Director of Strategic Communications and Outreach
Santa Clara University - Santa Clara, California, us, 95053![Santa Clara University](/api/image?src=https%3A%2F%2Fgeneral-board-default.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdesk-360x180.webp&w=640&q=75&f=webp)
Work at Santa Clara University
Overview
- Apply
Overview
Position Type:Regular
Hiring Range:
$83,500 -$98,200, commensurate with experience
Pay Frequency:Annual
POSITION PURPOSE
Santa Clara Law seeks an experienced Director of Strategic Communications and Outreach to develop and execute the Law School's internal and external integrated communications vision, strategy, and tactics across a multitude of campaigns and mediums including executive communications, social media, press and public relations, alumni engagement and development, and admissions outreach and recruitment. The Director of Strategic Communications and Outreach is responsible for developing a communications strategy, schedule and plan for the School of Law that encompasses signature events and activities, storytelling, advancement, and admissions outreach and recruitment efforts that reflects the law school's mission and vision. The Director of Strategic Communications and Outreach is also responsible for preparing original content, including some of the Dean's communications, and amplifying content/messaging from other sources within the Law School in a cohesive and strategic fashion, with an underlying objective of informing and engaging the diverse law community, increasing engagement with external constituents (donors, alumni, volunteers, prospective students, employers/prospective employers, etc.), and building internal and cross-campus support for all School of Law campaigns. In support of these efforts, the Director of Strategic Communications and Outreach shall supervise and collaborate with the media and communications staff including the Digital Content Coordinator, Website Content Manager, student writers, Law Admissions staff, and writing and design contractors. This is a full-time position reporting to the Assistant Dean for External Relations.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Primary Publications and Communications (20%)Plan, write, edit, and publish regular communications to alumni, friends, faculty, and staff of the Law School. Must have the ability to craft original content that reinforces the Law School's distinctive strengths to diverse and sophisticated audiences.
Manage the production of the Law School's primary publications and communications (including, but not limited to Law Magazine, Alumni E-News, and Campus Law Briefs ); provide recommendations should this collection of communications need to be adjusted to maximize readership and impact.
Provide communications and media support to law departments for all signature and annually scheduled events and activities, including photography and public relations support as needed. Provide communications and media guidance for all other law department events and activities as needed.
Maintain focus on the law school's distinctive strengths, reinforcing and advancing the school's strategic priorities.
Collaborate with the Law External Relations & Development team and University Marketing & Communications to ensure seamless communications across all audiences, including the Santa Clara magazine, University website and other media sources.
Target audiences may include, but are not limited to, prospective students, students, faculty, staff, campus partners, alumni, donors, employers/prospective employers, the academe, the judiciary, legal organizations/bar associations, the legal and business communities.
Law Admissions Outreach and Recruitment (40%)
Serve as the project lead for all law school outreach, recruitment, and scholarship events and communications
Manage the production and maintain regular updates of Law Admissions informational and marketing materials including the Law Admissions Viewbook, webpages, newsletters, fliers, and brochures all in keeping with the University and Law School's branding guidelines
Develop and maintain regular updates of template messages for the Law School's Admissions outreach, recruitment and scholarship efforts including drip campaign, yield events, and scholarship programs
Plan and coordinate all Law Admissions pipeline programs to engage all prospective students at any stage in their academic career including: high school, pre-college, college, and pre-law, as well as the annual street law program; partner with law alumni (including LAB and Alumni Ambassadors) and other other law school departments to recruit volunteers to participate in pipeline programs
Plan and coordinate all Law Admissions yield events including Admitted Students Day, program preview events, and admissions outreach campus visits
In collaboration with the Alumni Relations Events Manager, plan and coordinate the annual scholarship luncheon/reception and all other financial scholarship-related events
Initiates post-event surveys and organizes survey responses for discussion
Identifies issues, trends, or opportunities by collating information about inquiries and making suggestions for scalable responses
Executive Communications (5%)
Direct and oversee Dean's and executive communications for internal and external audiences
Plan and write original content in the Dean's voice for Dean's communications, speeches, media appearances, interviews, and any other special engagements or appearances.
Provide guidance, writing and editorial support to other Senior Dean's Team members and Department Heads as needed for special engagements or appearances.
Advancement Communications (5%)
Direct and oversee primary communications strategy for the law school's fundraising.
Plan and write Dean's/executive gift acknowledgements and general correspondence, Annual Fund appeals, proposals and cases for support, donor stories and profiles, annual donor endowment report, and donor stewardship reports for select major/principal donors.
Create messaging content and distribution strategies for internal audiences in support of law school fundraising events.
Ensure editorial quality, accuracy, and consistency of all School of Law advancement materials.
Digital & Social Media (10%)
Manage all online information and communication for internal and external audiences utilizing appropriate social media channels, University resources (such as CLARA) and the Law School website.
Collaborate with the Website Development Manager in the ongoing process of web development and content updates for the School of Law's website.
Manage the Law School's social media presence (including, but not limited to LinkedIn, Facebook, X/Twitter, and Instagram).
Manage the rollout of the law school's social media strategy including developing and implementing stated social media guidelines for the law school's main social media accounts as well as the Dean's, law department, and Law Student Organization (LSO) accounts.
Develop a plan to expand the Dean's social media presence and craft messaging for the Dean's social media accounts.
Manage the Law School's digital lobby monitors including the content and scheduling for monitors in the Atrium and Student Lounge.
Manage the law school's digital monitor strategy including developing and implementing stated digital monitor guidelines that aim to convey essential information and promote the breadth and depth of events and activities, as well as accolades of law students, faculty and staff
Maintain and enforce digital and social media guidelines, by providing appropriate education and training, to ensure that branding is consistent across all media.
Press and Public Relations (5%)
Serve as the law school's main point of contact for press and PR inquiries.
Work with the law school's faculty, staff and administration to develop a press and PR contact list by area(s) of expertise and interest, and establish a process to maintain and update the list each semester.
Work closely with the University Marketing & Communications team to provide press and PR training and tool kits.
Provide press and PR interview preparation support including hosting mock interviews.
Rankings and Reputation (5%)
Prepare and submit storytelling materials to US News & World Report (USNWR), The National Jurist, preLaw Magazine, and other news and media outlets.
Supervise and direct the list of law school deans, faculty and administrators involved in the review process for law school rankings.
Develop ranking and reputation campaign in advance of the annual law school rankings cycles in order to inform and appeal to target external audiences including law school deans, faculty and administrators.
Prepare internal and external communications and media to promote the law school's rankings.
Implementation of Editorial Calendar (5%)
Plan and execute an annual editorial calendar aimed at promoting Santa Clara Law's students, faculty, staff, and alumni.
Work with internal business units to ensure correctness of content. Utilize monthly All External meetings as well as email outreach to solicit news and events updates
Leverage project management software to integrate a workflow process that ensures full coverage of law school activities.
Strategic Planning (5%)
Collaborate with the Assistant Dean for External Relations, and the Assistant Dean of Advancement to establish a strategic plan to increase engagement among all Law School constituents.
Other Duties
Represent the Law School on campus-wide committees including the University Relations Story-Tellers Group, University Marketing & Communications. Collaborate with other campus counterparts as appropriate.
Provide input on the Marketing & Communications portion of the External Relations budget, track and report expenses.
Create a team-oriented work environment, motivating staff and cultivating productive relationships across the law school and campus to innovate, collaborate, and reach and exceed stated goals.
Other duties as assigned
WORK DIRECTION
Reports to the Assistant Dean for External Relations.
Provides work direction to Administrative Associate as well as shared administrative staff, student worker(s), social media intern(s), contract employees and vendors.
Provides occasional work direction to the Law School's Web Designer
QUALIFICATIONS
Education and Experience
Bachelor's degree required with preference for Digital Marketing, Communications, English, or related field. Graduate or professional degree preferred.
Minimum of six years of experience, with a strong preference for candidates responsible for content creation (written and visual) and a business or business unit's online presence.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Knowledge of higher education advancement, admissions, and/or legal profession preferred.
Exceptional writing skills, preferably with an understanding of law school and the legal industry.
Exceptional understanding of social media platforms and how to make full, non-redundant use of their capabilities.
Must be a goal oriented and self-motivated individual who can demonstrate accountability, initiative, creativity and focus in a rapidly changing and intellectually stimulating environment.
Demonstrate strong interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate, build alliances, and achieve results within a population that may possess competing interests, opinions, and/or expectations.
Demonstrate strong leadership skills and the ability to direct and supervise the work of individuals and lead project teams.
Ability to direct creative development, preferably with some experience in graphic design and providing photo and video shoot direction.
Must have excellent judgment and use data to craft messaging to applicants/prospective students, involving others where and when appropriate
Demonstrate strong active listening skills.
Positive attitude, sense of humor and flexibility.
Demonstrate a level of comfort working and communicating with top executives, community leaders and/or university leadership.
Ability to motivate, build long-term relationships with and gain the respect of internal and external constituents.
Demonstrate the ability to manage time and workload to multitask and achieve goals in a deadline driven environment.
Demonstrate a genuine appetite to contribute to a collaborative, ethical, and professional team environment. Knowledge of digital content taxonomy and hierarchy.
Demonstrated proficiency in Google Analytics and search engine optimization (SEO).
Experience developing editorial calendars.
Exceptional verbal communication skills.
Experience with Web authoring/Content Management Systems such as WordPress, Drupal, T4, etc.
Knowledge of user experience design such as user testing and analysis.
Experience within the legal profession and higher education strongly preferred.
Familiarity with online content, content marketing, and engagement techniques.
Ability to effectively establish and maintain cooperative working relationships within a diverse multicultural environment.
General GuidelinesRecommends initiatives and implements changes to improve quality and services.
Identifies and determines cause of problems; develops and presents recommendations for improvement of established processes and practices.
Maintains contact with customers and solicits feedback for improved services.
Maximizes productivity through use of appropriate tools, planned training and performance initiatives.
Prepares progress reports; informs supervisor of project status; and deviation from goals.
Ensures completeness, accuracy, and timeliness of all operational functions.
Develops and implements guidelines to support the functions of the unit.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The physical demands described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended, the California Fair Employment & Housing Act, and all other applicable laws, SCU provides reasonable accommodations for qualified persons with disabilities. A qualified individual is a person who meets skill, experience, education, or other requirements of the position, and who can perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
Considerable time is spent at a desk using a computer terminal.
May be required to travel to other buildings on the campus.
May be required to attend conference and training sessions within Bay Area or in- or out-of-state locations.
May be required to occasionally travel to outside customers, venders or suppliers.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
The work environment characteristics described below are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.
Typical office environment.
Mostly indoor office environment with windows.
Offices with equipment noise.
Offices with frequent interruptions.
EEO Statement
Equal Opportunity/Notice of Nondiscrimination
Santa Clara University is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action employer fully committed to achieving a diverse workforce and complies with all Federal and California State laws, regulations, and executive orders regarding non-discrimination and affirmative action. Applications from members of historically underrepresented groups are especially encouraged. For a complete copy of Santa Clara University's equal opportunity and nondiscrimination policies, see https://www.scu.edu/title-ix/policies-reports/
COVID-19 Statement
The health and safety of the University community is a top priority. The University strongly recommends that all employees are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 as the vaccination and boosters are safe, effective tools that significantly minimize the chances of serious illness and hospitalization. Please contact Human Resources if you have any questions.
Telecommute
Santa Clara University is registered to do business in the following states: California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, and Illinois. Employees approved to telecommute are required to perform their work within one of these states.
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
Santa Clara University does not discriminate in its employment practices or in its educational programs or activities on the basis of sex/gender, and prohibits retaliation against any person opposing discrimination or participating in any discrimination investigation or complaint process internally or externally. Information about Title IX can be found at www.scu.edu/title-ix. Information about Section 504 and the ADA Coordinator can be found at https://www.scu.edu/oae/, (408) 554-4109, oae@scu.edu. Inquiries can also be made to the Assistant Secretary of Education within the Office for Civil Rights (OCR).
Clery Notice of Availability
Santa Clara University annually collects information about campus crimes and other reportable incidents in accordance with the federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. To view the Santa Clara University report, please go to the Campus Safety Services website . To request a paper copy please call Campus Safety at (408) 554-4441. The report includes the type of crime, venue, and number of occurrences.
Americans with Disabilities Act
Santa Clara University affirms its commitment to employ qualified individuals with disabilities within the workplace and to comply with the Americans with Disability Act. All applicants desiring an accommodation should contact the Department of Human Resources, and 408-554-5750 and request to speak to Indu Ahluwalia by phone at 408-554-5750 or by email at iahluwalia@scu.edu.