Senior Director of Executive Communications, EVP/COO Office

Loyola Marymount University•Westchester, IL

6d•$125,000 - $130,000

About The Position

The Senior Director of Executive Communications for the EVP/COO serves as the principal communications strategist and senior communications lead for the EVP/COO. Embedded within the Office of the EVP/COO and fully integrated within Loyola Marymount University’s Marketing, Communications, and External Relations (MarComm) division, this position helps shape, prioritize, and communicate the executive agenda that supports the university’s administration, operations, organizational effectiveness, while advancing institutional reputation, and external engagement priorities. This role functions as a strategic thought partner to the EVP/COO and as the office’s senior communications counterpart to colleagues who support the President and the Provost. The Senior Director advises on narrative, message strategy, timing, audience segmentation, channel selection, communications related to operational change management, and issues sensitivity, ensuring that communications from the Office of the EVP/COO are aligned with institutional priorities, governance processes, and the university’s broader communications strategy. The Senior Director translates complex operational, financial, technical, organizational, and reputational matters into clear, timely, and audience-appropriate communications. The position develops executive messaging, recurring leadership communications, thought leadership content, briefing materials, and integrated communications plans that help the university community understand institutional decisions, operational priorities, why they matter, how they are implemented, and how they support the university’s priorities and long-term vitality. The Senior Director is expected to integrate best and emerging practices — including the responsible use of artificial intelligence and other AI-enabled technologies — into day-to-day communications work. This includes using AI tools to accelerate research, synthesis, drafting, analytics, workflow management, and content production in ways that improve productivity and efficiency, speed, and outcomes while preserving human judgment, confidentiality, accessibility, accuracy, ethics, and institutional voice. In this role, communications are treated not simply as outputs, but as a leadership discipline that builds clarity, trust, transparency, alignment, and institutional momentum.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in communications, public relations, journalism, English, marketing, or a related field.
Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible communications experience, including substantial experience supporting cabinet-level, C-suite, presidential, provost-level, or other senior executive leadership in a complex organization.
Exceptional writing, editing, executive storytelling, and strategic thinking skills, with demonstrated success producing high-level communications for internal and external audiences.
Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex operational, financial, policy, technical, or organizational information into clear, compelling, audience-appropriate communications.
Proven experience developing integrated communications strategies, managing multiple concurrent high-visibility projects, and delivering excellent work on deadline in a fast-paced environment.
Executive presence, excellent judgment, and a high degree of discretion, maturity, and professionalism in handling confidential or sensitive matters.
Highly collaborative style, with demonstrated success influencing across functions, building strong partnerships with senior leaders, and operating effectively without direct authority.
Demonstrated familiarity with analytics and measurement approaches that inform communications planning, execution, and continuous improvement.
Demonstrated experience using AI tools and emerging communications technologies to improve workflow efficiency, synthesis, drafting, output quality, or decision support, together with a strong understanding of the ethical, privacy, accuracy, accessibility, and governance considerations associated with AI-enabled work.
Willing and able to adjust to changing demands and shifting priorities, including occasional evening or weekend support as needed.

Nice To Haves

A master’s degree is preferred.
Experience in higher education or another mission-driven, reputation-sensitive, and operationally complex institution preferred.

Responsibilities

Executive Communications Strategy, Counsel, and Planning Serve as the primary and principal communications strategist for the EVP/COO, advising on message architecture, positioning, timing, sequencing, stakeholder implications, and reputational considerations.
Develop proactive annual, quarterly, and initiative-specific communications strategies and roadmaps that support the priorities of the Office of the EVP/COO and advance understanding of key operational and organizational initiatives across the university.
Develop and execute a comprehensive executive visibility strategy for the EVP/COO, identifying opportunities to advance operational priorities through strategic communications, speaking engagements, thought leadership, digital platforms, and other high-impact channels.
Develop and implement a strategic digital and social media approach for the EVP/COO that advances key operational priorities, amplifies executive thought leadership, and aligns with LMU’s broader digital and social media strategy.
Translate the EVP/COO’s direction, feedback, and priorities into clear communications objectives, integrated plans, editorial calendars, production schedules, and measurable deliverables.
Anticipate communications needs related to complex, recurring, systemic, cross-functional, or high-visibility matters before they become urgent, and prepare messaging strategies that enable timely and confident executive communication.
Exercise independent editorial and strategic judgment on behalf of the EVP/COO, escalating appropriately when clarification, alignment, or executive review is required.
Executive Writing, Thought Leadership, and Content Development Develop and maintain an executive voice for the EVP/COO that is clear, credible, operationally grounded, forward-looking, and aligned with LMU’s mission, brand, and tone.
Research, draft, edit, and finalize executive-level communications across multiple formats, including campus messages, leadership updates, speeches and remarks, executive correspondence, briefing materials, presentations, reports, FAQs, and external facing-content such as blog posts and op-eds.
Develop and manage executive digital and social media content and engagement strategies, including drafting posts, identifying opportunities for timely digital commentary, and coordinating an editorial calendar across digital platforms to ensure consistency with institutional voice and priorities.
Translate complex operational, financial, policy, technical, risk, and organizational subject matter into compelling narratives that are accessible, accurate, and tailored to specific audiences.
Own and continuously refine recurring EVP/COO communications channels and products, ensuring they remain timely, relevant, informative, and aligned with evolving institutional priorities.
Establish and maintain high standards for clarity, accuracy, tone, factchecking, quality assurance, and editorial consistency across all communications from the Office of the EVP/COO.
Cross-Functional Coordination and Institutional Alignment Serve as the embedded liaison between the Office of the EVP/COO and the MarComm division, ensuring strong coordination, disciplined workflows, and a high level of responsiveness across communications functions.
Work in close partnership with the Vice President for Communications and Public Relations, the Senior Director of Executive Communications and Speechwriting, the Executive Director of Leadership Engagement and Communications, the Senior Director for Academic Communications, and peers across Internal Communications, Public and Media Relations, Digital Strategy and Solutions, and related teams.
Coordinate closely with communications professionals who support the President, the Provost, and other senior leaders to ensure cohesive institutional messaging, appropriate differentiation of executive voices, and strategic alignment across the university.
Partner effectively with leaders and subject matter experts across operations, finance, human resources, information technology, facilities, campus safety, auxiliary services, external relations, and other units to gather information, shape narratives, and coordinate communications execution.
Change, Issues, and Sensitive Communications Lead or support communications related to operational change, service updates, organizational transitions, readiness and continuity matters, complex institutional decisions, and other high-impact or time-sensitive developments.
Prepare message maps, stakeholder briefs, FAQs, scenario plans, and rapid-response materials for sensitive, complex, or reputationally significant matters, exercising excellent judgment, discretion, and confidentiality.
Support the EVP/COO and MarComm leadership in issues management and, when needed, crisis or emergency communications planning and execution related to the EVP/COO portfolio.
Analytics, Workflow, and AI-Enabled Communications Innovation Integrate AI-enabled and emerging communications tools into research, stakeholder listening, synthesis, drafting, summarization, meeting capture, editorial review, translation or localization support, content repurposing, and workflow management to improve speed, consistency, and quality.
Build and maintain repeatable, human-in-the-loop communications workflows that reduce turnaround times, increase productivity, and free capacity for higher-value strategic advising, storytelling, and stakeholder engagement.
Apply sound judgment to the responsible use of AI and related technologies, including source verification, hallucination and bias checks, privacy and confidentiality protections, records stewardship, accessibility review, and alignment with university policy and ethical standards.
Use engagement data, audience feedback, and performance analytics to assess message effectiveness, identify opportunities for improvement, and inform future communications strategy.
Stay current on evolving executive communications practices, emerging platforms, and AI-driven productivity tools, and help model next-generation communications practice for the university.
General Perform other duties as assigned.