(Auraria) Deputy Chief of Marketing & Communications

Posting number: AHEC-4295-06.2026

Department: Auraria Higher Education Center

Division: Chief of Staff / Campus Relations

Job classification: NON-CLASSIFIED

Posting type: Open

Categories: Executive Management, Marketing, Communications

Summary

Who we are:

Welcome to the Auraria Campus located in the Platte River Valley in downtown Denver. The Auraria Campus is the service provider for 38,000 students and approximately 5,000 faculty and staff working at and attending the Community College of Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and the University of Colorado Denver. Learn more about us through this link:  The Auraria Campus

Auraria employees enjoy an excellent benefits package which includes paid vacation, holidays, and sick leave, multiple medical, dental and vision options, discounted RTD Pass, BenefitHub and outstanding retirement plan. Learn more through this link: Non-Classified Benefits Package.

So, if you're interested in a great job working alongside great people, this may be the opportunity for which you've been waiting for.

Examples of duties

Job Summary: Auraria Higher Education Center is seeking a Deputy Chief of Marketing & Communications (a Non-Classified position) reporting to the Chief of Staff. The Deputy Chief of Marketing and Communications serves as a senior strategic leader responsible for advancing institutional priorities through integrated marketing, communications, brand strategy, and stakeholder engagement. This role provides executive leadership, strategic direction, and governance for the Marketing & Communications function. Through subordinate managers, the Deputy Chief oversees communications, marketing, media relations, digital engagement, stakeholder communications, and brand strategy activities that advance organizational priorities and strengthen institutional reputation. 

The Deputy Chief partners closely with executive leadership to translate organizational priorities into clear, compelling, and coordinated communications that strengthen institutional reputation, support campus-wide initiatives, and foster trust and engagement among internal and external stakeholders. In Auraria’s unique multi-institutional environment, this position also works in close partnership with institutional partners across campus to coordinate campus-wide messaging, align communications strategies, and support collaborative initiatives that impact the broader Auraria community. 

This position supervises marketing and communications staff, drives cross-functional collaboration, and ensures timely, high-quality execution of campaigns and deliverables in a dynamic and collaborative environment.Essential Job Functions: Strategic Communication and Executive Counsel: 

• Provides strategic leadership for the agency's integrated marketing and communications function, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities, executive direction, and institutional goals. 
• Advises the Senior Leadership Team on strategic communications, reputation management, stakeholder engagement, issues management, organizational change, and messaging strategy. 
• Develops and oversees executive communications, including speeches, presentations, media advisories, talking points, briefing materials, key messages, and public-facing communications for executive leadership. 
• Ensures communication strategies are proactive, coordinated, timely, accurate, audience-centered, and aligned with agency priorities. 
• Serves as strategic advisor to the Chief of Staff and executive leadership on communications implications of organizational decisions, policy initiatives, operational changes, and emerging issues. 
• Represents the agency on executive committees, cross-functional leadership teams, and external stakeholder groups as assigned. 

Internal Communications: 

• Oversees the strategy, editorial direction, content development, and distribution of agency-wide internal communications to foster employee engagement, transparency, and organizational alignment. 
• Partners with department leaders to ensure internal communications are clear, strategic, accurate, and consistent across the age