EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, OFFICE OF THE PROVOST, Office of the Provost

Position Overview:

The Executive Director of Communications for the Office of the Provost serves as the senior communications strategist and trusted counselor to the provost on executive, internal, and institutional communications. This role leads the development and execution of communications strategies that advance the academic mission of the University, strengthen alignment across the provost's portfolio, and support the provost's engagement with internal and external audiences. Reporting to the Senior Vice President of University Relations, the executive director is an embedded expert serving the daily strategic communications needs of the Office of the Provost, a collaborative partner for communicators across campus, and a key leader in External Affairs, the university's central team responsible for institutional and presidential communications and marketing.

The Executive Director will work directly with the provost and the provost's chief of staff to develop a communications strategy, workflow, and smooth execution on daily needs, as well as longer term projects. The executive director establishes a communications direction, promotes message alignment across the provost's portfolio, and ensures communications activities support institutional priorities, academic excellence, and organizational effectiveness. This role requires exceptional judgment, executive presence, political acuity, and the ability to navigate complex and fast-moving academic environments. The successful candidate will operate as both a strategic advisor and an operational leader, balancing high-level counsel with hands-on execution across a broad portfolio of work.

Key Responsibilities:

• Executive and Strategic Communications
  • Serve as a primary communications advisor to the provost and his leadership team on executive messaging, visibility, sensitive communications, and strategic positioning that provides support for institutional priorities and coordination with teams responsible for presidential messaging.
  • Develop speeches, remarks, talking points, presentations, correspondence, and leadership communications for the provost.
  • Advise on communications strategy related to academic priorities, faculty affairs, institutional initiatives, crises, and organizational change for the Office of the Provost and its leadership.
  • Ensure communications reflect institutional priorities, leadership direction, and the University's academic mission.
  • Supervise a 2-person team that serves the multi-channel communications needs of the Office of the Provost.
• Internal Communications Leadership
  • Lead internal communications efforts across the provost division, including messaging related to academic initiatives, policy changes, operational updates, leadership transitions, and organizational priorities.
  • Develop communication plans that support transparency, alignment, engagement, and change management across complex academic units.
  • Partner with institutional stakeholders on communications requiring broad academic coordination.
• Communications Coordination
  • Provide leadership, guidance, and coordination to communicators embedded throughout the provost's portfolio, including schools, colleges, institutes, centers, and administrative units.
  • Work in partnership with the Institutional Communications team in External Affairs that works across the university to support leaders in effectively sharing institutional narratives to internal and external audiences.
  • Establish shared standards, editorial direction, communications planning practices, and governance processes across the division.
  • Convene communicator networks and foster collaboration, information sharing, and alignment around institutional priorities.
  • Help support communicators in aligning local storytelling and initiatives with broader University messaging and brand standards.
• Strategic Planning and Issues Management
  • Identify emerging communications risks, reputational considerations, and opportunities within the academic environment.
  • Partner closely with External Affairs and other institutional leaders to coordinate messaging and response strategies.
  • Support strategic initiatives, task forces, and leadership priorities through proactive communications planning and execution.
• Content Development and Message Strategy
  • Oversee development of high-quality written and digital communications materials across multiple channels and audiences.
  • Ensure consistency in voice, tone, messaging, and editorial quality throughout the provost division.
  • Translate complex academic, operational, and policy issues into clear, accessible, and compelling communications.

Required Skills

• Bachelors degree in communications, journalism, public relations, marketing, English, higher education administration, or related field.
• Minimum of 8-10 years of progressively responsible communications experience, preferably within higher education or similarly complex organizations.
• Demonstrated experience advising senior executives or institutional leaders on communications strategy and messaging.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and verbal communication skills.
• Experience leading communications in complex, decentralized, and matrixed environments.
• Strong organizational judgment, discretion, and ability to manage confidential and sensitive matters.
• Proven ability to build relationships and influence across multiple stakeholder groups without relying solely on formal authority.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience supporting academic leadership, faculty communications, or provost-level initiatives.
• Experience managing organizational change or large-scale internal communications initiatives.
• Familiarity with higher education governance, academic culture, and institutional decision-making processes.
• Experience leading communicator networks or distributed communications teams.