Jobs at University Communications

Position Profile

Major Administrative Unit: University Communications and Marketing
Job Title: Director of Finance and Human Resources
Job Classification: Administrative Associate II/S, APSA 15

Overview

The Administrative Associate II/S is responsible for overseeing the financial, human resources, purchasing and facilities management functions of University Communications and Marketing (UCAM) including participation in development of unit strategic initiatives and policies and procedures as it relates to finance and human resources. The director manages the annual budget process to ensure funds support priorities, are budgeted appropriately and are spent according to fiscal policy. The position is responsible for categorizing expenses and providing detailed information to forecast future budgets. It also supports the unit’s human resources needs, ensuring compliance with policies and procedures, maintaining employee records and processing HR documents. The director is the unit’s liaison with the university’s procurement office and plays an essential role in supporting departmental procurement and contracts.

About University Communications and Marketing 

University Communications and Marketing increases awareness of and appreciation for Michigan State University, its people and its impact as a leading global public research university, builds trust and inspires connection to cultivate support and make MSU a preferred choice.  

Characteristic Duties and Responsibilities

Budget and Financial Administration

• Manages the fiscal activities for the unit, including annual budget and raise processes
• Approves financial expenditures and personnel transactions in MSU’s Enterprise Business System
• Understands university initiatives related to financial systems and leads implementation of such initiatives for the department
• Develops, implements and maintains methods of tracking and communicating budget and accounting information that meet the needs of the unit
• Oversees all aspects of the daily accounting functions, including preparation and processing of all accounting documents, reconciliation of operating statements, processing of payroll and pcard management
• Plans, oversees and coordinates preparation and administration of various operating budgets, program budgets and special budgets, and develops monthly reports comparing actual expenses to the budgets and analyzes variances
• Ensures compliance with university policy and business practices
• Establishes accounting strings such as sub-accounts, sub-object codes and project codes to categorize expenses and provide detailed information to forecast future budgets
• Serve as unit security administrator for financial and HR systems
   

Human Resources

• Works with leadership and hiring managers to determine and support staffing needs; understands and advises on position requirements for new positions, prepares and maintains position profiles for all unit positions, and assists with appropriate classification and reclassification of positions
• Oversees the hiring processes and processing of all personnel actions for the unit and offers recommendations for process improvements
• Serves as a liaison to central MSU Human Resources to manage and coordinate human resource activities and to interpret and implement human resources policies, procedures and practices
• Ensures compliance with university and unit human resources policies and procedures
• Plans, develops and implements communications strategies and training programs for staff affected by change in policies, procedures and practices; responds to internal questions and serves as resource for unit executive leaders and hiring managers
• Supports compensation decisions with accurate information and analysis and processes raises and changes in compensation
• Maintains employee records
• Prepares and processes HR documents
   

Procurement

• Processes, reviews and renews procurement requisitions
• Assists with the creation and coordination of requests for proposal (RFPs)
• Serves as a unit liaison to University Procurement and Logistics
• Ensures invoices are paid accurately according to PO line item(s)
• Prepares and issues timely invoices for commercial filming on campus
• Ensures colleges and departments are billed on time for enterprise licenses and scopes of work applicable to them
• Manages vendor relationships
   

Supervision and Staff Development

• Supervises and ensures quality of work of direct reports
• Trains or ensures access to training for direct reports on university and unit systems, policies, processes and procedures relevant to assigned work
• Develops staff and ensures avenues for growth and challenge
   

Other

• Stays up to date in relevant professional fields through continuous learning and professional development
• Maintains records related to capital assets and ensures assets are properly tracked and handled
• Assists with IT related needs for the unit
• Assists with space assessment, improvement and renovation projects
• Other projects and duties assigned
   

Unit Specific Education/Experience/Skills

The job requires: knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired by completing a four-year college degree program in Business Administration, Accounting, Management or field related to employing unit; five to eight years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive experience in financial or accounting practices, developing research projects, funding and grant practices and/or experience in a field related to the area of employment; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Desired Qualifications

Master’s degree in business administration, accounting, finance or a related field. Eight to ten years of as fiscal officer developing budgets, approving expenditures and forecasting; experience with human resources, personnel management, and supervision of support staff; demonstrated excellence in leadership, communication, critical thinking and analytical skills; ability to interact with varied constituents in a timely, courteous and professional manner; and ability to multitask and prioritize work. Experience with all aspects of EBS including, but not limited to, Kuali Financial Systems, SAP HR/Payroll and  Spartan Financial Navigator; experience with Microsoft Office Suite including Outlook, Word, Excel, Power BI; demonstrated orientation to teamwork and collaboration, process improvement, problem solving and adaptability to change; ability to focus on continuous learning for self-improvement and expansion of skills and skill-sets. Related experience in a higher education setting is highly desirable.

Required Application Materials

To assure full consideration, please apply online at careers.msu.edu by August 5. The posting is No. 1058284. Applications must include:

• Cover Letter
• Resume
• 3 Professional References
   

Position Profile

Major Administrative Unit: University Communications and Marketing
Job Title: Director of Internal and Executive Communications 
Job Classification: Senior Communications Manager/S, APSA15 

Overview

The Senior Communications Manager/S plays a strategic leadership role in shaping, guiding, and executing Michigan State University’s internal messaging and executive-level communications. This position ensures the university's voice is clear, consistent, and compelling across internal audiences while enhancing the visibility and impact of presidential and leadership messaging. 

The Senior Communications Manager/S will work in collaboration with the entire University Communications and Marketing (UCAM) team to design, plan, implement and lead internal and executive communications, including content, channels, desired impacts and measurement goals. Working directly for MSU’s VP and Chief Communications Officer, this position will be responsible for building important internal relationships and informing and engaging external stakeholders in order to increase the university’s visibility, strengthen MSU’s reputation as a world-class education and research leader, and respond to issues of concern and advance its mission. 

This position is also responsible for developing a comprehensive strategy for both internal and executive communications and for driving metrics that increase the effectiveness of the messages and expand the reach of owned and earned channels that reach internal and external audiences. The position will directly integrate and support programs and initiatives that are presidential priorities, oversee writing and web support for the Board of Trustees and work to build a collaborative and open culture within University Communications and Marking and across the institution. 

Internal Communications is a core function of UCAM . This position will oversee the development of the primary internal communications suite of products, including InsideMSU, The Weekly and Connect. The Director will manage the strategic direction of the channel, layout and distribution strategies and is responsible for staying up-to-date on trends in internal communications, specifically related to higher education. They also will work with vendors and consultants to gather best practices and research how the MSU community likes to receive their information and content creation. Additionally, the Director will continue to seek out, create and expand other internal communication efforts across campus. 

This role includes budget, planning, procedure development and analytics responsibility and will supervise employees within the unit. 

Related to issues and crisis, this position may contribute to message development and audience segmentation on daily breaking issues, providing insight into university protocols and background knowledge on a diverse range of issues. Further, the Senior Communications Manager/S may contribute to identifying, analyzing and collaborating on complicated issues and developing strategies to ensure the right messages are communicated to the right audiences, both internally and externally. 

About University Communications and Marketing 

University Communications and Marketing increases awareness of and appreciation for Michigan State University, its people and its impact as a leading global public research university, builds trust and inspires connection to cultivate support and make MSU a preferred choice.  

Characteristic Duties and Responsibilities

• Oversees development of and implementation of a comprehensive communications plan, and ensures alignment, accuracy and timeliness for key presidential communications (i.e. speeches, presentations, community letters, op-eds); works closely with the Office of the President to ensure smooth operations related to communications
• Oversees writing support for the Board of Trustees, working closely with the Board Secretary and Chief Communications Officer to craft speeches and talking points for university events and Board meetings; also oversees the Board website
• Creates and implements internal communications plans with an emphasis on sharing important information and key priorities with internal audiences, recognizing the many sources of information and collaboration with other units
• Creates and executes content for the InsideMSU suite of products
• Advises stakeholders across campus on their communications planning and efforts, serving as a consultant and assisting in the execution of timely information
• Demonstrates a commitment to and knowledge of inclusive community building and trauma-informed communications
• Develops methods for integrating various communication efforts and initiatives to ensure effective and efficient messaging, key stakeholder understanding and successful outcomes
• Provides advice to key campus leaders on internal and executive communications as well as issues of concern
• Oversees monitoring of social and digital media presence for the president and other executives as assigned, assessing the platforms and recommending adaption and/or expansion; coordinate closely with other university accounts to foster collaboration and amplify strategic content
• Ensures, in all instances, accurate, timely and appropriate communications from the unit
• Responsible for annual planning, managing multiple priorities and projects, able to supervise and ensure distribution of work across the media and public information unit
• Handles a complex environment with multiple projects and deadlines
• Works with UCAM analytics team to establish key performance indicators for internal and executive areas and stays on top of monitoring and related decision points

Leadership and Planning Skills

• Provides effective leadership to set strategy and implement tactics and processes
• Directly supervises the internal and executive functions, currently three FTEs, also involves others within the unit and coordination across the university
• Applies audience insights, understands MSU priorities, UCAM strategic goals and designs strategies to achieve outcomes
• Builds teamwork, shows process discipline and grows individual competencies, fostering a collaborative, growth-oriented culture, including in a matrixed structure
• Shows flexibility and resourcefulness, and reacts appropriately to changing needs and deadlines
• Proposes alternative possibilities and engages team members in finding creative solutions
• Outcome focused and able to build commitment to results
• Demonstrates a strong commitment to developing and empowering others

Unit Specific Education, Experience and Skills

The job requires: knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired by completing a four-year college degree program in English, journalism, public relations, marketing, telecommunications or communications, or a related field; five to eight years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in news media or media relations or in a field which corresponds to the particular department of employment; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Desired Qualifications

• Master’s in strategic communication or related field
• At least 8-10 years of related and progressively more responsible experience in leading communication teams
• Excellent editorial and visual content judgement; demonstrated ability to communicate to identified audiences
• Enthusiastic about being part of a higher education communications environment
• Flexible, collaborative, positive with significant experience leading internal or executive communication efforts
• Proven collaborator with the ability to effectively manage multiple workstreams while also possessing the ability to quickly and appropriately react to changing circumstances or priorities
• Able to be strategic and detail oriented, an analytical thinker with strong leadership qualities
• Able to lead the development and delivery of content in a compelling manner
• Strong leadership and accountability; ability to work independently and as part of an interdependent team
• Able to lead multiple projects, ensuring seamless execution and quality in a fast-paced environment
• Proactively offers solutions that improve current processes; constantly working to improve efficiency and productivity
• A proven “team player”, committed to developing others, while leading for results
• Track record in project management, developing procedures and improving work processes

Required Application Materials

To assure full consideration, please apply online at careers.msu.edu by August 5. The posting is No. 1058242. Applications must include:

• Cover Letter
• Resume
• Three Professional References
   

Position Profile

Major Administrative Unit: University Communications and Marketing
Job Title: Digital Managing Editor
Job Classification: Communications Manager II/S, APSA 14

Overview

As Digital Managing Editor, you will play a key role in shaping how MSU advances its mission and brand through highly visible digital content products and channels, including the MSU homepage, MSUToday content hub and flagship email products. In this high-impact role, you will be responsible for planning and delivering timely, engaging and brand-aligned content and messaging through key channels and products to connect with core audiences – students, faculty, staff, alumni and supporters. You are responsible for editorial quality and product integrity by using strong editorial judgment, overseeing targeted content production, planning across channels, setting KPIs targets and optimizing performance. You’ll manage a collaborative team, work across the department and the university, partner with other channel leaders and drive editorial strategy to fuel affinity, trust and reputation and spur action through tailored, data-informed and multichannel digital content experiences. This includes integrating tools like AI and adopting an upgraded web content management system (CMS), digital asset management (DAM) and content operations platform to improve internal efficiency and effectiveness.  

About University Communications and Marketing 

University Communications and Marketing increases awareness of and appreciation for Michigan State University, its people and its impact as a leading global public research university, builds trust and inspires connection to cultivate support and make MSU a preferred choice.

Characteristic Duties and Responsibilities

Content Planning and Editorial Leadership

• Plan content and execute editorial strategies to deliver on goals; create, curate and manage content for owned digital products and channels ensuring content is engaging, relevant, accurate, timely and meets editorial and brand standards. Facilitate story/content collection from campus partners and sites to amplify where appropriate. Create content strategy and editorial plan for MSUToday email and website that aligns with annual strategic content strategy and audience needs.
• Provide editorial oversight for MSU digital properties – including MSU homepage, MSUToday content hub and emails, and potential new digital products identified through analysis or research. Maintain high standards of quality and integrity across the team and work with particular focus on editorial accuracy and content process excellence. Identify and share strategic content for other digital products across UCAM, such as institutional social channels and internal and presidential communications.
• Collaborate with others in UCAM and across campus, including channel and content strategists, creative leads and other unit communicators, to align content strategies and to plan and develop inspiring, brand-aligned content. Drive coordination across owned, earned, shared and paid channels for maximum reach and impact. Use editorial judgement and data insights to shape a content mix that connects core audiences to MSU’s strategic narrative in timely and compelling ways.
• Help drive reach for primary owned digital channels and projects; work with digital experience, analytics and marketing groups to identify reach drivers and support strategies for paid, SEO and cross-channel promotion to increase traffic to digital products.
   

Insights and Technology Accumen

• Leverage data and collaborate with analytics team to assess content and channel performance, inform strategy and optimize content for channels to drive performance. Help set annual KPI targets, identify strategies to achieve them and track KPI performance to determine if tactics need adjusting. Recommend and help test new formats and use A/B testing to adapt to evolving audience behaviors.
• Build expertise in key digital tools – web CMS, DAM, customer data platform and content operations platform to ensure solutions are aligned with audience needs and enhance content delivery, streamline workflows and improve team effectiveness. Help identify appropriate use of AI in content workflows and content products.
• Collaborate with UX and marketing teams to map audience journeys across key digital properties. Develop and implement content personalization strategies using available technologies and leveraging behavioral segmentation to deliver the right content to the right audience at the right time.
• Monitor cultural, industry and higher education trends to guide content and channel strategy. Lead benchmarking to identify best practices and evolve MSU’s digital presence.
   

Editorial and Content Production

• Oversee selection, editing and packaging of content for weekly and specialty emails as well as key websites to drive desired audience outcomes and strategic goals. Manage content through the production process, collaborating with creators to ensure it meets channel-specific needs.
• Develop unique content concepts and products that support organizational and UCAM strategies while leveraging strategic content calendar for timely, relevant storytelling across owned channels and playing to unique strengths of channel.
• Establish and maintain clear guidelines and procedures for content flow, editorial integrity, production and publication.
• Write and edit clear, engaging content that aligns with brand voice, style and SEO best practices. Support visual storytelling by cropping images and optimizing design elements for digital platforms.
   

Mentorship, Management and Campus Collaboration/Support

• Lead, mentor and support the growth of two professional team members and student interns, fostering a high-performing, collaborative environment that encourages creativity, professional development and editorial excellence.
• Partner with editorial leadership to deliver training and content playbooks that support brand and storytelling consistency. Build strong relationships across UCAM and the broader campus to source and share high-quality content for web and email channels.
• Support the UCAM crisis team by posting emergency messages on msu.edu and using other owned channels as appropriate.

Unit Specific Education/Experience/Skills

The job requires: knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired by completing a four-year college degree program in journalism, communications, public relations, advertising or related communication arts program; three to five years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in planning, producing, editing and managing content in a deadline-driven environment for web, email, social media, media or public relations, including writing and editing for a variety of formats such as web pages, features articles and news releases; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Desired Qualifications

• Five to eight years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in leading the writing, content production or editorial management for a digital publication or news website; agency/client experience developing outcomes-oriented integrated content is a bonus
• Excellent editorial and visual content judgement; demonstrated strong sense of how to shape a story to fit an organization’s vision and brand voice and within an integrated multichannel environment (earned, paid, owned, shared)
• Experience leading and managing successful editorial projects, producing high-quality, accurate products on schedule and under deadline pressure
• Demonstrated excellent writing and visual storytelling skills, with proficient knowledge of Associated Press style as well as use of photo, video, infographics to tell a story
• Experience working in higher education or a complex environment like government or health care, developing quality content that stimulates interest and engagement
• Strong leadership and accountability; works independently under minimal supervision and on multiple projects at one time, ensuring seamless execution and quality control
• A proven “team player” mentality (being flexible, collaborative and positive) as needed for today’s fast-paced communications environment; experience developing and coaching others and working with peer subject matter leaders
• Demonstrated data literacy and experience using analytics and KPI performance to inform creative and content decisions
• Strong understanding of digital content ecosystems and how various traffic drivers—such as email, paid media, SEO and cross-channel promotion—influence audience engagement and performance across web properties. Experience applying this knowledge through strategic content delivery, audience journey mapping, personalization and use of tools such as CMS, DAM, customer data platforms and AI
• Experience working in web content management platforms and evidence of a learning mindset to stay abreast of new technologies and tools for creative content development, excellence in editorial management, UX and content publishing and distribution

Required Application Materials

To assure full consideration, please apply online at careers.msu.edu by August 12. The posting is No. 1058591. Applications must include:

• Cover Letter
• Resume
• Three Professional References
• Writing Sample