Internal Communications Specialist

JOB SUMMARY:

The Internal Communications Specialist is responsible for creating, coordinating and distributing materials designed to keep St. Thomas students, faculty and staff apprised of important news and announcements. This includes email updates sent from university leaders and departments, e-newsletters aimed at university-wide audiences and multi-media content as appropriate (e.g. podcasts, video addresses, etc.). This position is responsible for helping to gather information for these updates and creating the content in collaboration with the Communications Director and other leaders with the seven-member PR & Communications team. Additionally, the Internal Communications Specialist plays an important role in coordinating with the university’s Innovation & Technology Services (ITS) department to distribute materials (e.g. email via the university’s Marketing Cloud technology platform) to the internal community, tracking their effectiveness and regularly reporting back to the Communications Director. All activities will be aligned with strategic communications priorities designed to keep internal audiences appropriately informed, shape their perceptions and spur them to take specific actions. These priorities will be identified by leaders within the PR & Communications team, which is part of the university’s and larger Marketing, Insights & Communications (MIC) department.

This position reports to the Director of Communications on the university’s PR & Communications team. The Internal Communications Specialist will develop strong relationships throughout the team and larger MIC organization, helping to facilitate integrated communications campaigns. For instance, it will be essential for this role to closely coordinate with the team’s Social Media Specialist to share internal communications content/messaging that can be used on social media. This role will also contribute to larger communications efforts by contributing written content for all strategic publications supported by the PR & Communications team, as well as stay in close contact with stakeholders from across the university to identify stories in line with strategic communications priorities.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

1. Coordinating distribution of university-wide and faculty/staff-only emails – In addition to distributing standard Outlook emails directly, this role will work closely with the ITS department to coordinate the distribution of emails to the internal university community via Marketing Cloud. These emails (anywhere between 1-3 per week depending on needs) will come from departments such as the President’s Office, Provost’s Office, the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and potentially Human Resources. Responsibilities will include updating ITS colleagues about the status of materials, intended audiences and distribution schedules. The Internal Communications Specialist will play a role in helping ITS manage email lists and tracking key metrics such as email open rates. The specialist will also draft these emails as directed when needed.

2. Maintaining the internal communications editorial calendar – The specialist will work closely with the Director of Communications to manage a master editorial calendar that tracks communications across various departments, including university-wide communications, communications meant for specific internal audiences (e.g. faculty-only communications from academic affairs, employee-only communications from HR, etc.). This role will help ensure communications are timed appropriately by providing a view into all communications planned across the university. This person will also coordinate with the social media team on internal communications content that should be shared via the university’s various social media accounts.

3. Managing strategic newsletters – This person will play a key role in compiling content for and building various e-newsletters aimed at internal university audiences. These e-newsletters (currently two per week, built using the WordPress platform) will be compiled mostly using existing content, although the specialist will typically be responsible for creating 1-3 short items (usually no more than 1-2 paragraphs) per newsletter. The specialist will provide e-newsletter drafts for the Communications Director’s review and incorporate feedback prior to distribution via email. Additionally, this role may be asked to help support the creation and distribuition of alumni e-newsletters as needed. The specialist will also track key metrics for the e-newsletters, such as open rates, and regularly report back to the Communications Director on effectiveness.

4. Developing content – As part of the PR & Communications team, the Internal Communications Specialist will also play a role in developing written content for all strategic publications as needed, including content designed to reach external audiences. This will include content for the university’s online newsroom, as well as various print publications (St. Thomas Magazine, various other magazines produced by university schools and colleges). The specialist will also be expected to recommend creative ideas for multi-media content, such as videos, podcasts and social media posts (any ideas ultimately used may be executed by the specialist, or by another group depending on needs and requirements). As part of this role, the specialist will develop and maintain relationships with key university personnel to develop story ideas.

5. Proofreading – This role will serve as a backup proofreader for content, as needed.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in public relations, marketing, journalism and mass communications, or a related field
• Three years of professional communications experience.

An equivalent combination of education and experience from which comparable knowledge and skills have been acquired may be substituted.For example, a candidate with an AA and two additional years of experience (five total) or a candidate with seven years of experience but no degree will be considered. Certificates, training programs, and other similar non-degree education may be considered with additional experience in lieu of the BA degree.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Internal communications or equivalent higher education experience.

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY:

The University of St. Thomas offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits program, which includes:

• Up to 100% tuition remission for employees, spouses, and dependents upon eligibility 
• A generous Employer retirement contribution of 9.4% of annual salary upon eligibility 
• Medical, dental, and vision options 
• Employer-paid disability, life, and AD&D benefits