Senior Manager, Communications - School of Climate, Environment, and Society

Senior Manager, Communications - School of Climate, Environment, and Society

The Senior Manager, Communications provides strategic leadership for the development, execution, and continuous evolution of an integrated communications strategy that advances the visibility, reputation, enrollment objectives, research impact, and philanthropic goals of Clark University's School of Climate, Environment, and Society (CES).

The Senior Manager is a pivotal integrator within the School and across the University enterprise, serving as the primary communications lead and key advisor to the Dean and School leadership team, ensuring that School-level communications align with University communications strategy, brand standards, and applicable legal and regulatory requirements. The Senior Manager transforms often complex and technical effort into accessible, compelling, human-centered narratives for key internal and external audiences, while managing information flows across CES units, with broader university stakeholders, and external partners.

Through a strong collaborative partnership with the Office of Marketing and Communications (Mar Comm) regularly find opportunities for amplification and leverage.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Strategic Communications Leadership, Governance & Compliance (35%)
• Develop and lead a comprehensive communications strategy for the school, including tailored plans for CES units (Center for Geospatial Analytics, George Perkins Marsh Institute), aligned with CES and University priorities.
• Serve as senior communications advisor to the Dean. Establish and maintain communications governance standards, ensuring adherence to University brand guidelines, accessibility standards (including digital accessibility requirements), FERPA and student privacy considerations, intellectual property guidelines, and other applicable regulatory and institutional policies.
• Partner with Mar Comm, Legal, Advancement, and Admissions to plan shared communications efforts and to mitigate reputational and compliance risk.

• Content Strategy, Editorial Oversight & Quality Assurance (30%)
• Oversee development of high-impact content across digital, print, and multimedia platforms.
• Write and edit complex communications materials for CES, including executive messaging, internal and external newsletters and event promotion, research highlights, recruitment materials, donor communications, and feature stories that translate technical subject matter into compelling and easily consumed content.
• Ensure accuracy of claims, appropriate representation of research and data, and compliance with institutional policies prior to publication.
• Maintain editorial standards that align with Mar Comm guidelines and protect institutional integrity and reputational standing.

• Digital Strategy, Analytics & Platform Compliance (20%)
• Lead CES' digital presence including website and social media strategies, channels and communities.
• Ensure website, social media and other digital content is regular, compelling and timely.
• Meet University accessibility standards and applicable digital compliance requirements.
• Monitor and analyze engagement metrics and recommend data-informed improvements.
• Coordinate with central IT and Mar Comm teams to ensure proper content governance, security awareness, and platform best practices.

• Project Leadership, Vendor Oversight & Risk Management (15%)
• Lead complex communications initiatives involving multiple stakeholders.
• Oversee external vendors, contractors, and student workers as assigned, ensuring contractual expectations, brand standards, and compliance requirements are met.
• Identify and proactively address reputational, messaging, or compliance risks in collaboration with appropriate University partners.
• Manage communications budgets as assigned.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree required; degree in communications, journalism, marketing, or related field preferred
• Minimum of seven (7) years of progressive professional experience in communications, journalism, marketing, or related fields
• Demonstrated experience leading strategic communications initiatives with measurable institutional impact
• Exceptional writing and…