The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) seeks a full-time Assistant Vice President for Communications to plan, direct, and manage communications activities, including program and event marketing, public information initiatives, and a variety of organizational messages, reports, documents, and materials.

About the Position

The Assistant Vice President for Communications is a new position reporting to the Senior Vice President who oversees member engagement and communications. The Assistant Vice President will supervise two direct reports on the communications team and collaborate closely with program and project management teams across the organization. The AVP will collaborate closely with program teams across the organization and with the member engagement team.

CIC has embraced a “digital-first” communications strategy. The new Assistant Vice President will play a leading role in implementing this digital-first approach and aligning organizational capacity and culture with it. CIC has also recently launched a “member engagement” approach; the AVP will develop and implement data-informed and member-centric communication plans and assess their effectiveness.

In addition, the Assistant Vice President for Communications will:

• Collaborate with program managers to design and implement messaging campaigns to promote events and increase member engagement;
• Prepare and manage detailed project schedules and work flows;
• Keep project stakeholders informed about progress and process;
• Collect and analyze data to assess effectiveness of communications and track and monitor key metrics;
• Coordinate email and social media campaigns to ensure they are optimized to achieve CIC’s goals;
• Develop, write, review or edit stories, articles, and messages for a variety of communication formats.
• Ensure that CIC’s high standards of accuracy, timeliness, and quality are met in all publications and communications; and
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications, Competencies, and Requirements

The ideal candidate will have experience directing and managing communications for a membership organization, higher education institution, or non-profit organization which employs a “digital-first” strategy. They will also have experience directing website content, email campaigns, newsletters, and social media. Strong familiarity and comfort with standard office and collaboration tools such as Zoom, Slack, Office 365, Google Workspace, and common project management applications is required. A bachelor’s degree is required (preferably from a CIC member institution) as well as at least five years of full-time experience in communications management in a relevant setting. Experience with supervision and staff development is required. Familiarity with higher education audiences and issues is strongly preferred. Commitment to professional growth is desirable, as is experience with implementing organizational change agendas.

The successful candidate will demonstrate outstanding writing skills, including the ability to write effectively in various formats and media. Familiarity with Chicago Manual of Style standards is desirable. Attention to detail and the ability to organize and track complex processes is essential. Effective interpersonal communication and a highly collaborative work style are required, as are flexibility and the ability to adjust quickly in response to changing needs and circumstances.

Like all CIC staff members, the Assistant Vice President for Communications will demonstrate a proactive, positive, and member-focused disposition; handle competing priorities independently and effectively; exercise creativity and initiative in solving problems; and be inclined to thrive in a small office environment.

This position requires occasional overnight and out-of-area travel. Performing the responsibilities of this position requires the ability to see, hear, and speak; work in a normal seated position; manually operate standard office equipment such as keyboards and printers; and move throughout an office or conference space. CIC requires that employees be optimally protected against COVID-19 by receiving all recommended vaccinations.

TO APPLY: The position is available immediately and will remain open until the successful candidate is appointed. To apply, submit a c.v. and a letter of interest to CICJobs@cic.edu with the subject line “AVP COMMS”; for full consideration, apply by May 15.