"Communications Specialist - Vocational Ed"

• Helping Vocational students feel informed, supported and seen
• Full-time, fixed-term (until Dec 2026) position primarily based at our Hawthorn campus
• HEW6 + 17% super and staff benefits

About the Role

Are you passionate about supporting great student experiences through communications? Do you love crafting campaigns that actually make a difference? This could be your next move.

At Swinburne, we’re all about real-world impact. We’re looking for a Communications Specialist to help us communicate more effectively with our Vocational Education and Training (VET) students across our Croydon, Hawthorn and Wantirna campuses.

This is a new role where you can bring your experience in student communications, ability to develop impactful communications across channels, and your strong stakeholder management skills – and turn it into meaningful engagement with our students, helping them feel informed, supported and inspired throughout their journey.

As our Communications Specialist for VET students, you’ll be right at the heart of the student experience, partnering closely with our VET Student Engagement and Student Experience teams to bring communications to life. You’ll shape the planning and delivery of communications across a range of channels such as email, SMS, digital signage, our website, FAQs, and our new student portal. And you’ll be working across the whole current student phase of the lifecycle, building trust, shaping briefs, and taking stakeholders along the journey as you deliver communications that support students. A day could involve conversations about fees, orientation, an event on campus, some student admin, and more. So no two days will look the same, and being a pro at juggling multiple priorities will help set you up for success.

The role is primarily based at our Hawthorn campus, with regular opportunities to connect in person at Wantirna and Croydon — perfect if you enjoy variety and face-to-face collaboration.

About You

You are a strategic and detail-oriented communications professional who combines creativity with analytical capability. You bring:

• Experience in planning and delivering end-to-end email campaigns, and using enterprise marketing platforms (such as Adobe Campaign, Eloqua, Unica, Salesforce, Marketo or similar). You’re confident working with data, audience segments and love using personalisation to make messages feel relevant.
• An ability to dive into the data, spotting what’s working (and what’s not), and using those insights to lift performance next time.
• Experience delivering lifecycle communications in a complex environment. Bonus points if it’s in the Tertiary space (and extra if it’s VET!)
• The ability to look at our suite of channels, and be confident recommending appropriate channel mixes to ensure our students get the right message at the right time, and being able to build and deploy communications.
• An ability to think on your feet and switch gears across the student journey lifecycle. You’re equally comfortable talking about fees and orientation. You can identify audience and business needs, distil them into clear messaging requirements, and execute accordingly.
• You enjoy collaborating and can build positive and enjoyable working relationships across a wide range of teams and stakeholders. You’re organised, calm under pressure, and great at juggling competing deadlines without dropping the ball.

Qualifications

A degree in communications or related fields with subsequent relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of relevant experience and/or education/training.

About Swinburne University of Technology

Swinburne’s strategy draws upon our understanding of future challenges. We choose to build Swinburne as the prototype of a new and different university – one that is truly of Technology, of Innovation and of Entrepreneurship. We are committed to a differentiated university proposition in education and research.

Our Ad Astra strategy is the cornerstone of Swinburne’s bold ambition to lead globally in technology-driven education and research. This strategy positions us to create transformative solutions, empower learners, and partner with industry to thrive in an ever-changing world.

What We Offer You!

• Work your way with flexible working arrangements, including hybrid options and generous parental leave to support a balanced lifestyle.
• Exclusive staff discounts, including discounted Medibank health insurance, 50% off Swinburne courses and other partner offers.
• Swinburne offers 17% super and salary packaging options, including car leasing and extra super contributions.

Want to learn more? Head over to our benefits page!

To Apply

Please submit your CV and cover letter addressing the Key Selection Criteria and your suitability for this position. To review the Position Description and to apply, please scroll down to the bottom of the page.

If you are viewing this advert from an external site, please click ‘apply’ and you will be redirected to Swinburne’s Jobs website to access the Position Description at the bottom of the page.

Please Note: Appointment to this position is subject to passing a Working with Children Check.

If you are experiencing technical difficulties with your application, please contact the Talent Acquisition team at talentacquisition@swin.edu.au

Applications Close: Tuesday 3 March 2026, at 11.00pm

Swinburne offers flexible working options contained in our leave and parenting/carer policies to support work-life balance.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Swinburne has become a world-class university, driving social and economic impacts through science, technology, and innovation. As a dual-sector university, our vision is for people and technology working together to build a better world.

Central to our vision is our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We pride ourselves on being an equal opportunity employer focused on attracting, retaining, and developing great talent. We work to remove barriers related to gender identity, culture, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, and age.

We strongly encourage applicants from diverse Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Our Moondani Toombadool Centre leads our Indigenous education and culture at Swinburne, guided by community wisdom and leadership.

We support applicants with disabilities. Adjustments can be requested at any time during the recruitment process. For Reasonable Adjustment requests, including accessible formats for the PD, application form or any other document, please contact DCR@swin.edu.au or call +61 3 9214 3550.

Please note the above number and DCR email address are for disability or reasonable adjustments queries only. General enquiries about the role can be sent to the Talent Acquisition team at talentacquisition@swin.edu.au (general enquiries will not be answered by phone).

Victoria’s Commitment to Action: Improving international student employment outcomes.

As a signatory to Victoria’s Commitment to Action, Swinburne seeks to remove barriers to international graduate employment. We welcome and encourage applications from international graduates.

As a Circle Back Initiative Employer, we commit to responding to every applicant.

#LI-SW

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