Director Of Communications

Summary of Position: The Director of Communications leads the Marketing Department’s Communication Team to implement Indiana Wesleyan University’s content and social media strategy, developing high-quality news releases, stories, on-brand written content that increases brand awareness, generates inbound traffic, and encourages enrollment. This position organizes projects and people for effective storytelling to engage IWU’s audiences across social platforms and other mediums including but not limited to press releases, blogs, human interest stories, university magazines, email journeys, video scripts, and marketing campaigns. This role leads the Marketing Department’s Communication Team by executing the content and communication strategy and ensuring consistency in voice in all mediums.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Team Lead
  • Serves as Public Relations correspondent with external media outlets through press releases and personal connections
  • Develop and manage a comprehensive editorial/content calendar to align content strategy with organizational goals and deadlines
  • Generates internal communication from the President and general university to communicate necessary internal news and information
  • Produces external publications aligned with brand standards to promote and positively represent the university with a broader audience
  • Creates SEO compliant content for increased organic web traffic with analytics to prove its effectiveness
  • Collaborates with Executive Director of Brand and Executive Director of Digital & Performance Marketing to develop strategy for messaging
  • Communicate creative briefs and concepts to the communication team as well as set and manage expectations around work allocation. Support communication team to manage their time effectively to meet marketing needs
  • Prepare and justify job allocation
  • Proof, review, and evaluate all communication deliverables to ensure high-quality outcomes that meet marketing objectives and maintain brand consistency
  • Supervise communications team (Social Media Manager, Copywriters)
• Copywriting & Communication
  • Provides written and editorial support with high-quality, on-brand content to IWU administrative and marketing teams, including (but not limited to) press releases, blogs, articles, human interest stories, ad and marketing copy, video/radio scripts, email, print, and web content
  • Serves as a gatekeeper for consistency in voice and tone across marketing content, including maintaining the University’s style guide and adhering to its guidelines
  • Assists the Executive Director of Brand and Executive Director of Digital & Performance Marketing with executing communication plans and initiatives
  • Collaborates with other team members to develop a unified messaging strategy, including but not limited to the Photographer/Videographer, Graphic Designers, Web Content Manager, and more
• Social Media
  • Provides oversight of social media content, campaigns, and day-to-day activities
  • Collaborates with Social Media Manager to develop and execute the social media strategy, coordinating with stakeholders across IWU to ensure its effectiveness and encouraging adoption of relevant social media technologies
  • Becomes an advocate of IWU in social media and community spaces, engaging in dialogues and answering questions where appropriate
• This position supervises the Marketing Communications Team: Social Media Manager and Copywriters

Qualifications: According to Indiana Wesleyan University employment policy all employees must possess a strong Christian commitment and adhere to the standards outlined in the IWU Community Lifestyle Statement.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in marketing, communications, writing, English or a related discipline

Experience

• Five (5) years of experience writing, editing, and strategic communication experience in a professional setting, preferably in higher education
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with individuals from diverse communities and cultures
• Experience or knowledge in copywriting and editing required

Required Skills

• In-depth knowledge and understanding of social media platforms and their respective users (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) and how they can be utilized to accomplish marketing objectives
• Proficient in applying Associated Press (AP) style to ensure consistency and accuracy across all written materials
• Experience editing copy for grammar, punctuation, style, and clarity in accordance with Associated Press (AP) guidelines
• Experience in developing and implementing a yearly editorial/content calendar
• Excellent writing, editing, and communication skills with knowledge of grammar and style guidelines as well as SEO principles
• Ability to effectively communicate information and ideas in written and verbal format
• Effective storyteller capable of capturing an organization’s voice and leveraging narrative strategy to accomplish goals
• Strong project management, collaboration, and organizational skills.
• Understanding of and commitment to the spiritual mission of the University
• Ability to access media channels remotely and after hours to monitor traffic

Diversity Statement

IWU commits to create a community that reflects kingdom diversity. We will foster an intentional environment that exhibits honor, respect, and dignity. Acknowledging visible or invisible differences, our community authentically values each member’s earthly and eternal worth. We refute ignorance and isolation and embrace deliberate and courageous engagement.

LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMER

As a religious educational institution operating under the auspices of The Wesleyan Church, Indiana Wesleyan University is permitted and reserves the right to prefer employees on the basis of religion (42 U.S.C., Sections 2000e-1 and 2000e-2).

The above job description is meant to describe the general nature and level of work being performed; it is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required for the position. Employees will be required to follow other job-related instructions and to perform other job-related duties requested by their supervisor in compliance with Federal and State Laws.