Communications Manager for New Students

We are seeking an individual who values community, loves UW-Madison, and can't wait to welcome new Badgers to campus. As the communications manager for new students, you will be charged with leading a collaborative and strategic communications approach to onboarding new students and accompanying them through their first year on campus.

As a member of the central Student Affairs communications team, you will work closely with Student Affairs colleagues and campus partners to align communications in support of a positive student experience. This will include overseeing communications and promotions for Student Orientation, Advising, and Registration (SOAR) and Wisconsin Welcome; supporting new student convocation; aligning new student and parent/family communications; and fulfilling compliance requirements for first-year communications. You will have the option to hire a student intern team to support these efforts.

The ideal candidate is a natural collaborator and influencer who centers inclusion and belonging in their work; a skilled facilitator and planner with a demonstrated record of success; and someone who has experience coordinating student-facing communications at the university level.

Student Affairs comprises approximately 850 professional staff from departments located across campus. We are unified by our dedication to ensuring every student experiences a just and caring community, a sense of belonging, and academic and personal success at UW-Madison. We seek candidates who are student-centered, practice collaboration, strive for excellence, and are eager to lead in making our campus a welcoming place for all students.

• 20% Manages the day-to-day operational unit plans to align with strategic initiatives and to meet established objectives
• 15% Plans, writes, and edits content for various internal and external stakeholders
• 10% Plans and directs unit programs and/or projects to ensure adherence to deadlines and budgets
• 15% Identifies, proposes, and implements new or revised unit operational policies and procedures
• 20% Develops, implements, and delivers communication materials through various mediums to designated audiences
• 5% Monitors reach and effectiveness of communication campaigns, projects, and initiatives
• 15% Facilitates alignment of new student communications among Student Affairs and campus colleagues

• Communications strategy and planning -- Identify opportunities for communication alignment and collaboration; coordinate workflow; and refine or create work processes in support of a positive new student experience.
• New student orientation & welcome programming -- Oversee branding, communication strategy, and promotional/collateral needs for SOAR and Wisconsin Welcome. Assist chancellor's office with new student convocation.
• Parents & families -- Assist staff from the Parent and Family Program to develop and implement a communication plan that aligns with new student issues and outreach.
• Compliance -- Monitor and adhere to federal, state, UW System, and university requirements for communications to new students. Track and internally submit fulfillment of required communications.
• Required first-year programs -- Coordinate communications from Student Affairs departments (University Health Services and Office of Inclusion Education) and Graduate School related to required online programs for new students.
• Website, social media, e-blasts -- Set the communication strategy, content plan, and upkeep for SOAR website, Office of Student Transition and Family Engagement social media channels, and for SOAR and Wisconsin Welcome promotions.
• Supervision and advising -- Hire and manage student interns to coordinate communication project workflow and execution. Advise on new student communication-related projects led by Student Affairs staff and interns.
• Special projects -- Assist with development and facilitation of operational plans in support of special projects or campaigns. Support other Student Affairs departments as needed.

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

For more information on diversity and inclusion on campus, please visit: Diversity and Inclusion

Preferred
Bachelor's Degree

Required -- Minimum 5 years relevant professional experience, including managing multiple projects in a deadline-driven environment and leading student-facing communications in a higher education setting. Excellent organizational, writing/editing, and communication skills.

Preferred -- At least 10 years relevant professional experience; ability to assess and align diverse stakeholder needs to meet organizational goals; excellent facilitation skills; supervisory experience; skilled with using content management systems (e.g., Wordpress), email marketing software (e.g., Eloqua, MailChimp), project management software (e.g., Asana), and social media platforms.

Full Time: 100%

This position may require some work to be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location. Some work may be performed remotely, at an offsite, non-campus work location upon supervisor and department/Student Affairs division approval.

Ongoing/Renewable

Minimum $65,449 ANNUAL (12 months)
Depending on Qualifications
The expected minimum starting salary for this position is $65,449.00 annually. Actual pay will depend on experience and qualifications. This position offers a comprehensive benefits package, including generous paid time off, competitively priced health/dental/vision/life insurance, tax-advantaged savings accounts, and participation in the nationally recognized Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) pension fund. For a summary of benefits, please see https://www.wisconsin.edu/ohrwd/benefits/download/fasl.pdf

Student Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is led by Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Lori Reesor. Our staff is dedicated to serving student and to helping them succeed in and out of the classroom in areas including health and well-being, identity and inclusion, student leadership and community engagement, and student advocacy. Student Affairs includes departments led by the dean of students; departments that provide identity-based spaces and leadership resources; the Wisconsin Union; University Health Services; and University Recreation and Wellbeing. More at http://studentaffairs.wisc.edu.

Please note that successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without the need of an employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment.

To begin the application process, please click on the "Apply Now" button. As part of your application, you will need to upload the following documents:

1. A current resume.
2. A cover letter that addresses your experience and qualifications relevant to this position.
3. A list of at least three professional references, including their contact information.

The application must be completed and submitted by the deadline to be considered for this position.

Angel Cartagena
angel.cartagena@wisc.edu
608-890-2570
Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.

Communications Manager(CM003)

A04-STUDENT AFFAIRS/VC/ADMINISTRATION

Academic Staff-Renewable

310340-AS