Director, Internal Communications

Covista is America's largest healthcare educator, serving more than 97,000 students and supported by a community of 385,000 alumni across five accredited institutions. Through personalized, tech-enabled education powered by 10,000 faculty and colleagues, Covista expands access to healthcare careers and addresses the U.S. healthcare workforce shortage at scale. Our colleagues come from a wide range of backgrounds and are part of a culture where doing exceptional work and making a meaningful difference for students and society are one and the same.

About the role

As part of our Corporate Affairs team, we’re looking for a Director of Internal Communications and Employee Engagement who is equal parts strategist, change leader, and builder. In this role, you’ll help shape how our 10,000 colleagues experience organizational change, connect to our purpose, vision, values, and strategy, and engage with our culture. You’ll also play a key role in strengthening our employer brand by partnering closely with HR, Brand, and executive leaders to bring our employee value proposition to life.

Reporting to the Senior Director of Strategy and Internal Communications, the preferred location for this role is our Chicago office. We will also consider candidates based in our Washington, D.C., Columbia, Md., Minneapolis, Minn., or Lisle, Ill., offices. This is a hybrid role, with an expectation to work in the office Monday through Thursday.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute internal communications and change management strategies:
  • Translate complex organizational changes into clear, colleague-centered communication and engagement plans that drive understanding, adoption, and trust.
  • Establish frameworks and best practices that ensure communications are proactive, transparent, and consistent throughout periods of change.
• Lead and evolve our HR communications strategy:
  • Partner with HR leaders to shape best-in-class communication strategies, tactics, and materials covering talent strategy, performance management, Total Rewards, and large-scale people initiatives.
  • Help the HR organization connect the dots across functions and challenge conventional approaches to drive clear, engaging, and actionable communications.
  • Manage and coach the Manager of HR Communications to deliver day-to-day communications with a consistently high bar for quality and impact.
• Build and execute a communications and engagement strategy to strengthen our culture:
  • Partner with HR to design an employee engagement strategy that fosters collaboration, belonging, and energy.
  • Create scalable programs, campaigns, and tools that bring our purpose, vision, and values to life and help colleagues see their role in achieving organizational goals.
• Lead communications for our offices:
  • Serve as lead writer and editor for local newsletters and other office communications, partnering with the Manager of HR Communications to keep colleagues informed and connected.
  • Act as the primary communications partner to Office Managing Leaders (OMLs), equipping them with consistent messaging for everyday and high-stakes situations in coordination with Security and the Crisis and Issues Management teams as needed.
• Strengthen our employer brand—inside and out:
  • Bring our employee value proposition and purpose, vision, and values to life through high-impact communications for internal and external audiences.
  • Partner closely with Brand and HR to align messaging, elevate our presence, and support key employer brand initiatives, including drafting and reviewing content for digital channels such as LinkedIn, Instagram, Glassdoor, Indeed, and our careers site.
• Support executive communications:
  • Draft internal communications for the CHRO to increase visibility and engagement, partnering with the External Communications team to develop bylines, materials for speaking events, interviews, and social media content.
  • Draft internal communications for functional leaders as needed.
• Act as a trusted partner and leader within the team:
  • Serve as a key thought partner to the Senior Director of Strategy and Internal Communications and Corporate Affairs leadership, stepping in as needed to provide leadership and continuity across priorities.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in communications, media relations, journalism, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in internal communications, corporate communications, executive communications, employee engagement, or change management.
• Proficiency in AI tools and emerging technology to enhance personalized and impactful communications.
• Fluency with digital platforms such as LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and Indeed for both external and internal engagement.
• Exceptional writing, storytelling, and editing skills with the ability to simplify complexity, engage diverse audiences, and inspire action.
• Strategic thinking with a bias for action—able to connect the big picture with small details and drive execution.
• A builder’s mindset: comfortable with ambiguity and energized by defining what “great” looks like.
• Collaborative spirit with the ability to influence without authority and elevate cross-functional partnerships.
• Strong sense of humor and humanity, communicating with warmth, empathy, and authenticity.

Benefits

• Health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance.
• 401k Retirement Program with a 6% employer match.
• Flexible Time Off (FTO) Policy.
• 12 Paid Holidays.
• Annual incentive program based on individual and organizational performance.

For more information related to our benefits, visit https://careers.covista.com/benefits.

Pay

The expected salary range for this position is between $100,171.61 and $181,034.70. Actual pay will be adjusted based on job-related factors permitted by law, such as experience, training, geographic location, licensure, certifications, market factors, departmental budgets, and responsibility.

Schedule

This is a hybrid role with an expectation to work in the office Monday through Thursday.