Position Focus:

Reporting to the Chief of Staff in the Office of the Provost, the Senior Communications Officer supports the creation, management, and execution of communication plans for the Provost and Vice Provosts. This role is responsible for exercising discretion, confidentiality, and independence in proactively drafting high level communications, including but not limited to correspondence to internal and external stakeholders including faculty, administrators, staff, and donors, announcements, presentations and speeches.

Essential Duties

1. 1. Collaborate with senior leadership in the Office of the Provost, including the Provost, Vice Provosts, and the Chief of Staff to proactively and independently draft complex and sensitive correspondence to stakeholders including faculty, staff and donors, announcements, presentations, and speeches.
2. 2. Research materials for draft communications. Prepare reports for the Provost and other senior leaders.
3. 3. Prepare development related communications and correspondence.
4. 4. Manage communication plans for all stakeholders by understanding the significance of campus initiatives and academic work.
5. 5. Maintain information and records for the Provost Committees and draft letters and emails, prepare materials for discussion.
6. 6. Collaborate and interact with the Office of Public Affairs and Communications (OPAC) and other colleagues to monitor university events, public events, and media trends to ensure consistency of communications.
7. 7. Monitor, revise, and develop the website for the Office of the Provost. This will include creating new pages and ensuring that the data is current and relevant.
8. 8. May perform other writing and communications duties as assigned.

Required Education and Experience

Bachelor’s degree in English, Journalism, Communications or related field and eight years of experience in public relations, journalism, television, corporate communications or agency work or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Demonstrated experience in developing communications for a range of media and working with creative professionals in design, photography or video.

Required Skill/Ability 1:

Demonstrated experience drafting high level confidential and sensitive communications, documents or other materials for senior leaders and administrators whether in an academic or corporate environment. Proven ability to conduct research on topics related to the communications and materials.

Required Skill/Ability 2:

Demonstrated ability juggling daily deadlines with long-term projects and flexibility for working off-hours on evenings and weekends as dictated by deadlines and priorities.

Required Skill/Ability 3:

Demonstrated and proven interpersonal and problem-solving skills with a demonstrated desire to work collaboratively with peers and stakeholders.

Required Skill/Ability 4:

Demonstrated ability in exercising independent judgment and decision-making based on an understanding of organizational policies and activities.

Preferred Education, Experience and Skills:

Experience working at Yale or another higher education institution.

Weekend Hours Required?

Occasional

Evening Hours Required?

Occasional

Drug Screen

No

Health Screening

No

Background Check Requirements

All candidates for employment will be subject to pre-employment background screening for this position, which may include motor vehicle, DOT certification, drug testing and credit checks based on the position description and job requirements. All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of the background check. Please visit www.yale.edu/hronline/careers/screening/faqs.html for additional information on the background check requirements and process.

Posting Disclaimer

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the essential functions that will be required of the position and should not be construed as a declaration of specific duties and responsibilities of the particular position. Employees will be assigned specific job-related duties through their hiring departments.

Affirmative Action Statement:

Yale University considers applicants for employment without regard to, and does not discriminate on the basis of, an individual’s sex, race, color, religion, age, disability, status as a veteran, or national or ethnic origin; nor does Yale discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 protects people from sex discrimination in educational programs and activities at institutions that receive federal financial assistance. Questions regarding Title IX may be referred to the University’s Title IX Coordinator, at TitleIX@yale.edu, or to the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, 8th Floor, Five Post Office Square, Boston MA 02109-3921. Telephone: 617.289.0111, Fax: 617.289.0150, TDD: 800.877.8339, or Email: ocr.boston@ed.gov.

Note

Yale University is a tobacco-free campus