Senior Communications Specialist- (Hybrid System Offices Shared Services

Sponsorship for work authorization is not available for this position.

System Office positions, such as this position, are not eligible for the employee referral program.

Coordinate and provide consulting on the communications function with the planning, development, execution, and evaluation of internal and external (university wide) communication strategies and initiatives to enhance internal employee communication within the entire Chief Financial Officer organization of the University of Illinois System and meet the information needs of System Offices Shared Services customers.

• Oversee and maintain content on the units' web pages that are a part of the new Business and Finance website, along with facilitating content management service for all University of Illinois System websites (HTML)
• Oversee, write and/or copy edit article content for Business and Finance News announcements, code (HTML) content into the News Service application, and publish announcements
• Under guidance of Associate Director of Communications and other communication partners publish other system-wide external communications, such as mass mails to the Deans, Directors and Department Heads (DDDH), and Business Managers Group (BMG)/AFO messages, through the respective campus communication entities
• Create and maintain employee's distribution lists by running monthly report queries against Banner databases and updating the list accordingly
• Write and/or copy edit article content for the customer units' newsletters
• Develop and produce print publications, newsletters, and program brochures for SOSS customers
• Oversee compliance with system regulations, policies, and standards
• Participate in internal SOSS projects as well as external System Offices projects in senior communications specialist role, assign project support tasks to communications specialist, extra help staff and/or student workers
• Under guidance and supervision of Associate Director, assign and oversee work requests performed by extra help staff and student workers
• Support Change Management team Help draft and implement project communication plans Assist in implementing change management strategies under direction of Associate Director of Communications Assist in facilitating informational events for staff, such as Town Hall meetings, campus employee fairs, focus group activities, user group presentations, and conferences
• Other duties as assigned appropriate for a Senior Communications Specialist

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, business administration, communications, public relations, or a closely related field.
• One (1) year (12 months) of professional work experience in marketing, public relations, communications, brand management, or a related professional area.
• Based on position requirements, additional education, training, and/or work experience in the area of specialization inherent to the position, may be required.

• Master's degree in communications or, creative writing, graphic design, English-related field.
• Three years experience in marketing, public relations, communications, brand management, or a related professional area, that included writing and style editing.
• Possess Valid Certification with NCSA (National Customer Service Association).
• At least five years' experience in a communications office, preferably in a higher-education environment.
• Experience in managing tasks and/or projects-as well as developing plans and adhering to established goals and timelines.
• Experience working with or in higher education, experience at the University of Illinois Urbana/Champaign campus strongly preferred.
• Experience with content creation and web development tools.
• Experience working in a team environment.

• Strong project management skills, excellent writing and editing skills, and demonstrated skills in the production and creation of print and other media.
• Ability to provide evidence of strong interpersonal and project-management skills.
• Ability to project a dynamic and pleasant personality in public appearances.
• Ability to communicate and work effectively. Working knowledge of Adobe Creative suite of software.
• Ability to work independently, creatively, and efficiently under time constraints.
• Detail-oriented and able to coordinate multiple projects with competing priorities.
• Excellent teamwork skills and the willingness to collaborate in a team environment on various projects.
• Knowledge of the University of Illinois.
• Administrative knowledge of Campus Web Tools.

This is a 100% full-time Civil Service 5004 - Marketing Associate position, appointed on a 12-month basis. The expected start date is as soon as possible after 3/15/2026. The budgeted salary range for the position is $60,000 to $65,000. Salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience, while also considering internal equity.

For more information on Civil Service classifications, please visit…