Director of Communications

Department: Office of the Provost
Appointment Type and Duration: Regular, Ongoing
Salary: $95,000 - $105,000/year
Compensation Band: OS-OA09-Fiscal Year 2024-2025
FTE: 1.0

Application Review Begins

December 2, 2024; Position open until filled

Special Instructions to Applicants

With your application, please include a current resume and cover letter, addressing how your experience has prepared you for this role.

Department Summary

The Office of the Provost (OtP) is responsible for carrying out the academic mission of the University of Oregon (UO). The office works collaboratively with faculty and staff to enhance academic excellence, student success, and the UO’s overall academic profile. Led by the provost and senior vice president, the OtP is a dynamic, caring community of colleagues committed to the core values of integrity, trust, equity, collaboration, and excellence. The OtP supports and coordinates matters that pertain to faculty success, including hiring, retention, promotion, and tenure processes. We promote the highest standards in teaching, research and service, working closely with the schools and colleges and other critical academic units to promote institutional and personal flourishing. We are responsible for academic financial allocations and the alignment of resources with strategic academic priorities. In service to the public mission of the UO, the OtP cultivates reciprocal relationships of engagement and outreach with communities at the local, regional, and national levels and across the globe.

Position Summary

​​Reporting to the Chief of Staff, the Director of Communications for the Office of the Provost (OtP) is responsible for leading a team of communication professionals in advancing the Office of the Provost’s mission through strategic communications. This position will work with other units within the Office of the Provost and university partners to ensure timely communication is responsive to and in alignment with the provost’s values, principles, goals and objectives. The Director oversees all official communications for the Office of the Provost in content strategy, printed collateral, provost remarks, internal communications and strategic leadership for OtP communications.

​​In this role, the director will oversee executive communications, speech writing, and internal communications for various units within the provost portfolio. They will work collaboratively with the provost’s executive team, University Communications, and other campus partners to ensure the provost’s priorities, strategies and objectives are shared with University Communications leadership, working to identify opportunities for coordination, and amplification. The director also works with its team to ensure compliance with University of Oregon brand standards and consistent messaging on UO-wide initiatives.

The director will demonstrate and inspire a team-building work environment, motivating staff and cultivating productive relationships across campus to innovate, collaborate, and reach or exceed identified goals.​

Minimum Requirements

​​• Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Communications, or a closely related field; OR an equivalent combination of skills and experience.
​• Five years in the communications field, with at least two of those years managing and directing executive communication and teams in large, complex organizations, institutions, and/or brands.
​• ​Experience working with a variety of communication, including writing web content, creating and updating web pages, and developing strategic communications priorities.
​• ​Two years of experience with direct supervision of staff.​

Professional Competencies

​• Ability to develop strategic ideas and transform those ideas into results using conceptual communication plans.
​• Digital literacy, proficiency in project-management software tools, and willingness and ability to keep abreast of the latest in communications technology.
​• Excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to communicate and work effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
​• Ability to manage and work effectively with a wide variety of people across multiple units, schools, colleges and external stakeholders to develop strategies to achieve goals.
​• Ability to manage confidential or sensitive information and issues responsibly.
​• Commitment to and experience with promoting and enhancing diversity and equity.
​• Strong understanding of brand journalism and multichannel storytelling concepts.
​• In-depth understanding of communication strategy and best