Associate Vice President of Communications

Associate Vice President of Communications
Position Type: Regular

Salary Range: $183,700 - $217,350 annually

Pay Frequency: Annual

Location: Santa Clara, CA. Telecommute allowed within CA; Nevada; Oregon; Washington; Arizona; Illinois.

Overview
SCU is a private Jesuit Catholic institution located in Santa Clara, CA, dedicated to fostering ethics, social consciousness, and cross‑disciplinary education for over 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Storytelling and Integrated Content Strategy

Lead development of storytelling initiatives that reflect SCU’s mission, priorities, and unique identity.

Design and implement an integrated content strategy across digital, print, and in‑person engagements.

Direct and coordinate communications for major announcements, leveraging media outlets and influencers.

Leadership and Team Development

Coaching, mentoring, and guiding the communications team to foster excellence, creativity, and teamwork.

Lead development and implementation of communication processes, policies, and practices.

Build and oversee relationships with external agencies to align projects with SCU goals.

Media Relations

Develop and implement media communications strategy across local, regional, national, and global platforms.

Leverage subject matter experts to position SCU as a thought leader.

Serve as primary media contact and spokesperson, preparing leadership with key messages.

Collaborate with the President’s Office on thought‑leadership opportunities and executive positioning.

Crisis and Issues Management

Develop proactive crisis strategies and lead unified communications during crises.

Represent the communications function on the Critical Incident Response Team when VP unavailable.

Social Media and Digital Engagement

Drive innovative social media strategies to support storytelling and engage key audiences.

Internal Engagement

Build alliances with campus communications professionals to share best practices.

Manage creation of a university‑wide internal news publication.

Strengthen relationships with students, alumni, faculty, staff, and stakeholders.

Measurement and Insights

Help develop and utilize analytics tools to measure success of strategies and inform data‑driven improvements.

Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications
Knowledge

Experience in change management and implementation of new systems.

Expertise in media relations with a strong track record of securing positive coverage.

Commitment to SCU’s mission, Jesuit values, and inclusive excellence.

Good professional judgement in handling sensitive matters.

Skills

Leadership in crisis and issues management communication.

Digital communications, social media management, and content strategy across multiple platforms.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Strong listening skills, approachability, and sense of humor.

Abilities

High emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills.

Inspiring leadership and collaborative culture.

Ability to drive measurable improvements via integrated storytelling.

Willingness to challenge status quo and serve as catalyst for change.

Education and Years of Experience

Bachelor’s degree in journalism, public relations, communication, or related field with over 10 years of progressive experience; preferred experience in higher education or PR agency.

Physical Demands

Considerable time at a desk using a computer terminal.

May be required to travel to other campus buildings, conferences, training sessions, and occasionally outside customers/vendors.

Work Environment

Typical indoor office environment.

Infrequent interruptions and noise from equipment.

Telecommute
Telecommute permitted within California and the following states: Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Illinois.

EEO Statement
Santa Clara University is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship, ancestry, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, marital status, veteran or military status, disability, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic.

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