Manager, Communications

About the Role

Join Enterprise Supply Chain at Duke University as a Manager, Communications and help tell the story of how Supply Chain creates value across Duke University and Duke Health through strategic messaging, stakeholder engagement, and executive communications.

Responsibilities

• Enterprise Communication Leadership
  • Create and manage a broad communication model for Enterprise Supply Chain that supports internal teams, Duke University and Duke Health stakeholders, customer groups, suppliers, and external audiences where appropriate.
  • Translate Supply Chain priorities, restructuring progress, operating changes, performance results, and value creation into clear messages that are accurate, credible, and easy to understand.
  • Establish standard communication routines, templates, talking points, briefings, update products, and messaging discipline so Supply Chain communication is coordinated rather than fragmented.
• Internal and External Communication Management
  • Manage communication planning and execution for internal SCM updates, leadership messages, team announcements, stakeholder communications, customer communications, and external-facing SCM content.
  • Partner with Supply Chain leaders to prepare concise, audience-appropriate messaging for operating changes, service updates, sourcing activity, project milestones, and stakeholder engagement needs.
  • Coordinate with Duke communication partners when messaging intersects with institutional communication standards, external publication, website content, or broader university and health system communication channels.
• Standard Tools, Web, Social and Content Management
  • Create and maintain standard communication tools, templates, executive updates, briefing materials, QBR support products, FAQs, one-page summaries, and recurring communication packages.
  • Manage SCM web and social content so the function presents a current, professional, and consistent public and internal-facing presence.
  • Ensure communication products are visually clean, accurate, brand-aware, and aligned with the tone and expectations of Duke University and Duke Health.
• Performance Narrative and Executive Messaging
  • Build the performance narrative that explains Supply Chain priorities, progress, challenges, value creation, stakeholder impact, and leadership asks in plain language.
  • Work with analytics, project management, sourcing, operations, shared services, university SCM, and business office teams to convert performance information into usable messages for leaders and customers.
  • Help ensure dashboards, scorecards, QBRs, and executive updates tell a coherent story that distinguishes activity from impact and projected value from realized value.
• QBR and Customer Communication Support
  • Create and schedule customer QBR communication routines, including planning calendars, agenda support, pre-reads, follow-up messaging, and documentation of key decisions or requests.
  • Support business partners and vertical leaders with communication materials that make stakeholder meetings more consistent, professional, and actionable.
  • Coordinate communication events that bring Supply Chain priorities, customer needs, service updates, and value opportunities into a predictable engagement rhythm.
• Communication Governance and Stakeholder Partnership
  • Maintain communication calendars, message inventories, distribution lists, stakeholder maps, and review workflows to ensure the right audiences receive the right information at the right time.
  • Serve as a communication advisor to Supply Chain leaders, helping shape messages that are concise, transparent, action-oriented, and appropriate for the audience.
  • Create feedback loops so communication quality, timing, usefulness, and stakeholder understanding can be continuously improved.

Requirements

• Education/Training

  Work requires communications, marketing, strategic planning, analytical and organizational skills generally required through completion of a Bachelor's degree in journalism, public relations, communications, English, or a related field.

Preferred Qualifications

• Clear communicator: turns complex Supply Chain activity into plain-language messages that leaders, employees, and customers can act on.
• Enterprise storyteller: creates a coherent narrative that connects strategy, performance, service, value, and stakeholder impact.
• Structured operator: manages calendars, templates, channels, review routines, QBR support, and communication workflows with discipline.
• Customer-aware partner: understands audience needs and adjusts tone, timing, format, and detail level accordingly.
• Brand-conscious builder: creates professional products that reflect Duke standards and strengthen confidence in Supply Chain.
• Experience managing internal communication, stakeholder communication, web content, social content, events, or executive communication products.
• Ability to support broad communication needs across multiple leaders, functions, customer groups, and stakeholder audiences.
• Strong writing, editing, synthesis, planning, and message development skills.
• Comfort shaping performance narratives, QBR materials, leadership updates, and customer-facing communication tools.
• Created communication plans, newsletters, web content, social content, executive updates, briefing materials, or stakeholder communication packages.
• Managed recurring communication calendars, events, distribution routines, or multi-stakeholder messaging processes.
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex operational or performance topics into concise, polished, audience-ready materials.
• Experience supporting supply chain, operations, healthcare, university, finance, communications, or similarly complex enterprise functions is preferred.

Benefits

• Opportunities to shape communications for a large, complex organization
• Collaboration with leaders across Duke University and Duke Health
• Professional development and career growth opportunities
• A culture that values creativity, innovation, and diverse perspectives
• The chance to make a meaningful impact across the Duke community
• Comprehensive and competitive medical and dental care programs
• Generous retirement benefits
• A wide array of family-friendly and cultural programs

Learn more about Duke's benefits.

Pay

Duke University provides an annual base salary range for this position as USD $62,766.00 to USD $97,798.00. Duke considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position; candidate's work experience, education/training, and key skills; internal peer equity; as well as market and organizational considerations when extending an offer.