Communications Specialist

Job Profile:

Creative Services Specialist 2

Job Family:

Creative Services

Time Type:

Full time

Max Pay – Depends on experience:

$70,000.00 USD Annual

Apply before 11:59 PM Arizona time the day before the posted End Date.

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree and three (3) years of experience appropriate to the area of assignment/field; OR, Any equivalent combination of experience and/or training from which comparable knowledge, skills and abilities have been achieved.

Job Description:

Posting Salary Range:

$64,000 - $70,000 per year; DOE

Essential Duties:

• Collaborate as part of the CISA Marketing and Communications team to increase awareness and visibility of the college’s distinctive programs, expertise and people, especially as we work to grow enrollment across all three campuses where CISA is located.

• Write news articles, feature stories, marketing copy and pitches including, but not limited to: research and human-interest stories, profiles of people and programs, content for e-newsletters, writing for webpages and social media, communications to current and prospective students and their families, alumni, donors, colleagues, materials related to academic offerings and proposed curricula: scripts or talking points for presentations, meetings and videos, communications to promote events.

• Participate in strategic communications planning with the marketing and communications team.

• Demonstrate strong writing skills in AP style, editing content produced by others for grammar, as well as to help maintain ASU brand and CISA messaging.

• Synthesizes insights from a wide range of intellectual and cultural resources to support and enhance storytelling.

• Identify news, culture and consumer trends that intersect with college-related research, activities, and expertise to craft story pitches or to incorporate into brand communications.

• Develop and discuss themes and objectives for assignments, target audiences, and desired outcomes to ensure content meets strategic communication goals.

• Produce marketing and communications content that is engaging, thoughtful, inclusive and representative of the college and adheres to ASU brand standards across media channels, fostering a positive connection to the brand.

• Build relationships with other ASU communicators, ASU Enterprise Brand Strategy and Management and others on ASU campuses and in the community to extend local, national and global reach.

• Demonstrate sound public relations best practices in writing press releases, press briefs, media pitches and calendar listings.

• Track and create reports on press coverage on a regular basis.

• Demonstrate discretion and maintain confidentiality with communications of a sensitive nature.

• Other duties and special projects as assigned. 

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience in interviewing people and conducting research to write longform and short form prose across channels for a brand in higher education, exercising a high degree of judgment and diplomacy.

• Ability to translate complex academic concepts within a variety of fields into prose that uses the appropriate voice and language to meet the needs of an audience or channel.

• Experience copywriting and editing in Associated Press Style with evidence of the ability to craft engaging, accurate and brand-aligned content for a variety of channels with SEO and accessibility in mind. 

• Experience in successfully establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with diverse collaborators and constituents.

• Demonstrated knowledge of public relations and media relations principles to create press releases and pitches, manage media requests, and monitor coverage, using a system like Cision or Muck Rack.

• Demonstrated eye for detail and highly developed organizational skills, including the ability to prioritize tasks against tight deadlines.

• Experience producing communications in systems such as Mail Chimp or Salesforce Marketing Cloud to reach target audiences effectively.

• Demonstrated knowledge and adoption of interactive tools and technologies for collaboration and project management, (e.g. Wrike, Slack, Asana).

• Experience with relevant software and platforms such as Adobe Creative Suite for photo optimization and design, (e.g. Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator); Google Slides and other Google Suite applications; Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; Dropbox; Canto or Iconik.

• Basic understanding and use of human-centered AI integration into communications work.

• Experience in managing competing priorities and working with a sense of urgency to meet deadlines.

• Other duties and special projects as assigned.

Working Environment:

• Days and Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., evenings and weekends may occasionally be required.

• Ability to clearly communicate verbally, read, write, see and hear to perform essential functions; Regular use of standard office equipment including, but not limited to computer workstation/laptop (keyboard, monitor, mouse), printer, fax, calculator, copier, and associated computer/technology peripherals.

• Activities are performed in an environmentally controlled office setting subject to extended periods of sitting, keyboarding, and manipulating a computer mouse (75%); required to stand for varying lengths of time and walk moderate distances to perform work (10%). 

• Frequent bending, reaching, lifting, pushing, pulling, and carrying objects up to 25 pounds (5%).

• Occasional meetings across ASU campuses and with external partners.

•  May include exposure to external environment/climate conditions including walking on uneven surfaces, climbing and high temperatures. Locations may be interior/exterior in perhaps rugged conditions.

• Fragile electronic equipment must be transported both manually and with the assistance of portage devices.

• Operation of video and photographic equipment may be handheld for extended periods.

• Some equipment, such as lighting and cabling, can be dangerous during operation and setup.

• Regular review of completed tasks.

• Hybrid work is an option for CISA employees. Hybrid arrangements allow employees to spend a minimum of 60% of their regular workweek at their primary ASU work location. Dean or Provost level approval is required.

Department Statement:

ASU's College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (CISA) seeks candidates who are passionate about connecting academic learning with real-world outcomes and fostering student engagement. As part of CISA, your expertise will contribute to a college culture grounded in service, purpose, and practical impact.

CISA is a leader in applied and career-connected learning, with continuous innovation in teaching, curriculum development and AI integration. CISA has more than 9,000 students at all levels, 84 programs and 361 faculty members. We build degree programs and pathways that are flexible and r