Special Assistant to the President

Stanislaus State•Turlock, CA

14d

About The Position

Full-time position under the Management Personnel Plan (MPP) available on or after March 9, 2026 in the Office of the President. Under the general direction of the President, the Special Assistant to the President provides senior-level leadership for presidential communications and strategic grant development in support of University priorities. The position is responsible for independently managing major functional activities that advance the President’s priorities in alignment with Stan State’s mission and CSU strategic plans. The Director serves as a key advisor and collaborator, ensuring clear, consistent, and effective communication of institutional priorities to internal and external stakeholders. The position plays a significant role in supporting institutional messaging, strengthening external relationships, and advancing funding efforts through coordinated communication and grant development strategies. The Director exercises independent judgment within established policies and organizational guidelines, collaborates across campus units and with external partners, and contributes to the effective execution of University initiatives through strategic communications and grant development leadership.

Requirements

Master’s degree in communications public relations, journalism, public administration or related field.
Five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in strategic communications, public relations, or executive communications, plus three (3) years of grant writing experience.

Nice To Haves

Experience working in higher education, government, or other complex organizational settings.
Bilingual; highly proficient in English and Spanish, with demonstrated professional use of both languages.
Experience facilitating professional meetings, analyze written transcripts, and report key findings in both English and Spanish.
Two (2) or more years of experience supporting a president, chancellor, CEO, or other senior executive in a complex organization.
Experience developing communications or messaging for high-visibility or politically sensitive issues.
Experience managing multiple high-priority initiatives simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
Experience developing executive communications across multiple platforms and audiences.
Demonstrated experience in speechwriting and developing executive-level communications materials.
Proven track record of developing and executing comprehensive communication strategies and contributing to campaigns at the senior leadership level.
Understanding of, and experience with, major higher education grant making organizations, such as STRADA, Gates Foundation, and others, in grant writing, evaluation, and outcomes reporting.
Ability to both translate and trans create strategic information and messages at a professional level from English to Spanish and vice versa.
Proven understanding of message development for diverse audiences in both Spanish and English.
Exceptional writing, editing, and verbal communication skills with ability to adapt voice and style for diverse audiences.
Strategic thinking and analytical skills to develop effective communication strategies.
Strong project management abilities with capacity to handle multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Proficiency in multimedia communication tools, digital platforms, and social media.
Knowledge of branding principles and visual communication design.
Deep understanding of higher education landscape, including current issues and trends at the local and national level.
Ability to work with highly sensitive and confidential information with utmost discretion.
Strong interpersonal skills for collaborating with diverse stakeholders including faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members.
Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team.
Excellent attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
Commitment to maintaining a welcoming and inclusive work environment with diverse colleagues and constituents including foundation and industry representatives, faculty, students, staff, and community members.

Responsibilities

Collaborate closely with the President to develop and refine key messages for internal and external audiences.
Serve as the primary speechwriter and communications coordinator for the President in ways that build understanding and support for the President’s leadership priorities and progress.
Develop executive communications that reflect the President’s voice (in English and Spanish), style and accomplishments.
Create content across a range of formats, settings, and channels.
Craft and develop messages and visual presentations of complex thoughts and ideas, distill and sharpen key messages.
Develop key messages and ensure consistency across all presidential communications; regularly have access to highly sensitive and confidential information when creating communications.
Partner with the Director of Communications and Director of Marketing to ensure brand and message consistency across all presidential communications channels.
Serve as content manager and creator of President Office’s website.
Conduct story-mining and use curiosity about what is happening inside and outside of the university to identify and determine story/crucial narratives for presidential communications.
Analyze situational factors to provide tailored communication recommendations for time-sensitive and topic-sensitive needs.
Stay current on relevant issues and trends affecting higher education to effectively integrate them into communications.
Support development and distribution of communications from the President's Office.
Conduct research on public and private funding opportunities at the local, state, and national level.
Identify internal/external subject matter experts and coordinate subject matter contributions for proposal development.
Write and submit grant proposals and supporting documents for foundation, corporation and government funding.
Develop a strategic grant-writing plan with clear goals, plans of action and timelines.
Maintain effective, positive relationships through frequent communication with prospective and current grantors.
Participate in grant technical training provided by funding agencies.
Keep abreast of the changing grant landscape and proposal guidelines.
Maintain records on prospective grantors.
Work with department managers, external partners, and subject matter experts to establish timelines to compile financials and data as they relate to the timely submission of grant applications.
Track and manage prospective grant and reporting deadlines.
Serve as college liaison with representatives of funding sources during the grant proposal period.
Draft other materials as assigned, such as a monthly funder update, quarterly reports and annual reporting.
Collaborate with College Deans, Directors of Development and other University representatives to craft case statements in support of University funding initiatives and priorities.
Serve on university committees as appropriate.
Perform job-related duties and special projects as assigned.
Attend off-site locations when required for presidential events or initiatives.
Support institutional and CSU priorities through presidential communication strategies and execution.
Other duties as assigned.