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UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATION - Associate Director of University Communications
Job Classification
Salaried Full-time (75-100%)
Position summary
This position provides strategic and operational leadership for Andrews University's institutional communications, public relations, digital platforms, and creative services. This position oversees web management, social media, institutional publications, photography, video production, graphic design, and campus-wide communication. The Director ensures messaging is accurate, timely, consistent, and aligned with the University's mission, brand, and strategic priorities. Working collaboratively with University leadership and campus departments, the Director supports enrollment, advancement, reputation management, and institutional engagement. The position supervises communication personnel, manages complex projects, establishes efficient workflows, and coordinates responses to emerging communication needs, major events, and institutional crises.
Qualifications summary
The successful candidate will demonstrate strong leadership, strategic communication, project management, and interpersonal skills, with experience overseeing multiple communication functions and collaborating across a complex organization.
Must be a Seventh-day Adventist in good and regular standing.
Duties and responsibilities
Strategic Communication and Leadership
- Develop and implement institutional communication strategies supporting University priorities, enrollment, advancement, reputation, and engagement.
- Provide strategic direction and operational leadership for the Communication team.
- Establish communication priorities, workflows, production schedules, and quality standards.
- Maintain a weekly public relations and communication agenda identifying announcements, stories, events, media opportunities, and potential concerns.
- Collaborate with the Executive Director of Marketing & Communication on institutional priorities.
- Support the President, President's Council, and senior leadership with communication initiatives.
- Coordinate communication efforts across academic and administrative departments.
- Respond to emerging communication needs and special institutional projects.
Public Relations and Crisis Communication
- Lead public relations initiatives to strengthen Andrews University's local, regional, national, and denominational visibility.
- Develop, review, and coordinate news releases, media statements, talking points, and institutional announcements.
- Maintain relationships with media organizations, community partners, and external communication contacts.
- Coordinate interviews, radio opportunities, and broadcast communication.
- Manage processes for media inquiries and University spokesperson coordination.
- Collaborate with University leadership, legal counsel, Campus Safety, Human Resources, and other stakeholders during institutional crises.
- Maintain crisis communication plans, templates, contact lists, and approval procedures.
- Coordinate timely and accurate crisis-related communication for internal and external audiences.
- Monitor emerging issues that may affect institutional reputation.
Website and Digital Communication
- Provide strategic oversight of the University's primary website and related digital properties.
- Supervise web management and development personnel.
- Coordinate website restructuring, modernization, navigation improvements, accessibility, and usability.
- Establish standards for departmental web content and updates.
- Coordinate development of webpages, templates, forms, components, and digital functionality.
- Collaborate with ITS on integrations, hosting, security, and technical needs.
- Oversee the University's online campus directory and institutional calendar.
- Ensure digital content remains current, accurate, functional, and aligned with brand standards.
Institutional Publications and FOCUS Magazine
- Provide leadership and editorial oversight for FOCUS, Andrews University's quarterly alumni and institutional magazine.
- Manage publication schedules, editorial planning, writing, photography, design, editing, production, approvals, and distribution.
- Collaborate with Advancement, Alumni Services, academic departments, and University leadership on institutional storytelling.
- Coordinate writers, editors, photographers, designers, freelancers, and production vendors.
- Maintain editorial quality, accuracy, and institutional brand consistency.
Social Media and Creative Services
- Provide strategic oversight of institutional social media platforms.
- Supervise social media personnel and establish content planning, publishing, engagement, and reporting standards.
- Coordinate social media calendars, campaigns, and major campus event coverage.
- Oversee graphic design, photography, video production, and creative storytelling.
- Coordinate creative personnel, student workers, contractors, and external production partners.
- Establish production priorities and schedules for creative projects.
- Ensure photography, video, and design materials support institutional communication and enrollment goals.
- Maintain processes for organizing, archiving, retrieving, and distributing creative assets.
Campus Events and Enrollment Support
- Coordinate communication coverage for University events, ceremonies, conferences, recruitment initiatives, and student activities.
- Develop coverage plans, staffing schedules, and equipment requirements.
- Partner with Enrollment Management on undergraduate, graduate, online, and international recruitment communication.
- Support recruitment campaigns through writing, design, web content, photography, video, and social media.
- Coordinate communication assets supporting prospective students throughout the enrollment process.
- Support campus visits, recruitment events, and enrollment-related initiatives.
Campus-Wide Communication
- Coordinate and review campus-wide emails and major institutional announcements.
- Establish procedures for institutional messaging, audience selection, and communication approvals.
- Assist University leadership and departments in preparing clear and appropriate communications.
- Maintain communication calendars to improve coordination and reduce scheduling conflicts.
- Support communication initiatives that keep faculty, staff, and students informed.
Digital Assets, Equipment, and Campus Branding
- Oversee digital asset management systems, cloud storage, file organization, permissions, backups, and archiving.
- Maintain inventory and operational procedures for photography, video, audio, computer, and production equipment.
- Establish processes for equipment checkout, maintenance, repair, replacement, and lifecycle planning.
- Coordinate with ITS and vendors regarding communication technology.
- Oversee campus flags and related institutional displays, including installation, maintenance, storage, and replacement.
- Collaborate with Facilities and other departments on campus branding and environmental communication.
Additional Responsibilities
- Participate in institutional planning and special projects.
- Support emerging University communication priorities.
- Perform other related duties consistent with the position's responsibilities and leadership level.
Supervisory responsibilities
The Director of Communication supervises and coordinates employees, student workers, contractors, freelancers, and vendors involved in University communication activities.
Areas of supervision may include:
- Web management and development
- Public relations and institutional writing
- Social media and digital content
- Graphic design
- Photography and video production
- FOCUS magazine and institutional publications
- Student communication assistants
- External creative and communication contractors
Supervisory responsibilities include assigning projects, establishing priorities, monitoring workloads, conducting regular team meetings and individual check-ins, providing performance feedback, supporting professional development, and ensuring timely completion of projects.
The Director is responsible for fostering a collaborative, accountable, and service-oriented team environment.
Qualifications
Candidates should possess:
- A bachelor's degree in communication, public relations, journalism, marketing, digital media, or a related field.
- Professional experience in institutional communication, public relations, marketing, media, or digital communication.
- Demonstrated experience supervising employees, contractors, vendors, or cross-functional project teams.
- Excellent writing, editing, verbal communication, and organizational skills.
- Knowledge of digital communication platforms, website management, social media, and creative production.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and respond effectively to urgent institutional needs.
- Strong judgment, professionalism, discretion, and commitment to institutional branding and communication excellence.
A master's degree and experience in higher education, faith-based institutions, or other complex organizations are preferred.
Must be a Seventh-day Adventist in good and regular standing.
Technical competencies
Technical Competencies: Communication and Digital Platforms
- Content Management Systems: Knowledge of website administration, digital content management, accessibility, usability, and web publishing.
- Web Development: Working understanding of HTML/CSS, website functionality, digital integrations, and development workflows.
- Social Media Management: Ability to oversee institutional social media strategy, content calendars, publishing, engagement, monitoring, and reporting.
- Digital Communication: Knowledge of campus-wide email systems, digital announcements, institutional calendars, and online communication channels.
- Public Relations: Proficiency in developing press releases, media statements, institutional announcements, talking points, and crisis communication materials.
- Editorial Management: Understanding of writing, editing, proofreading, publication production, and editorial approval processes.
- Digital Asset Management: Familiarity with cloud storage, file organization, permissions, archiving, backups, and asset distribution.
Interpersonal interactions
N/A
Physical demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Regularly: Sit, talk, hear and use hands to work with the computer keyboard.
Occasionally: Walk, reach with hands and arms, and stoop and kneel for filing.
Occasionally: Lift and/or move up to 20 pounds.
Vision abilities required: Close vision, and ability to adjust focus
Work environment
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those any employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is not usually quiet. Not in an enclosed office space.