. University Relations strengthens DU’s strategic position locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally through data-driven and authentic storytelling across multiple channels, with focused support for priority areas including academics and research, enrollment and admissions, athletics, internal audiences, and advancement.
University Relations highly values and strives to advance an inclusive and supportive team where all members are valued and their input is appreciated. The division’s collective achievements are enhanced by its team members’ perspectives and experiences, and the open exchange of ideas.
The Executive Communications Specialist will support and execute the university’s executive communications strategy, reporting to the director of internal communications and working in close collaboration with the offices of the chancellor, provost, and other senior vice chancellors. This role serves as a key connector between strategic storytelling and the execution of executive communications, producing content that reflects a consistent, compelling leadership voice aligned with university priorities.
The ideal candidate is a skilled communicator and organized executor who can independently manage communications projects while collaborating effectively across the division and campus. This person must be passionate about creating inclusive communications and will dedicate the majority of their time to executive communications and related projects.
- Draft and edit speeches, remarks, talking points, correspondence, and written materials for university leadership with an aptitude for capturing institutional voice as well as individual expression and tone for various executives.
- Prepare briefing materials and background research for leadership engagements, ensuring accuracy and appropriate tone.
- Manage timelines, approvals, and logistics for executive communications projects from initiation through delivery.
- Maintain organized archives of leadership communications and related assets to ensure consistency and institutional continuity as well as a catalogue of topical responses to various inquires or other needs.
- Contribute to the planning and execution of communications across channels including social media, newsletters, media, and the newsroom as they relate to executive voice and storytelling.
- Monitor best practices in executive communications and proactively recommend innovative approaches.
- Support the development of public-facing content including statements, announcements, and earned media materials.
- Serve as a strategic storytelling contributor, helping connect executive communications to broader institutional narratives.
- Collaborate with media, editorial, design, and video teams to amplify leadership messaging in new and engaging ways.
- Build and maintain messaging toolkits and plans for strategic projects, ensuring consistency with campus partners and communicators.
- Monitor public sentiment and media coverage to inform and refine messaging strategies.
- Help ensure alignment and consistency of messaging across platforms and among university leaders.
- Build and maintain solid partnerships with campus stakeholders to facilitate strategic communications that meet DU goals and maintain consistency of brand voice and positioning.
- Assist in interpreting experience management (XM) data and audience feedback to inform leadership messaging and public communications.
- Support internal communications efforts alongside the manager of communications and issues management, ensuring audience coordination and message cohesion.
- Support leadership on crisis communication efforts as needed.
- Contribute ideas for new communications programs, researching and recommending innovative techniques.
- Lead and/or collaborate on special projects and initiatives as assigned; attend meetings and serve on campus committees as needed.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
- Strong, versatile copywriting and editing skills, with the ability to adapt tone and style for executive voice.
- Ability to synthesize complex topics into clear, compelling, audience-appropriate messages.
- Strong organizational, planning, and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
- Familiarity with executive communications and public messaging best practices.
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively across matrixed teams.
- Demonstrated attention to detail and a self‑motivated, proactive approach.
- Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build collaborative relationships with internal and external constituents.
- Proficiency in Microsoft 365, AI tools, and social media platforms.
- Working knowledge of compiling reports, building charts and graphs, and presenting content in compelling ways.
- Bachelor’s degree in communications, public relations, journalism, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience (veterans with equivalent military certification/education and experience may substitute for the degree qualification).
- 2–3 years of experience executing communications across multiple channels.
- Experience in executive, leadership, or institutional communications.
- Previous experience in higher education.
- Research writing experience.
- Standard office environment.
- Unexpected interruptions occur often and stress level is moderate to high.
- Noise level is quiet to moderate.
- This position is eligible to be considered for partial remote work. Schedule flexibility allowed for those using the tuition waiver.
- Ability to work in front of a computer for extended periods of time.
- Occasionally required to move about the office/campus
Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. In accordance with the University’s flexible work policy, this position is eligible to be considered for partial remote work. Further details regarding this plan will be determined with the hiring manager and are dependent on division and team‑specific needs.
The salary grade for the position is 11.
The salary range for this position is $60,000-$75,000. The University of Denver has provided a compensation range that represents its good faith estimate of what the University may pay for the position at the time of posting. The University may ultimately pay more or less than the posted compensation range. The salary offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal salary equity considerations, and available market information, but not based on a candidate’s sex or any other protected status.
The University of Denver offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, tuition benefit and ECO pass. The University of Denver is a private institution that empowers students who want to make a difference. Learn more about the University of Denver.
The University of Denver is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression), marital, family, or parental status, pregnancy or related conditions, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. The University of Denver does not discriminate and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, creed, disability, sex (including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression), marital family, and parental status, pregnancy, genetic information, military enlistment, or veteran status, and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under federal, state, or local law, regulation, or ordinance in any of the University’s educational programs and activities, and in the employment (including application for employment) and admissions (including application for admission) context, as required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; the Americans with Disabilities Act; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; the Equal Pay Act; the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act; the Colorado Protecting Opportunities and Worker's Rights ("POWR") Act; and any other federal, state, and local laws, regulations, or ordinances that prohibit discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation. For more information, please see the University of Denver's Non‑Discrimination‑Statement.
All offers of employment are based upon satisfactory completion of a criminal history and National Sex Offender Registry background check.
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