"Senior Director - Communications"

Senior Director - Communications

Salary: $102,795.00 - $120,935.00 Annually

Job Type: FT Exempt Salaried Staff

Job Number: FY2604706

Closing: 8/18/2025 11:59 PM Mountain

Location: 800 W University Parkway, Orem

Division: VP Communications/Chief of Staff

Position Announcement

Utah Valley University is seeking a visionary Senior Director of Communications to lead strategic public relations efforts that strengthen and elevate the university's reputation at local, state, regional, and national levels. In this pivotal role, you will serve as UVU's lead media relations strategist and spokesperson-shaping narratives, driving high-impact earned media campaigns, and guiding proactive and responsive communication initiatives.

From positioning and narrative development to crisis communications and influence marketing, you will architect strategies that resonate across traditional and emerging platforms. You'll establish budgets, timelines, and quality standards while fostering trust and collaboration across the university community. This role also offers the opportunity to cultivate strong, lasting relationships with journalists, media outlets, and influencers-ensuring UVU's story is heard, understood, and valued.

Summary of Responsibilities

• Obtains earned media coverage in local, regional and national media outlets by pitching stories, building relationships with reporters, writing press releases, arranging interviews, and finding opportunities to highlight the university's work or leadership. Executes corporate reputation and integrated marketing and communications programs and campaigns. Serves as campus spokesperson together with AVP. This role represents the institution publicly, provides quotes/statements, and may participate in press briefings or interviews alongside the AVP.
• Effectively leads teams with various levels of experience and creates opportunities for team members to learn and grow - promoting and retaining a work climate conductive to success.
• Proactively monitors and addresses emerging organizational issues with speed, sound judgment, and strategic foresight. Develops and implements comprehensive crisis communication plans across traditional and digital channels-ensuring alignment with institutional objectives, minimizing reputational risk, and guiding leadership through high-stakes situations with clarity and consistency.
• Consistently produces high quality internal and external communications content. Researches, outlines, writes, edits and proofreads materials, including presentations, press materials, social media posts, newsletters, and annual reports.
• Forms dynamic teams with creative, account and integrated staff to develop best-in-class work. Directs and supervises marketing personnel, which includes budgets, work allocation, training, promotion, enforcement of internal procedures and controls, and problem resolution; evaluates performance and makes recommendations for personnel actions. Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications / Licenses / Certifications

Graduation from an accredited institution with a master's degree in a directly related field, plus four years of experience related to the Summary of Duties of the position or Bachelor's degree in a directly related field, plus six years related to the Summary of Duties of the position or any combination of higher education and/or experience totaling ten years.

Preferred Qualifications

Master's degree preferred. A minimum of 6 years of PR agency, media, integrated team management experience or equivalent experience in in-house/client-side roles.

Documents Needed to Apply

Required:

• Resume
• Cover Letter
• Writing Sample - press release

Knowledge / Skills / Abilities

Knowledge

• Excellent writing press releases and media alerts.
• Knowledge and experience in managing budgets and personnel.
• Knowledge of and experience in higher education, using social media management platforms that monitor, analyze and report in real-time.
• Demonstrates an understanding of research techniques including analysis of media coverage and online conversation (volume and tone), and identification and categorization of various stakeholders.
• Knowledge of driving client meetings, creative brainstorms, and team development.

Skills

• Skills and experience as a media spokesperson.
• Stellar writer who generates creative content and is attentive to detail.
• Skills and expertise in mobilizing and motivating teams.
• Skills in exceptional judgement when working with team members, contacts, and vendors
• Skills with crisis communication and issues-management.
• Self-motivated, fun, entrepreneurial, and curious.

Abilities

• Proven ability to develop and manage complex projects with multiple work streams across multiple platforms.
• Ability to demonstrate leadership, communication skills, commitment to consensus building success.
• Ability to turn ideas into workable plans.
• Ability to anticipate client and team needs.
• Creative problem-solving abilities and cross-functional team management experience.
• Hands-on leader who can inspire and manage the team to do award-winning work and able to write and present well to clients.

EEO Statement:

UVU employment decisions are made on the basis of an applicant's qualifications and ability to perform the job without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age (40 and over), disability, veteran status, pregnancy, childbirth, or pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, or other bases protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.