Graduate School Communications Manager

Universities of Wisconsin • Madison, WI

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Graduate School Communications Manager will report to the Assistant Dean for Professional Development and Communications and serve as a communications expert responsible for guiding the development, execution, and continuous improvement of a proactive communications strategy that elevates the visibility and impact of graduate education and postdoctoral training across UW–Madison. This role offers an exciting opportunity for a collaborative communications professional ready to leverage strong written communication skills, as well as expertise in web strategy, analytics, email marketing, and targeted outreach. This position will amplify existing offerings, track audience engagement, and ensure various stakeholders and campus partners are informed and supported. Highly qualified candidates will bring strong written communication skills, a collaborative mindset, and the leadership trajectory required to independently plan, manage complex projects, and drive unit-level communications initiatives across a large, decentralized organization.

Requirements

• At least 2 years of professional experience providing communication support, working both independently and within team settings.
• Strong written communication skills, with keen attention to audience, accuracy, accessibility, and clarity. Demonstrated ability to write in a variety of professional styles, including drafting web copy, email marketing, and announcements.
• Experience with website strategy and user-centered design principles using content management systems (e.g., WordPress).
• Experience developing and executing targeted email campaigns, newsletters, or other mass communication using email marketing tools (e.g., Eloqua).
• Experience managing end-to-end communications projects, including establishing timelines, coordinating cross-functional contributors, and tracking deliverables.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze web and email metrics (e.g., Google Analytics, email platform reports) to evaluate engagement and refine outreach strategies.
• Demonstrated ability to build collaborative working relationships with colleagues, subject matter experts, and distributed institutional partners.
• Demonstrated ability to take a proactive approach to planning and project management, anticipating upcoming communications needs well in advance.

Nice To Haves

• Experience and/or interest in writing feature stories about graduate and postdoc work and accomplishments.
• Experience working within higher education and familiarity with graduate (master’s and doctoral) education.
• Experience with digital layout, design, and/or video editing tools (e.g., Adobe Creative Cloud, Canva).
• Experience developing advance editorial calendars and project workflows for multi-channel initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Manages the day-to-day operational unit plans to align with strategic initiatives and to meet established objectives (30%)
• Collaborates proactively with internal Graduate School teams and distributed campus partners to align communications timelines, foster shared ownership, and support cross-institutional initiatives. (20%)
• Identifies, proposes, and implements new or revised unit operational policies and procedures (5%)
• Plans and directs unit programs and/or projects to ensure adherence to deadlines and budgets (5%)
• Plans, writes, and edits content for various internal and external stakeholders (20%)
• Develops, implements, and delivers communication materials through various mediums to designated audiences (20%)

Benefits

• generous paid time off
• competitively priced health/dental/vision/life insurance
• tax-advantaged savings accounts
• participation in the nationally recognized Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) pension fund

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level