Communications Manager, Office of the Provost

Department 7159 - Communications & Marketing

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, marketing, English, public relations, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and/or experience.
• A minimum of two (2) years of progressively responsible experience in communications, marketing, or a related field, with demonstrated strength in writing, digital channel management, and project coordination.
• Excellent written communication skills across multiple formats and audiences, including institutional messaging, social media, newsletters, and executive correspondence.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, and exercise sound judgment with minimal day-to-day supervision.
• Experience managing organizational social media accounts, including content planning, scheduling, community monitoring, and analytics.
• Experience using content management systems to edit and maintain websites.
• Strong organizational and project management skills; ability to meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment with multiple concurrent priorities.
• Professional maturity and interpersonal skills appropriate to a senior leadership environment; ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion.

Unless otherwise required by an applicable collective bargaining agreement, all minimum, additional, and desired qualifications are preferred, but qualifications, degrees, and/or experience deemed comparable and/or equivalent by Oakland University in its sole and exclusive discretion may be considered.

Desired Qualifications

• Master’s degree in communications, marketing, higher education, or a related field.
• Experience working in a higher education or complex institutional setting.
• Experience supporting executive-level communications, including writing in an established institutional or individual voice.
• Familiarity with brand governance principles and experience working within an institutional brand framework.
• Experience with email marketing platforms and web analytics tools.
• Knowledge of and enthusiasm for the academic mission of a regional public university.

About the Role

The Communications Manager serves as the primary communications resource for Academic Affairs—owning the day-to-day execution of the Provost’s communications plan while also bringing strategic judgment and independent initiative to the role. This is a standalone embedded position.

The Communications Manager operates with a high degree of autonomy, managing the full scope of Academic Affairs communications: executive content for the Provost, internal communications across schools and colleges, digital channel management, brand stewardship, and coordination with UCM’s central teams. The Manager is the sole dedicated communications professional for one of the university’s most complex and high-visibility leadership offices, and will act as a trusted liaison, ensuring all communications are handled with confidentiality and professional discretion.

The ideal candidate brings both strong execution skills and the professional maturity to work independently in a senior leadership environment, advise the Provost on communications decisions, and serve as a credible representative of UCM’s standards across the Academic Affairs community.