Strategic Communications Manager - Office of Academic Affairs

Location: Various Locations, NY Category: Professional Job Type: Full-time Posted On: Fri Oct 9 2026 Job Description:

Empire State University invites applications for the position of Strategic Communications Manager. Located within the Office of Academic Affairs (OAA), this position serves as a key strategic communications partner in advancing the Office's priorities and initiatives. This role supports the development and execution of coordinated, audience-centered communications that advance academic priorities, strengthen transparency, and improve engagement across the Empire State University community. Working with a high degree of professionalism and independent judgment, the Strategic Communications Manager helps translate complex academic initiatives, processes, and decisions into clear, timely, and accessible messaging for faculty, staff, and other key stakeholders.

The Strategic Communications Manager for Academic Affairs partners closely with the Executive Director for Academic Affairs Operations, OAA leadership, OAA staff, and the Communications and Marketing offices to plan, develop, coordinate, and assess communications strategies. The position is responsible for shaping messaging approaches, managing communication timelines, maintaining web and SharePoint content, supporting executive and faculty-facing communications, and ensuring that OAA communications are accurate, consistent, inclusive, accessible, and aligned with institutional standards.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategic OAA Communications Leadership

• Develop, draft, coordinate, and distribute regular and just-in-time OAA communications to the Empire State University community.

• Serve as a communications partner to OAA leadership by advising on messaging strategy, audience needs, timing, tone, and appropriate communication channels.

• Translate complex academic priorities, processes, and initiatives into clear, accurate, and accessible communications for faculty, staff, and other stakeholders.

• Ensure consistency in voice, tone, formatting, accessibility, and branding across OAA communications materials.

• Provide planning, production, messaging, hosting support and follow-up for regular live video community open forum sessions with the Provost.

• Lead support for OAA and the Provost's communication needs for live and virtual events and meetings.

Faculty Communications Coordination

• Lead communications planning and coordination for faculty review, promotion, tenure, and related academic processes.

• Develop proactive communication plans, reminders, updates, and deadline messaging that support clarity, consistency, and timely engagement.

• Maintain communication schedules, track key dates, and anticipate messaging needs connected to faculty processes and academic operations.

• Partner with OAA colleagues to ensure faculty-facing communications accurately reflect policy, process, audience needs, and institutional priorities.

Responsive and Just-in-Time Messaging

• Prepare timely communications in response to emerging institutional needs, academic deadlines, leadership priorities, and stakeholder questions.

• Assess communication needs, recommend appropriate messaging approaches, and coordinate review and approval processes as needed.

• Develop informational materials, talking points, announcements, and updates that support Academic Affairs initiatives and decision-making transparency.

Web and SharePoint Content Maintenance

• Manage and maintain OAA web pages and SharePoint sites to ensure information is current, accurate, accessible, and organized around user needs.

• Post, update, and retire approved content, documents, and resources in accordance with institutional standards and communication priorities.

• Organize digital content and recommend improvements that make OAA materials easier to locate, understand, and use.

• Support the development of shared templates, communication workflows, and digital resources that strengthen consistency across OAA communications.

Collaboration with Communications and Marketing

• Serve as the primary OAA liaison to Communications and Marketing for routine OAA communications needs, ensuring alignment with institutional standards, brand guidance, accessibility expectations, and editorial practices.

• Coordinate review and approval processes for communications, balancing accuracy, timeliness, audience needs, and institutional voice.

• Incorporate feedback from leadership, subject matter experts, and communications partners while preserving message clarity and strategic intent.

Communication Coordination and Quality Control

• Maintain communication calendars, project plans, and tracking systems for key deliverables, approval steps, and timelines.

• Edit, proofread, and refine materials for clarity, accuracy, consistency, accessibility, tone, grammar, and audience alignment.

• Document communication processes, templates, standards, and workflows to support continuity and continuous improvement.

• Ensure editorial review procedures are clearly communicated, consistently followed, and updated as needs evolve.

• Monitor communication effectiveness and identify opportunities to improve reach, usability, consistency, and stakeholder understanding.

Job Requirements:

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, Marketing, English, Public Administration, Higher Education Administration, or related field.

• Professional experience developing, coordinating, and implementing communications for academic audiences.

• Excellent writing, editing, proofreading, and message-framing skills, including the ability to communicate complex information clearly and accurately.

• Experience managing web content, SharePoint sites, content calendars, or similar digital communication platforms.

• Strong organizational, project management, and follow-through skills, including the ability to manage multiple deadlines and priorities with appropriate independence.

• Ability to exercise sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, and collaborate effectively with leadership, subject matter experts, and cross-functional partners.

• Strong skills with the MS Office productivity suite of tools.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in higher education, academic administration, faculty affairs, or shared governance environments.

• Familiarity with faculty processes such as review, promotion, tenure, academic policy implementation, or related academic operations.

• Experience with SharePoint, Microsoft 365, digital newsletters, workflow tools, or similar platforms.

• Knowledge of accessibility standards, inclusive communication practices, and plain-language writing for digital content.

• Experience supporting executive, leadership, or enterprise-level communications.

• Multilingual communication skills.

Special Information

• This position is eligible for remote work; however, the incumbent will be required to travel periodically to University locations throughout New York State several times per year to support institutional operations, attend meetings, and participate in University events.

• Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. VISA sponsorship is not available for this position.

Additional Information:

Rank/Salary: Senior Staff Assistant, SL3 / $65,000-$70,000, dependent on experience and qualifications.

We are pleased to offer our employees an excellent benefit package which includes NYS health insurance, free dental and vision, competitive retirement options, and generous vacation, sick and holiday accruals; and a strong emphasis on work-life balance. We also offer professional-development activities for professionals and support staff.

SUNY Empire is an AA/EEO/ADA employer. The University actively seeks applications from women, veterans, individuals with a disability, members of underrepresented groups or anyone that would enrich the diversity of the University. SUNY Empire is committed to fostering a diverse community of outstanding faculty, staff, and students, as well as ensuring equal educational opportunity, employment, and access to services, programs, and activities, without regard to an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, creed, age, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, familial status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, or criminal conviction. Employees, students, applicants, or other members of the university community (including but not limited to vendors, visitors, and guests) may not be subjected to harassment that is prohibited by law or treated adversely or retaliated against based upon a protected characteristic.

SUNY Empire provides reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities, veterans, or wounded warriors where appropriate. If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please contact the Office of Human Resources at (518) 587-2100.

In accordance with the Title II Crime Awareness and Security Act, a copy of our crime statistics is available upon request by calling (518) 587-2100. It can also be viewed online at our Safety and Security website (https://sunyempire.edu/about/safety-security/jeanne-clery-act/annual-safety-security-report.html) .