Associate Communications Strategist

The Associate Communications Strategist is part of the Communications Team in Student Affairs at Vanderbilt University and plays a key role in developing and implementing marketing and communication plans. The primary focus of this role is managing the social media presence and digital content strategy for the Student Affairs division, as well as Housing and Residential Experience (HRE) and Student Engagement and Leadership (SEL) clusters within Student Affairs. This includes creating engaging, student-centered content, leveraging analytics to enhance engagement, and ensuring alignment with institutional branding standards. Additionally, the Associate Communications Strategist supports event-related marketing and communications, promoting large-scale student engagement initiatives and assisting with logistics and storytelling. 

About Student Affairs:
Student Affairs serves a central role in student learning and development at Vanderbilt, advancing the University’s mission of teaching, research, and service by fostering academic and social networks through which students develop as intentional learners and global citizens. Student Affairs creates opportunities to involve students, faculty and staff in diverse learning communities and provides a critical support structure for enriching the overall student experience. We achieve these ends through strategic alignment, both internally and in concert with other university departments. We care deeply. We educate completely. We lead with excellence. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and mental health are top priorities for the institution and by extension the offices of Student Affairs. Our staff are committed to continued growth in knowledge, awareness, skills, and experience engaging with these priorities in a higher education environment.

Key Functions and Expected Performance:

Communications Management:

• Lead the implementation of the Student Affairs social media strategy, focusing on growing engagement and expanding reach.
• Monitor, measure, and report on the performance of social media content and campaigns.
• Develop and execute internal and external communications for students, families, staff, and other stakeholders in collaboration with SEL and HRE leadership.
• Create and manage marketing collateral for Student Affairs offices, including social media content, graphics, flyers, and brochures.
• Oversee the production and distribution of the weekly Student Affairs student newsletter.
• Collaborate with SEL and HRE offices on marketing plans for key initiatives, such as student organization recruitment, staff hiring, and student programs.
• Ensure accuracy and consistency across department-issued web, media, and print content.
• Manage and update Student Affairs webpages, listservs, and email templates using tools such as Email Creator and Emma.
• Draft and edit stories for internal and external communications, including MyVU.
• Attend and support Student Affairs events, including those held outside of standard business hours, to capture content for social media and communications needs.
• Assist with creating and implementing online training modules through Oracle Learn for staff and students, serving as an Oracle Learning Specialist.
• Ensure all communications align with Vanderbilt branding guidelines and collaborate with the Division of Communications on university-wide efforts.
• Support crisis communication efforts and remain on-call for urgent messaging matters as needed.

Supervising Student Workers:

• Supervise student staff, providing performance expectations, ongoing feedback, and training to ensure successful contributions to communications and event-related tasks.
• Assign student workers to assist with social media, communications, and event photography across Student Affairs and Registered Student Organizations.
• Manage budgets for student employment and ensure compliance with university financial policies.
• Track student employee hours and approve timesheets promptly.
• Lead weekly student staff meetings to provide guidance and ensure adherence to Vanderbilt branding and divisional goals.

Other Duties:

• Maintain knowledge of institutional and departmental financial policies to ensure compliance and proper resource stewardship.
• Participate in university, division, and departmental committees and task forces as assigned.
• Support division-wide events as needed, ensuring smooth execution and collaboration with colleagues.
• Demonstrate a collaborative approach by assisting colleagues across the division in achieving strategic priorities and goals.
   

Supervisory Relationships:
This position does not have supervisory responsibility for professional staff members but does supervise student workers who provide social media and photography content for Student Affairs and student organizations. This position reports administratively and functionally to the Senior Manager for Communications and Events.

Education and Certifications:
A bachelor’s degree in marketing, journalism, communications or a related field from an accredited institution of higher education, or an equivalent combination of education, relevant military experience, and relevant skills is necessary.

Experience and Skills:

• One to two years of relevant experience in marketing, communications, or public relations is preferred.
• Proven experience in creating and managing content for various social media platforms, including analytics and strategy development is preferred.
• Familiarity and experience working in a college or university setting is preferred.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills are preferred.
• Extensive knowledge of marketing channels including public relations, web and social media is preferred.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously is preferred.
• Ability to work effectively with students from diverse backgrounds attending highly selective institutions with a broad range of campus groups, departments, and organizations is preferred.
• Strong interpersonal/human relations skills including ability to develop and cultivate professional relationships is preferred.
• Working knowledge of Emma, MainStay, Adobe Creative Cloud, Canva, Wordpress, Microsoft Office 365 is preferred.