Executive Director of Strategic Communications, Business Strategies Office

Executive Director of Strategic Communications, Business Strategies Office

General Notes

The Executive Director of Strategic Communications is a valued member of the Business Strategies Communications team within the Office of the Senior Vice President (SVP) and Chief Operating Officer (COO). This position identifies, plans, leads, and sustains strategic communications and associated projects, with a particular emphasis on promoting Discovery to Impact internally and externally.

Your skills will make a difference.

You’ll be working for a university that is internationally recognized for our academic programs and research. Your work will contribute to operational excellence and enhance the student experience. If you’re the type of person that wants to know your work has meaning and impact, you’ll like working in our department and for UT Austin. UT Austin provides an outstanding benefits package including but not limited to:
– Competitive health benefits (employee premiums covered at 100%, family premiums at 50%)
– Voluntary Vision, Dental, Life, and Disability insurance options
– Generous paid vacation, sick time, and holidays
– Teachers Retirement System of Texas, a defined benefit retirement plan, with employer matching funds
– Additional Voluntary Retirement Programs: Tax Sheltered Annuity 403(b) and a Deferred Compensation program 457(b)
– Flexible spending account options for medical and childcare expenses
– Robust free training access through LinkedIn Learning plus professional conference opportunities
– Tuition assistance
– Expansive employee discount program including athletic tickets
– Free access to UT Austin’s libraries and museums with staff ID card
– Free rides on all UT Shuttle and Austin CapMetro buses with staff ID card
– For more details, please see: [Benefits] and [My Total Rewards].

Purpose

Reporting to the Associate Vice President for Communications and Engagement, this position identifies, plans, leads, and sustains strategic communications and associated projects within and across the portfolio of the SVP/COO, with a particular emphasis on promoting Discovery to Impact internally and externally.

Responsibilities

– Create and manage persuasive, succinct messaging in support of priority programs, with an emphasis on Discovery to Impact. Write and edit articles, reports, white papers, news releases, backgrounders, publications, and briefing materials. Provide editorial support for talking points, remarks, presentations, and public correspondence.
– Identify and assess opportunities to position the Associate Vice President of Discovery to Impact, the COO, and other leaders across the COO portfolio as thought leaders in their respective areas, including opportunities to contribute expert opinion/analysis pieces and to provide analysis or expertise on relevant and timely topics in the media.
– Advise COO Office leadership on the communications and public relations implications of potential policy and program decisions.
– Establish a consistent identity and message for Discovery to Impact and other COO priority initiatives and communicate, develop, and assess annual communications plans across the portfolio, including metrics and results reflecting target audience engagement, earned media success, and other measurements. Develop a holistic communication plan for Discovery to Impact internally and other portfolio-wide priorities and themes.
– Collaborate with University colleagues to increase awareness of COO priorities and achievements among regional, state, and national media markets, as well as decision-makers in local, state, and federal governmental bodies and agencies; leaders at peer institutions; and journalists who cover higher education. Foster community among the communications professionals embedded in units across the COO portfolio at large, providing leadership and support to ensure that their communications amplify key messages, are appropriate for the targeted audience, align with University brand standards, and are coordinated to avoid conflicting with each other in timing or tone. Serve as a liaison to communications leads across UT’s colleges, units, and schools.
– Regularly assess the performance of existing communications platforms and products, and lead exploration of new or revised platforms or products. Lead and manage the Discovery to Impact social media presence. Conceptualize, design, and execute visual products to meet communication objectives in print and multimedia.

Required Qualifications

– Outstanding written and oral communication skills.
– Bachelor’s degree with at least 15 years of experience, OR a master’s degree in public relations, communications, or journalism with 11 years of experience.
– Experience envisioning, developing, and implementing a successful and comprehensive strategic communications plan based on an organization’s goals and priorities.
– Experience working with a team of colleagues who are not direct reports, building consensus and strong collaborative partnerships across complex organizations.
– Proven experience in media relations, stakeholder communications, and social media strategy. Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

– Experience working in a startup setting and also a higher education or state agency environment and working knowledge of the communications landscape in a higher education or state agency environment.

Salary Range

$175,000 + depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

This position requires a physical presence in a standard office environment at the UT main campus and is not eligible for a regular remote or hybrid work at this time.

Required Materials

– Resume/CV
– 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
– Letter of interest
– Final candidates will be asked to provide work and/or writing samples

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left-hand navigation menu, and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled into your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

For a detailed description and to apply for this position, please visit our online job application system at: [Job Application]