Career Center

Instructions to Applicants: Please include a resume and cover letter as attachments to your application.

Position Summary

The communications manager role is an integral part of the newly created Marketing and Communications team within the Enrollment Division at Rice University, a highly-selective research institution located in the heart of Houston, Texas. The manager will report to the Director of Enrollment Strategy, Marketing, and Communications. The team goals are to consistently communicate the brand and identity of Rice University and its seven undergraduate schools to prospective students, parents, and school educators and to accurately and persuasively represent and market the university and its undergraduate academic programs. The team works to ensure that the enrollment division uses the most contemporary and effective approaches to reach prospective students and coordinates innovative communications initiatives through various media, including print, web, email, social, and video.

The communications manager will lead the planning, development, and implementation of communication strategies through print, web, e-mail, and social media in collaboration with key stakeholders across the division and university to meet the enrollment division's objective. S/he will serve as the point person to manage communications activities in the CRM database and on all admissions social media channels. Additionally, s/he will support the development of an integrated marketing and communication plan for the Enrollment Division to enhance the perception of Rice with prospective students, parents, and school educators.

This position manages and collaborates with the systems team on all communications activities in a multi-matrixed CRM database to ensure timely dissemination of information to key targets, and manages social media presence for Rice Admissions using the latest social media techniques focused on Gen Z. In addition, the manager supports the Director of Enrollment Strategy, Marketing, and Communications in marketing campaign planning and development of communication strategies for the enrollment division including the development of overall tone and voice for the division.

Essential Functions

• Recommends, develops, and implements the digital communication and brand strategy for a department or unit
• Writes, designs, and coordinates the production of digital communication and marketing materials
• Develops integrated communications and/or marketing plans to meet objectives
• Builds digital community through social media channels, blogs, and the web
• Grows and engages user base
• Manages social listening efforts and reports back to management
• Provides customer service to constituents across digital channels
• Represents the organization to constituents, campus, media
• Develops content used to engage constituents and grow channels
• Curates digital content
• Compiles data, analyzes, and reports on social media use
• Acts as an internal advocate for digital community efforts, building support for social initiatives among internal stakeholders and driving digital best practices
• Contributes to overall development and refinement of digital community strategy, and innovative social initiatives
• Performs all other duties as assigned

Education, Experience, and Licenses/Certifications Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree
• 2 years of experience
• Type of experience: previous work experience in a marketing communication setting, such as PR/advertising or corporate communications

Substitutions

• No substitutions for education or experience allowed

Skills Required

• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Familiar with technology, social platforms, current, and future trends
• Organized and creative
• Analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to take direction and work to meet expected deadlines and schedules
• Demonstrated team player

Preferences

• Bachelor's degree concentration/degree type in a marketing discipline, including marketing, journalism, public relations, advertising, or corporate communications
• 5 years of experience working in a marketing communication setting
• Strong writing, editing, and proofreading essential
• Solid understanding of current trends in digital media/social media
• Experience with CRM database management
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize and multi-task
• Demonstrated ability in basic online research and ability to compile findings into understandable reports
• Strong collaboration skills
• Excellent organizational and planning skills

Rice University is an Equal Opportunity Employer with commitment to diversity at all levels, and considers for employment qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status.

Current Rice University COVID policies, which include vaccination, face mask, testing, gatherings, occupancy limits, and travel policies can be found here: https://coronavirus.rice.edu/policies