Director of IT Communications

Montclair State University•Montclair, NJ

About The Position

Reporting to the Deputy Chief Information Officer, the Director of Information Technology Communications is a strategic leadership role responsible for communicating technology’s impact across the university. The Director connects complex technical initiatives with the needs of students, faculty, and staff by leading a communications program that supports transparency, digital literacy, and effective messaging during service interruptions and cybersecurity events. The position develops and publishes timely, accurate IT communications across internal and external channels, including email, web content, and social media. It leads communications planning and incident response messaging, ensuring information reaches and is understood by essential audiences. The role also oversees the IT brand, website, and internal knowledge base, with an emphasis on user experience and accessibility.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
At least five years of professional communications experience, including at least three years in a technical or higher education environment.
Ability to understand and explain complex concepts such as cloud computing, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and research computing.

Nice To Haves

Experience using CMS platforms such as Drupal or WordPress.
Proficiency with graphic design tools such as Adobe Creative Suite or Canva.
Familiarity with IT Service Management (ITSM) tools such as ServiceNow.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute an annual integrated communications plan aligned with the University’s strategic goals and the IT department’s roadmap.
Oversee the IT brand and ensure digital and print materials maintain a consistent, professional, and accessible voice.
Lead communications during IT outages, security breaches, and campus-wide transitions.
Translate technical information into clear, actionable instructions for non-technical users, including under high-pressure timelines.
Create executive presentations, annual reports, campus-wide emails, social media updates, and success stories highlighting IT’s contributions.
Translate technical materials into accessible communications, guides, and publications for the campus community.
Use sound judgment and best practices to navigate the demands and cultural landscape of a large public university.
Partner with IT leaders and subject matter experts to develop award nominations, case studies, and materials highlighting strategic initiatives and measurable outcomes.
Shift effectively between long-term communications campaigns and timely emergency system-down alerts.
Partner with University stakeholders, including Communications, Student Affairs, and faculty organizations, to socialize IT initiatives before, during, and after rollout.
Manage the IT department’s website and internal knowledge base, prioritizing user experience and ADA accessibility.
Own enterprise incident communications, ensuring clear, timely, and consistent messaging during technology incidents, cyber events, and service disruptions in alignment with incident management and crisis response processes.
Perform other duties as assigned; management may add or change job duties at any time.