Marketing/Communications Student Assistant

University of Kansas; Lawrence (KS); On-site; USD 17,000 - 22,000; Part time

Job summary

The Marketing/Communications Student Assistant at the University of Kansas, Lawrence Campus, will support the SPAA Director of External Affairs with marketing, communications, alumni engagement, and administrative tasks for programs including the KU Public Management Center. Responsibilities include content creation, design of promotional materials, analytics support, CRM updates, and project coordination.

The role offers hands-on experience with written, visual, and video content, social media,

Qualifications

• Experience with social media platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram) as shown in application materials.
• Intermediate proficiency with MS Word and Adobe Creative Cloud or Canva.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively as shown in application materials.

Responsibilities

• Create and draft content for newsletters, social media, and website news stories.
• Assist with short-form video content for social and web use.
• Log content in SPAA/PMC content tracking system and share with external partners.
• Develop and execute marketing communications strategies per SPAA/PMC plans.
• Design flyers, programs, and graphics for social and event materials.
• Pull and summarize social media and website analytics to inform content decisions.

Skills

Social media

Microsoft Word

Adobe Creative Cloud or Canva

Written communication

Education

Pursuing degree in SPAA/Administration/Marketing

Tools

HubSpot CRM

HubSpot CMS

Microsoft Planner

Google Analytics

Job description

Marketing/Communications Student Assistant

Position Overview

The Marketing/Communications Student Assistant will work closely with the Director of External Affairs at the School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA). This versatile role involves supporting marketing, communications, alumni engagement, and administrative tasks for the SPAA’s academic and professional development programs, including the KU Public Management Center (PMC). The ideal candidate will gain hands‑on experience creating written, visual, and video content, designing promotional materials, supporting social media/digital board marketing, reviewing basic social media and web analytics, and using customer relationship management (CRM) tools, while also developing the organizational skills needed to support a small team managing communications across multiple degree and professional development programs.

Job Description

50% - Content Creation and Management

• Create and draft content for newsletters, social media, office digital board, and website news stories.
• Assist with short‑form video content (event coverage, program promotion, testimonials) for social and web use.
• Assist with logging content in the SPAA/PMC content tracking system.
• Assist with distributing content to external partners of SPAA/PMC as identified by the Director of External Affairs.
• Develop and execute marketing communications strategies outlined by the Director of External Affairs and SPAA/PMC strategic plans.

25% - Design Promotional Materials

• Design flyers, programs, graphics for social media, and other event materials.
• 10% Marketing and Communications Analytics Support
• Pull and summarize social media and website analytics on a regular basis to help inform content decisions.
• Assist in tracking performance of marketing campaigns and channels across SPAA/PMC.

10% - CRM & Project/Task Management

• Maintain and update communications/contacts in HubSpot CRM.
• Maintain and update tasks and project management in Microsoft Planner.

5% - Other

• Marketing and communications duties as assigned

Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience with social media platforms, including Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram, as indicated in application materials.
• Intermediate‑level proficiency with Microsoft Word and Adobe Creative Cloud suite, or Canva, as indicated in application materials.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively as evidenced by cover letter, application, and resume.

Preferred Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a degree in the School of Public Affairs & Administration, School of Journalism and Mass Communications, or School of Business (Marketing), as indicated in application materials.
• Basic familiarity with social media or web analytics tools (e.g., Meta Business Suite, LinkedIn Analytics, Google Analytics), as indicated in application materials.
• Experience using Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, specifically HubSpot, as indicated in application materials.
• Experience using a Content Management System (CMS), specifically HubSpot, as indicated in application materials.
• Experience with task management, specifically using Microsoft Planner or another project/task management system, as indicated in application materials.
• Excellent written communication skills as demonstrated by application materials and other interactions.

Position Requirements

During the semester term of the appointment, the student hourly must be enrolled in no fewer than 6 credit hours. For summer periods the student hourly must: (1) have been enrolled in no less than 6 hours in the past spring semester or (2) be pre‑enrolled in the upcoming fall semester in no less than 6 hours or (3) be enrolled in summer session or (4) be admitted to study in the upcoming fall semester. Student Hourlies may be undergraduate or graduate students. (Exceptions granted for GRA/GTA/GA appointments DO NOT apply to Student Hourly appointments).

Employment Conditions

(1) Student employees are not eligible for remote work arrangements unless an exception is approved by the unit leadership and HR.
(2) This is an hourly/non‑exempt position. A student employee cannot hold an hourly/non‑exempt position and a salaried/exempt graduate or undergraduate position (GRA/GTA/GA/RUA/RGA) concurrently.

• Department: School of Public Affairs&Admin
• Primary Campus: University of Kansas Lawrence Campus