Director of Communications, School of Social Welfare

At the University of California, Berkeley, we are dedicated to fostering a community where everyone feels welcome and can thrive. Our culture of openness, freedom, and belonging make it a special place for students, faculty, and staff. As a world-leading institution, Berkeley is known for its academic and research excellence, public mission, diverse student body, and commitment to equity and social justice. Since our founding in 1868, we have driven innovation, creating global intellectual, economic, and social value. We are looking for applicants who reflect California's diversity and want to be part of an inclusive, equity-focused community that views education as a matter of social justice. Please consider whether your values align with our Guiding Values and Principles , Principles of Community , and Strategic Plan . At UC Berkeley, we believe that learning is a fundamental part of working, and provide space for supportive colleague communities via numerous employee resource groups (staff organizations). Our goal is for everyone on the Berkeley campus to feel supported and equipped to realize their full potential. We actively support this by providing all of our full-time staff employees with at least 80 hours (10 days) of paid time per year to engage in professional development activities. Find out more about how you can grow your career at UC Berkeley. Departmental Overview Berkeley Social Welfare is one of the nation's leading social work graduate programs. As part of the world's top ranked public university, the School of Social Welfare is producing new knowledge for the common good and training the next generation of social work thought leaders dedicated to serving society's most vulnerable members. Known for combining rigorous scholarship with outstanding education, the School of Social Welfare offers MSW and PhD programs as well as an undergraduate major. Since 1944, the School has prepared nearly 12,000 social work professionals for leadership positions in the public and nonprofit human service sectors. Berkeley Social Welfare graduates are dedicated to meeting the growing needs of marginalized, underserved and other vulnerable populations. Position Summary This role spans internal and external communications - from translating the strategic plan into messaging that builds faculty alignment, to positioning SSW research on institutional channels and in external media. The position reports administratively to the Assistant Dean of the School of Social Welfare and receives professional direction from the Executive Director of News & Media Relations in UC Berkeley Strategic Communications. This structure makes the role part of the Strategic Communications team while keeping it accountable to school leadership on content and priorities. The ideal candidate develops and implements a strategic narrative and communications plan that integrates internal messaging, external positioning, donor outreach, and recruitment. They operate independently but want to be part of a larger communications community. They care about child welfare, health equity, housing, and community mental health - and can communicate thoughtfully about race, identity, and systemic inequality This hybrid position requires a minimum of 80% on-campus presence, with a higher on-campus presence during the first six months to support relationship-building within the School. Application Review Date The First Review Date for this job is July 20, 2026. For full consideration, please apply by the first review date. Responsibilities Strategic & Internal Communications Develop and maintain core messaging that articulates the school's identity, direction and value proposition - including differentiation from peer programs. Translate strategic plan priorities into accessible narratives for faculty, staff, students and alumni. Support internal change communications as the school evolves programs, structure and curriculum. Manage school's internal communications program, including digital signboards, announcements and regular updates to faculty and staff. Draft talking points, remarks and written materials for the dean and school leadership. Compile and produce regular strategic plan progress reports in partnership with school leadership. Develop messaging frameworks for faculty retreats and strategic planning sessions. Monitor school reputation across social media, earned media and internal channels; flag issues and opportunities. Attend and document events that advance strategic narratives about the school, including occasional evening and weekend work. Institutional Storytelling & Strategic Communications Partnership Identify, pitch and develop SSW faculty research stories for institutional channels, including UC Berkeley News, social media and video. Partner with faculty and dean to define research theme clusters that connect SSW scholarship to institutional narrative priorities. Participate in Strategic Comms content planning meetings and coordination processes. Support institutional campaigns (e.g., Research with Results) with relevant SSW content. Manage media inquiries for SSW faculty expert requests. Ensure school materials align with institutional brand and messaging priorities. School Communications & Content Production Maintain school web properties and content to advance institutional narrative to external audiences and provide accurate, relevant information to internal audiences. Maintain active social media presence across LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook. Produce 2-4 electronic newsletters annually; coordinate occasional print communications for alumni and donors. Develop recruitment and yield materials in partnership with the Admissions, Advising and Student Experience team. Maintain the school's photo and video library. Create materials for national conferences, donor meetings and external presentations. Ensure consistent application of school and university brand standards across all channels. Serve as the school's Information Technology Accessibility Lead, ensuring digital communications meet campus accessibility requirements and best practices. Professional Development Maintain currency with emerging communications trends and best practices, including monitoring peer schools of social work for approaches worth adopting. Coordinate with communicators in other schools and colleges with similar goals. Activating Resources Serve as primary liaison between SSW and Strategic Comms for communications support. Manage external vendors and contractors for projects requiring specialized expertise. Integrate Strategic Communications tools and systems into school communications workflows. Other Duties As Assigned Support school and Strategic Communications initiatives as needs arise. Contribute to cross-functional projects that advance school or institutional priorities. Required Qualifications Demonstrated ability to translate complex information - research, policy, strategy - into clear narratives for diverse audiences. Strong writing and editing skills across formats: web, social media, newsletters, talking points, presentations. Ability to navigate and communicate complex issues related to race, ethnicity, gender, ability and other intersectional topics. Experience managing multiple projects and competing priorities with limited supervision. Comfort operating in ambiguous environments and adapting to evolving priorities. Proficiency with social media platforms and analytics (LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook). Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build relationships with faculty, leadership and communications colleagues. Demonstrated excellence in problem identification and resolution, sound judgment and decision-making, critical thinking/analysis, risk management, negotiation, creative problem solving, and organizational skill. Ability to maintain confidentiality, objectivity, sensitivity, discretion, professionalism, and exercise good judgment and tact. Genuine interest in social welfare, public health, housing, child welfare or related policy areas. Preferred Qualifications Experience with website content management systems. Experience with email marketing platforms (e.g., Mailchimp, Marketing Cloud). Experience with reputation monitoring tools. Experience coordinating vendors for photography, video or design. Familiarity with accessibility standards for digital communications. Understanding of and/or ability to learn about higher education environment, including faculty culture and academic communications. Experience supporting internal change management or strategic planning communications Education / Training Bachelor's degree in communications, journalism, marketing or related field, and/or equivalent training or experience. (Required) Demonstrated experience in communications, preferably in higher education, nonprofit, or mission-driven organization and/or equivalent training or experience. (Required) Salary & Benefits For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University, please visit the University of California's Compensation & Benefits website. Under California law, the University of California, Berkeley is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role and should not offer a salary outside of the range posted in this job announcement. This range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions, including but not limited to experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, analysis of internal equity, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience. The budgeted annual salary range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $120,000.00 - $151,000.00. This is an exempt, monthly-paid position. This is a full-time (40 hours/week) Career position eligible for UC benefits. How to Apply To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter. Other Information This position is covered by the collective bargaining agreement between UAW (United Auto Workers) and the University of California Regents for CM. This is not a visa opportunity. This position does not include sponsorship of a new consular H-1B visa petition that would require payment of the $100,000 supplemental fee. Conviction History Background This is a designated position requiring fingerprinting and a background check due to the nature of the job responsibilities. Berkeley does hire people with conviction histories and reviews information received in the context of the job responsibilities. The University reserves the right to make employment contingent upon successful completion of the background check. Misconduct As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer. Misconduct means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC's policies addressing some forms of misconduct: UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy UC Anti-Discrimination Policy Abusive Conduct in the Workplace Equal Employment Opportunity The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law. UC Davis Health System