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Summary: Wake Forest University (WFU)’s department of Information Systems (IS) is a service-oriented team of talented technology professionals dedicated to serving the WFU community. IS provides modern, innovative core IT infrastructure, services, support and training with the empathy, passion and excellence at the core of the WFU motto pro humanitate, “for humanity..” Our IS Communications team is responsible for building and maintaining awareness in our community through digital, print and face-to-face engagement, both for acute and/or urgent changes and feature adds, as well as longer term IS projects, strategy and initiatives.
The Assistant Director, IS Communications leads this team of technical and creative communicators, integrating various talents into campaigns for numerous needs. As an exemplary communicator, this leader understands the importance of providing information that is accurate and timely, but which also conveys our position in IS as a partner, shoulder to shoulder with our Wake Forest community. Humility, courage, trust and compassion are key values in addition to fostering an environment which is inclusive and encourages the best ideas from the whole team and from our IS and WFU community.
Job Description
Essential Functions:
- Evaluate and manage priorities for IS communications needs and delegate according to work load and skill sets to ensure adherence to deadlines and targets for projects
- Support and coach team members as they grow in their communication careers, utilizing servant leadership principles
- Encourage a collaborative and creative approach, encouraging ideas and delegating ownership for execution
- Manage the IS communications budget for the year, making strategic decisions on spending to maximize value for WFU
- Partner with other leaders within IS and be supportive for them: engage in the work of understanding their needs and the challenges we will help them with, as well as identify how we can best convey their work and its value to our non-technical audiences
- Similar to an investigative reporter, model a spirit of inquiry to the team: ask questions of technical leads on matters requiring communication and engagement effort, or discover from them new communications needs.
- Be an empathetic communicator: Employ a knack for taking in technical and complicated projects and concepts with the ability to translate these gracefully into meaningful messaging for our audiences
- Partner outside of IS to areas beyond and within our WFU community, look for ways IS can collaborate and extend our reach
- Model accountability, in all areas, but especially in maintaining the security and confidentiality of any proprietary or sensitive information or data in any medium regarding the university or its students, faculty, or staff.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
- 5-8 years professional communication/marketing experience including 2 years of supervisory experience
- Experience working in an academic or higher education environment
Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:
- Skill and experience communicating to an academic audience, especially concepts which may be technical or more complex in nature
- Experience working through designs with clients
- Understanding of and sensitivity to digital accessibility standards and guidelines, skilled in accessibility strategy in its various forms
- Excellent understanding of different modes of organizational communication, and a sophistication in their various uses
- Ability to maximize reach and effectiveness in marketing campaigns
- Experience using analytical tools to understand message effectiveness
- Comfort with design programs
- Service-oriented mindset
Desired Skills or Competencies:
- Bachelor’s degree or higher in marketing, communication, or similar discipline
- Adobe CS design experience (in one or more apps in this suite)
- Background in customer service and support, especially in the area of technology
- Experience in a higher education environment, especially in the area of communication
- Superb communication, writing, marketing and public speaking skills
- Experience managing websites for customers (any CMS, but WordPress is a plus)
Supervisory Responsibility:
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Manages and supervises activities of high-level professionals