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The Director of Executive Communications and Engagement is the lead writer and a key communications strategist for Emerson College's executive leadership team, sitting within the Office of Marketing and Communications and reporting to the AVP for Institutional Communications. The role involves crafting high-quality communications on behalf of the College's executive leaders that reflect the College's mission, values, and strategic priorities. The Director will also partner with the Special Events Team to prepare briefings, draft speeches, and manage executive leaders' participation in major institutional events.
ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES
- Draft speeches and formal remarks for Emerson College's executive leaders for a wide range of audiences, including internal constituents, external stakeholders, and public forums.
- Draft, edit, and manage official executive communications and correspondence, including internal campus updates and institutional communications, letters, and announcements.
- Draft and collaboratively co-author white papers, background reports, and articles for distribution aligned with the executive leadership team's expertise and the College's strategic priorities and goals.
- Draft slide presentations for executive leaders for use in board meetings, community presentations, campus events, and external engagements.
- Write and manage the selected social media content, ensuring voice consistency and alignment with institutional goals, priorities, and strategies.
- Partner with leaders to conceptualize and co-author white papers, thought-leadership articles, and reports that leverage the College's authoritative voices on issues of strategic importance.
- Maintain and regularly update the executive leadership section of the College's website, ensuring the content is current, accurate, and aligned with institutional priorities.
- Stay up to date on industry trends and relevant issues, and synthesize complex topics into compelling, well-sourced narrative content suitable for publication.
- Monitor and critically analyze developments and major issues in higher education relevant to the College and advise leaders on trends and opportunities.
- Advise College and divisional leadership on emerging trends in executive communications, including platforms and channels, and act as a subject matter expert on best practices.
- Ensure all executive team event-related and public-facing communications reflect the College's brand, voice, values, identity, and institutional standards.
- Ensure that all communications prepared for the College's executive leaders, including those prepared by others, are edited, fact-checked, and completely accurate.
- Prepare comprehensive meeting and event briefing documents, including background materials, audience profiles, talking points, and logistical details.
- In coordination with the Special Events Team, the President's Office, and other executive teams, develop and manage comprehensive event briefings for selected, high-impact events.
- Write and coordinate special event speeches and scripts, working with the Special Events Team and campus partners to develop program narratives, runs of show, and stage directions to ensure seamless event flow and a polished audience experience.
- Develop and sustain contacts with College leadership, faculty, staff, and other stakeholders, collaborating with partners, to inform narratives and other written materials, ensuring messaging at marquee and flagship events is polished, on message, and on brand.
- Draft and refine talking points, briefing documents, and FAQs in preparation for selected media interviews, public engagements, special events, and stakeholder presentations.
- Attend and support executive leaders at selected special events.
- Identify and explore new avenues to effectively communicate the institutional messages to the priority audiences.
- Other duties as assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor's degree in Communications, Journalism, English, Public Relations, or a related field required. Graduate degree in Communications, Journalism, English, Public Relations, or a related field, preferred.
- Minimum of seven (7) years of progressive experience in institutional, executive, or strategic communications, preferably in higher education or a complex organizational environment required. Ten or more years of progressive experience preferred.
- Demonstrated expertise in executive speech writing, storytelling, and detailed editorial work required. Expertise in storytelling, comedic arts, and/or creative writing, preferred.
- Proven experience planning for large-scale events such as ceremonies, celebrations, or seminars required.
- Experience in a higher education writing or communications environment, preferred.
- Experience with issues management and crisis communications preferred.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
- Exceptional command of written English with the ability to adapt tone, voice, and style for varied audiences and formats.
- Proficiency in Microsoft PowerPoint/Google Slides and familiarity with content management systems (CMS), including Google Docs, WordPress, and project management systems.
- Ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously under deadline pressure with an extremely high degree of accuracy.
- Ability to receive and integrate direct, candid, and constructive feedback from exacting, detail-oriented leaders.
- Ability to maintain the utmost discretion and to protect sensitive information at all times.
- Familiarity with social media content strategy and platform-specific best practices.
- Knowledge of, and experience working with, the Chicago Manual of Style.
Compensation: $104,000.00 - $130,000.00 annually, commensurate with experience.
