Rochester Institute of Technology · 1 month ago
Director, Public Affairs & Internal Communications
Henrietta Campus — 100%
Full-time
Onsite
Director/Executive
$79K/yr - $132K/yr
10+ years expRochester Institute of Technology is seeking a Director of Public Affairs and Internal Communications who will act as a strategic leader responsible for safeguarding and enhancing the university's reputation. This role focuses on proactive issues management, crisis communications, and high-level internal messaging to ensure transparency, trust, and alignment across the university community.
Continuing EducationEdTechHigher EducationMusic EducationSTEM Education
Responsibilities
Establish and oversee systems and processes to identify and monitor a full range of emerging issues with the potential to negatively impact the university’s reputation. Respond appropriately when necessary
Identify, assess, monitor, and track campus and community issues with the potential to do reputational harm
Develop and implement rapid-response strategies to mitigate risks and 'take the temperature down' during sensitive situations
Serve as media relations liaison and spokesperson
Communications counselor on an Issues Response Team (IRT) with university-wide representation. The team meets regularly to forecast emerging issues and identify potential reputational issues before they become a crisis
Serve as the 'Public Information Officer' on the RIT Critical Incident Management Team, which follows the FEMA-based National Incident Management System
Serve as the lead communicator during crises, coordinating messaging across internal and external audiences
Advise senior leadership and collaborate with legal, compliance, and public safety teams on response strategies
Prepare and maintain messaging talking points and position statement templates for recurring or hot button issues
Regularly conduct vulnerability assessments and develop contingency plans to address the most pressing potential scenarios
Lead RIT’s crisis communications strategy and execution 24 hours per day that involves multiple stakeholders (i.e. students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, Trustees, university partners)
Provide senior leadership counsel during times of crisis, including authoring proactive reports that anticipate potential issues
Key liaison to the Division of Government and Communications, as well as Division of Finance and Administration, which includes Facilities Management Services, Human Resources, Information Technology Services, Legal Affairs, Public Safety, and Risk Management
Work in close partnership with the communications team, including the Director of Social Media on issues monitoring and response
Monitor trends in higher education and public discourse to anticipate emerging issues
Maintain and regularly update crisis communication protocols and playbooks
Provide training and guidance to university leaders on media relations and crisis response
Prepare a daily RIT Leadership Digest for senior management. This report contains relevant news reports, links to documents, and other items specific to RIT and the higher education landscape
Oversee high-level internal communications involving a variety of constituents
Design and execute internal communication plans that align with institutional priorities and values
Ensure timely, accurate, and empathetic messaging to faculty, staff, and students during organizational changes or critical events
Work regularly with the RIT Service Center, the concierge-like department handling an array of questions from the RIT community
Qualification
Required
Minimum 10 years of experience with a focus on crisis communications, issues/reputation management, litigation communications, and public affairs
Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
Collaborative leadership style with the ability to influence across diverse stakeholder groups
Experience developing crisis communications plans, programs, and guidelines
Demonstrated ability to think in new, dynamic ways regarding managing reputation and crisis response
Ability to communicate information effectively and accurately, verbally, and in writing across multiple channels
Track record of successfully managing communications during times of crisis in a global, matrixed organization
Experience counseling executives during times of crisis
Experience managing public affairs efforts
Ability to achieve results in a fast-paced and dynamic environment, where timely response is critical
The ideal candidate will have experience engaging with reporters on a regular basis on challenging issues. Experience as a spokesperson
Experience and understanding of social media
Must be able to balance strategic thinking with tactical execution
Ability to positively contribute to a team environment
Candidates must be eligible to work in the United States
Preferred
Experience in higher education or large, mission-driven organizations
Demonstrate emotional intelligence and calm in high pressure situations
Ability to synthesize large amounts of data and distill key points clearly, succinctly, and quickly
Company
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester Institute of Technology is a collaborative community offering diverse opportunities through creativity and innovation.
1001-5000 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$29.13MKey Investors
U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyUS Department of EnergyU.S. Department of Defense
2024-11-07Grant
2024-10-31Grant· $7.11M
2024-09-18Grant· $3.97M
Leadership Team
Caroline Solomon
President, National Technical Institute for the Deaf and Vice President, RIT
Neil Hair
Executive Director, Innovative Learning Institute
Recent News
Rochester Business Journal
2025-12-14
Rochester Business Journal
2025-12-07
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