Marketing and Communications Specialist

Position Summary

The Marketing and Communications Specialist will assist the Strategic Communications and Marketing team in promoting Washburn to prospective students. The main responsibility is assisting in the management of Slate, the University’s customer relationship management (CRM) system, including writing and sending letters, emails, and other marketing materials. These duties include managing inventory and handling materials. This individual will edit and proofread emails, letters, postcards, brochures, and other collateral. This position will work with the director and assistant director to build, assess and adjust communications campaigns targeting an array of audiences, including high school students, transfer students, adult learners, parents, graduate students, and adult learners. This individual also assists on social media to generate content to recruit students, including assisting in the planning of personalized communication campaigns (e.g. sending students interested in Forensic Science an email about a Tik Tok video on mock crime scenes).

About Washburn University

Washburn University is a teaching-focused, student-centered, public institution located in the metropolitan setting of Topeka that has earned national recognition for its high-impact programs for first-generation students. Washburn has a student body of just over 7,000 students, a significant and growing number of whom are first-generation and Pell-Grant eligible. The University has created educational pathways for all students to be successful and achieve their educational goals.

Washburn is dedicated to recruiting and retaining a dynamic faculty, staff, and student body and cultivating a robust learning and working environment and curriculum. We employ more than one thousand faculty and staff on our campuses throughout Topeka and strive to offer competitive wages, an excellent benefits program, and a supportive culture and a healthy work/life balance. Washburn seeks to create an environment that reflects our core values for creating positive IMPACT: inclusion, modernization, partnership, achievement, community and transformation. In 2024, Washburn was recognized as one of the best colleges in the nation to work for, according to Great Colleges to Work For® program.

Essential Functions

• Operate and manage Slate, the University’s customer relationship management (CRM) system.
• Write copy for emails, letters, and other marketing collateral.
• Manage inventory of collateral, including working with vendors to print materials.
• Review marketing collateral for annual updates.
• Edit and proofread copy and materials.
• Assist in building communications campaigns for prospective students and parents.
• Work with Assistant Director, Social Media to generate content.
• Write copy for the University website and graduate communications campaigns.
• Assist in planning recruiting content on social media platforms.
• Performing additional job-related duties as assigned or as appropriate.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required, or must be completed by the end of the semester of hire.
• Experience writing in marketing (communications company, newspaper, magazine, internship, etc).
• Demonstrated proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and Microsoft Word.
• Demonstrated effective writing, editing, and proofreading.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior CRM experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in communications, media, marketing, journalism, or a closely related field.
• Experience working in social media.
• Knowledge of photography and videography.
• Proven ability to learn detailed, multi-step processes, and attention to detail.
• Demonstrated proficiency using Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Photoshop, etc.).

Hourly, Full-time, Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm. Background Check Required.