Associate Vice President of Communications

Santa Clara University•Santa Clara, CA

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

Santa Clara University (SCU), a private Jesuit, Catholic institution located in the heart of Silicon Valley, is dedicated to fostering ethics, social consciousness, and cross-disciplinary education for over 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students. SCU is on an upward trajectory, having recently completed the transformative $1 billion Innovating for the Future campaign. Under the leadership of Julie Sullivan, SCU's first layperson and woman president, the University has embraced a bold vision for continued growth and development through its Impact 2030 Strategic Plan. This roadmap outlines key priorities for shaping the University's future, including: Affordable access to a Santa Clara education for all talented students, Human-centered solutions to the world's most pressing issues, Intercultural initiatives for global learning, research, and service, and A commitment to Inclusive Excellence and belonging. Ranked among the top 15 percent of national universities, SCU boasts impressive graduation rates, a curriculum blending high-tech innovation with Jesuit values, strong NCAA Division I programs and notable alumni achievements. SCU is poised to enhance their national and global presence, with communications playing an important role. President Sullivan prioritizes Marketing and Communications, and established it as a cabinet-level unit, giving it the voice and access required to advance a strategic, integrated communications vision for the University. To that end, University Marketing and Communications (UMC) introduced a new brand platform, visual identity, enrollment, and storytelling campaigns that align with and advance Impact 2030 priorities. This evolution has established UMC as a catalyst for strategic communication, positioning it at the heart of SCU’s efforts to tell its story with impact and purpose. Through dynamic, cross-platform storytelling, UMC supports SCU’s enrollment, advancement, and leadership goals. Its units span brand strategy, visual identity, social and earned media, digital communications, and crisis, internal, and executive communications. UMC also produces SCU’s award-winning University magazine and serves as the central communications hub, collaborating with communicators across campus to build community, share best practices, and foster effective brand storytelling that resonates with SCU’s diverse audiences. With a strong influence across the University, UMC is positioned to drive an integrated, strategic communications approach that attracts prospective students and employees, raises awareness, and builds support for SCU’s ambitious Impact 2030 roadmap—an inspiring pathway for growth and innovation. This is an exciting moment to join Santa Clara University’s Marketing and Communications team as a key leader during a time of transformative growth and elevated visibility. As a newly established cabinet-level unit, UMC is poised to drive innovation and alignment across SCU communications. The AVP for University Communications will have the unique opportunity to help shape and execute a forward-thinking vision for storytelling, media relations, and internal/external communications, while fostering collaboration and thought leadership across campus. This role is pivotal to advancing SCU’s mission and enhancing its reputation at a transformative time for the University.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in journalism, Public Relations, Communication, or a related field, with over 10 years of progressive experience in communications, journalism, or media relations.
Ideally has experience within complex organizations such as higher education or within a communications/PR agency.
Experienced in change management, implementing new systems and processes that enhance organizational agility, improve team performance, and support strategic objectives.
Proven expertise in media relations, with a strong track record of securing positive media coverage, building influential relationships with journalists, and managing high-stakes media inquiries with sound judgment and discretion.
Demonstrated success in leading communications and media strategies surrounding crisis and issues management for an organization.
Skilled in digital communications, social media management, and content strategy, ensuring consistent messaging and outreach across multiple platforms.
Excellent written and verbal communications skills, with the ability to craft clear, concise messaging for diverse audiences.
High emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build strong relationships across departments and engage diverse stakeholders with transparency and inclusivity.
Adept at inspiring and leading teams, fostering a collaborative culture, and mentoring talent through effective coaching to build an agile, high-performing communications group.
Demonstrated ability to lead innovative communications efforts that drive measurable improvements in institutional reputation through strategic, integrated storytelling across news, long-form narratives, social media, and multimedia channels.
Driven by intellectual curiosity, creativity, and a positive outlook, with a willingness to challenge the status quo and serve as a catalyst for change.
This position requires the ability to effectively establish and maintain cooperative working relationships within a diverse multicultural environment and to promote and contribute to an inclusive and respectful workplace.

Nice To Haves

Committed to Santa Clara University’s mission and values, aligning with its Jesuit principles of ethics, social consciousness, and community engagement.
Demonstrated track-record of good professional judgement and discretion in dealing with sensitive and confidential matters.
Known for strong listening skills, approachability, and a sense of humor that fosters camaraderie and rapport across all levels of the organization.

Responsibilities

Lead development and implementation of a proactive, integrated content strategy that supports storytelling and ensures cohesive, compelling messaging across all internal and external platforms, including digital, social, traditional media, and direct engagement.
Lead the development of compelling storytelling initiatives that reflect SCU’s mission, priorities, and unique identity.
Craft narratives that resonate with diverse audiences and highlight the University’s impact and vision.
Design and implement an integrated content strategy to ensure these stories are consistently and effectively communicated across all channels, including digital, print, and in-person engagements.
Align storytelling and content delivery with SCU’s brand, voice, and strategic goals across key platforms.
Direct and coordinate the communications approach for major announcements, developments, and initiatives, leveraging diverse media outlets and influencers and aligning resources to deliver comprehensive and impactful communication plans.
Take an engaged approach to coaching, mentoring, and guiding the communications team to foster an environment of excellence, creativity, integrity, and teamwork, with clear performance objectives and a vision of shared goals among communicators campus wide.
Provide leadership and clarity to cultivate an organization that can balance intentional planning and pursuing long-term goals with the nimbleness and adaptability needed to respond to emerging issues and trends.
Lead the development, recommendation, implementation, optimization, and improvement of communication processes, practices, and policies.
Identifies issues, challenges, and opportunities within department and university systems. Strategizes and leads team in solutions.
Build and oversee relationships with external agencies to align projects with SCU’s goals and communication standards.
Develop and implement a media communications strategy to position the university’s story across local, regional, national, and global platforms.
Highlight the achievements and distinctions of the campus community, including faculty, students, staff, and alumni.
Leverage Subject Matter Experts to turn to for media relations needs and to further establish SCU thought leaders in the marketplace.
Serve as a primary media contact and occasional spokesperson for the university, preparing leadership with key messages and fostering relationships with media outlets.
Collaborate with the President’s Office to develop thought leadership opportunities and executive positioning strategies. This includes identifying targeted media placements, supporting opinion editorials, and securing speaking engagements to elevate the President’s profile and SCU’s reputation on national and global stages.
Anticipate and address potential challenges to SCU’s reputation by developing proactive strategies for crisis and issues management.
Serve as a key leader in crafting and executing unified communications across internal and external audiences during crises.
When the VP is unavailable, represent the communications function on the University’s Critical Incident Response Team.
Drive innovative social media strategies to support storytelling and engage key audiences, including students, prospective students, faculty, staff and alumni.
Ensure alignment with broader communication initiatives to amplify SCU’s visibility and impact.
Build strong alliances with communications professionals across the university to share best practices, ensure consistency, and promote unified messaging that aligns with SCU’s overall communications strategy.
Manage the creation of a university-wide internal news publication to build transparency, alignment, and engagement within the campus community.
Strengthen relationships with students, alumni, faculty, staff, and other stakeholders through storytelling and strategic communication.
Help develop and utilize analytics tools to measure the success of communication strategies that advance Impact 2030 priorities and inform data-driven improvements.
Other duties as assigned.
Oversee key UMC units—Social Media, Storytelling, Santa Clara Magazine, Media Relations and Internal Communications—and lead initiatives that drive external visibility through thought leadership and proactive reputation management.
Play a critical role in unifying messaging across campus, fostering collaboration across campus, and advancing initiatives that support enrollment, philanthropy, and engagement with key audiences such as prospective and current students, alumni, faculty, staff, and the broader SCU community.