Michigan State University · 3 weeks ago
Director of Strategic Communications / Sr. Communications & Marketing Officer/S
East Lansing, MI
Full-time
Hybrid
Lead/Staff, Director/Executive
5+ years expMichigan State University is seeking a Director of Strategic Communications for Student Affairs who will serve as the principal communications strategist and advisor to the Vice President for Student Affairs. The role involves developing integrated communications and marketing strategies to enhance the university's mission and support the student experience while managing crisis communications and issues effectively.
EducationUniversities
Responsibilities
Develop and implement Student Affairs’ communications and marketing strategy aligned with the university’s brand, mission, and 2030 strategic plan
Serve as a senior advisor to the Vice President for Student Affairs on communications, issues monitoring and response, crisis communication coordination, and reputational strategy
Craft clear, student-centered messaging that reflects MSU’s values, supports the student experience, and reinforces a culture of care, belonging, and safety
Provide counsel to Student Affairs units on messaging, media relations, and internal/external communications best practices
Lead coordination to ensure consistent and cohesive messaging across Student Affairs departments and strong collaboration with units across campus engaged in communication supporting student experience and success
Identify sources of information and data to support strategies and use data and analytics to measure effectiveness of communications and marketing and inform continuous improvement
Oversee development of content strategies that highlight the student experience, including leadership, wellbeing, and engagement at MSU
Conceptualize and help produce marketing materials and write and/or edit as needed to support development of these materials
Implement communications and visual identity standards and protocols for Student Affairs in alignment with Student Affairs’ commitment to inclusion and belonging and the university’s Brand Standards
Partner and coordinate with UCAM to leverage expertise and to access enterprise communications and marketing opportunities, channels and tools
Serve as the Student Affairs lead for issues and crisis communications planning and response; coordinate with UCAM to understand issues affecting Student Affairs and work in coordination with UCAM and institutional emergency management teams as appropriate
Contribute to the development of protocols for rapid response to sensitive issues affecting students and the campus community
Anticipate emerging issues in student life and recommend proactive communications strategies
Coordinate with UCAM to provide clear, timely, and transparent communication during crises or high-profile events
Lead efforts to improve communication across Student Affairs units and among staff
Create and implement strategies for communicating priorities, initiatives, and accomplishments to internal student affairs audiences
Support leadership messaging to promote transparency, engagement, and trust within Student Affairs
Ensure communications are accessible, inclusive, and representative of MSU’s diverse student community
Serves as partner to the VPSA to produce executive communications (e.g., speeches, scripts, letters, presentations) and partners with various units as appropriate
Conducts appropriate background research to provide VPSA with context for remarks and presentations
Oversee the coordination of shared services marketing in partnership with Residential and Hospitality Services
Supervise and mentor communications and marketing staff within Student Affairs
Ensure professional development to keep team current with developments in evolving marketing and communications best practice, tools, tactics and technologies
Build collaborative relationships with UCAM, Provost Office, Residential and Hospitality Services, Academic units, and other campus partners to support shared objectives
Qualification
Required
Knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired by completing a four-year college degree program in Journalism, Telecommunications, Marketing, Advertising, Public Relations, or Higher Education Administration
Five to eight years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in communications, including marketing, public or media relations, crisis communications management and strategic planning
Demonstrated leadership and project management skills
Experience in publication and digital media production, video production, advertising, graphic design, social media communications, analytics and web design
Exceptional writing, editing, interpersonal and verbal communication skills
Management and supervisory experience
An equivalent combination of education and experience
Preferred
Master's degree in communications, higher education administration, or related field
Experience working within a large, decentralized and matrixed environment; higher education experience is strongly preferred
Familiarity with student affairs philosophy, student engagement, inclusion, wellness, and campus life
Extensive experience identifying audience needs and using data and analytics to drive improvements in communications to meet audience needs and expectations
Experience in the delivery of written, visual, and graphic content for communication to a diverse audience, especially students
Knowledge of best practices in digital communications, detailed knowledge of a wide range of digital tools and tactics and demonstrated methods for staying current with changing technologies
Benefits
Remote-friendly means some or all of the duties can be performed remotely as mutually agreed upon.
Company
Michigan State University
Michigan State University has been working to advance the common good in uncommon ways for more than 150 years.
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
Michigan State University has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (163)
2024 (217)
2023 (224)
2022 (162)
2021 (121)
2020 (66)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$118.22MKey Investors
Carnegie Corporation of New YorkUS Department of EnergyDenso
2025-09-23Grant· $0.9M
2025-03-27Grant· $48.5M
2024-10-30Grant
Leadership Team
Raymond Boeman
Director, IACMI Scale-up Research Facility and Vehicle Technology Area
Stephanie Vasko
Senior UX Researcher, MSU College of Arts and Letters
Recent News
2025-12-14
International CIO Leadership Association
2025-12-05
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