Director of Communications, School of Social Welfare

About Berkeley

At the University of California, Berkeley, we are dedicated to fostering a community where everyone feels welcome and can thrive. Our culture of openness, freedom, and belonging make it a special place for students, faculty, and staff. As a world‑leading institution, Berkeley is known for its academic and research excellence, public mission, diverse student body, and commitment to equity and social justice.

Since our founding in 1868, we have driven innovation, creating global intellectual, economic, and social value. We are looking for applicants who reflect California's diversity and want to be part of an inclusive, equity‑focused community that views education as a matter of social justice. Please consider whether your values align with our Guiding Values and Principles, Principles of Community, and Strategic Plan.

At UC Berkeley, we believe that learning is a fundamental part of working, and provide space for supportive colleague communities via numerous employee resource groups (staff organizations). Our goal is for everyone on the Berkeley campus to feel supported and equipped to realize their full potential. We actively support this by providing all of our full‑time staff employees with at least 80 hours (10 days) of paid time per year to engage in professional development activities.

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Berkeley Social Welfare is one of the nation's leading social work graduate programs. As part of the world's top‑ranked public university, the School of Social Welfare is producing new knowledge for the common good and training the next generation of social work thought leaders dedicated to serving society's most vulnerable members. Known for combining rigorous scholarship with outstanding education, the School of Social Welfare offers MSW and PhD programs as well as an undergraduate major.

Since 1944, the School has prepared nearly 12,000 social work professionals for leadership positions in the public and nonprofit human service sectors. Berkeley Social Welfare graduates are dedicated to meeting the growing needs of marginalized, underserved and other vulnerable populations.

The Director of Communications serves as the strategic communications leader for the School of Social Welfare, building the school's visibility, articulating its identity and connecting faculty research to broader audiences.

The First Review Date for this job is July 20, 2026. For full consideration, please apply on or before the first review date.

• Develop and maintain core messaging that articulates the school's identity, direction and value proposition — including differentiation from peer programs.
• Translate strategic plan priorities into accessible narratives for faculty, staff, students and alumni.
• Support internal change communications as the school evolves programs, structure and curriculum.
• Manage school’s internal communications program, including digital signboards, announcements and regular updates to faculty and staff.
• Draft talking points, remarks and written materials for the dean and school leadership.
• Compile and produce regular strategic plan progress reports in partnership with school leadership.
• Develop messaging frameworks for faculty retreats and strategic planning sessions.
• Monitor school reputation across social media, earned media and internal channels; flag issues and opportunities.
• Attend and document events that advance strategic narratives about the school, including occasional evening and weekend work.

• Identify, pitch and develop SSW faculty research stories for institutional channels, including UC Berkeley News, social media and video.
• Partner with faculty and dean to define research theme clusters that connect SSW scholarship to institutional narrative priorities.
• Participate in Strategic Comms content planning meetings and coordination processes.
• Support institutional campaigns (e.g., Research with Results) with relevant SSW content.
• Manage media inquiries for SSW…