Community Engagement Communications Manager

Student & Campus Life (SCL) inspires transformation in all Cornell students on their journey of individual, academic and personal evolution. Our division is comprised of leading student affairs experts who support our campus on pressing student life matters including public service, health, wellbeing, connection and belonging, residential living, food services, sports, recreation, career services, and student activities and organizations including sorority and fraternity life. We provide support and services to roughly 25,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students on multiple campuses in the U.S. and abroad. The Office of the Vice Provost for Engagement and Land-Grant Affairs advocates for Cornell’s role as the land-grant university for New York state and monitors and collaborates on responses to the governor’s initiatives in higher education and economic development. This Office is responsible for a broad range of relationships and academic programs and initiatives that further Cornell’s public engagement mission globally, locally, and across New York state, where Cornell serves as the state’s land-grant university. Based in Ithaca, N.Y., the David M. Einhorn Center for Community Engagement builds service and community-engaged learning as a hallmark of the Cornell student experience by empowering students through campus and community collaborations to create a more just and equitable world. The center plays a key role supporting community-engaged learning and public service across the university. The center brings high-impact practices such as, community-engaged learning, and service-oriented programs to students, faculty, and staff while increasing opportunities for partnerships in local, national, and global arenas. Leveraging the existing strengths of Cornell’s public engagement agenda, the David M. Einhorn Center for Community Engagement presents a new model and direction for higher education – one in which community-engaged learning (CEL) and service is deeply ingrained, fully institutionalized and effectively taught and implemented. Through this center, students graduating from Cornell will enter the world as educated global citizens who practice respect and empathy; seek collaboration, cooperation and creativity; embrace differences and diversity in all aspects of their personal, professional and civic lives; and are dedicated to working with others to help solve some of the world’s most intractable problems. Cornell communicators share a mission to enhance and preserve the university’s brand and reputation as a top research institution and a leader in higher education, and to support and promote critical programs that serve the university’s teaching, research, and public engagement mission. Communication services are carried out through a matrixed organizational system in which University Relations houses the departments of News (Cornell Chronicle), Media Relations (pitching and servicing media requests), Visual Communications (multimedia production, creative services team), Digital Experience (, AI solutions, brand management and governance), Strategic Communications (communications plans, key messaging, social media management), and Cornellians (digital alumni publication). Communicators in colleges, schools, and units regularly collaborate with, and consult, University Relations departments. University Relations serves as a partner and resource for all college/unit communicators. The Community Engagement Communications Manager leads communications efforts to promote the David M. Einhorn Center for Community Engagement’s mission and Student and Campus Life’s division-wide community -engaged learning priorities. The Communications Manager raises awareness of and interest in the Center’s programs, partnerships, and impact. Through strategic storytelling, digital communications, content creation and stakeholder collaboration, this position helps increase awareness of community-engaged learning (CEL) and public engagement initiatives across Cornell’s campus and the surrounding community. This position reports directly to the Executive Director of Communications & Marketing for SCL and works in close partnership with the Einhorn Center's Associate Director of Strategy and Operations to support daily communications priorities and strategic initiatives. This position will be considered a core staff member for both teams in service of the Einhorn Center’s university and division-wide community engagement mission. The Communications Manager maintains the Einhorn Center’s editorial voice in support of divisional and institutional voice across digital and print platforms, contributing to story-telling efforts and creating messages and materials that appeal to a wide range of audiences. The Communications Manager has an essential role executing the SCL and Einhorn Center’s communications strategy, directly writing and producing content, as well as collaborating, and coordinating with Center staff and student leaders to enhance the programmatic impact through effective communications. Additionally, the Communications Manager will work across SCL’s communications team to support a number of strategies, stories, and external initiatives in service of Cornell’s community engagement initiative. The Communications Manager contributes to the successful production of communications platforms, including mass emails, website content, social media, and print material that serve both on- and off-campus audiences. The Communications Manager collaborates with students, staff, and faculty across the university who are developing communications and stories about community-engaged learning and community engagement. ​ ​ While position responsibilities vary, every member of our community is expected to foster a culture of belonging and a healthy work environment by communicating across differences; being cooperative, collaborative, open, and welcoming; showing respect, compassion, and empathy; engaging and supporting others regardless of background or perspective; speaking up when others are being excluded or treated inappropriately; and supporting work/life integration of oneself and others. Success Factors Strong relationship-building and collaboration skills across various communities. Ability to navigate sensitive or potentially polarized topics with diplomacy and neutrality. Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Ability to prioritize competing deadlines and manage multiple communications projects simultaneously. Organizational skills to systematize processes, data, and evaluation tools. Team-oriented mindset with a commitment to equity and mutual benefit in partnerships. Familiarity with the academic contexts of public and community engagement. Required Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree; 3–5 years’ experience or equivalent combination in communications. Must have superior project management skills, analytical skills, writing skills, an eye for quality design, and the ability to handle multiple projects with a high degree of attention to detail in a strategy-driven, results-oriented, mission-focused organization. Team-oriented and collaborative and able to work independently with minimal production support. Ability to continuously learn and advocate for new directions for the team. Strong interpersonal communication skills. Must be able to build and maintain effective working relationships with collaborators and stakeholders (including faculty, staff, students, community partners, alumni and donors) and provide a high level of customer service. Proven ability to understand data (statistics, analytics) related to communications campaigns to supply supervisor with summative information and recommendations. Demonstrated ability to work effectively with writers, photographers, designers, videographers, developers, and other vendors/contractors/staff to ensure successful deliverables. Expertise in new media including direct experience in digital media coordination or management of complex user-centric platforms. Demonstrated understanding of content strategy and website creation production processes, including content management systems (e.g., WordPress, Drupal). Awareness of the latest trends, tools, and technology in personal communications. Experience with email marketing systems (e.g., Marketing Cloud, MailChimp) Proven ability to write in a deadline-driven environment in a variety of editorial styles including news stories, marketing, evaluations, and social media on behalf of an institution or organization. Proven sense of quality interactive and graphic design as they relate to web and print design. Experience modeling values that support inclusion, belonging, and wellbeing. Preferred Qualifications: Knowledge of Cornell and higher-education public engagement. Experience with audience research and user testing to guide strategic direction. Knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, etc.) and/or Canva. Photography and video production and editing. SEO fundamentals and social media campaigns. Preference will be given to candidates who are fluent in both the academic and student affairs’ dimensions of higher education communications and have experience working across faculty, staff, student, partner, and alumni domains. University Job Title: Communication Spec III Job Family: Communications/Marketing Level: F Pay Rate Type: Salary Pay Range: $74,177.00 - $86,205.00 Remote Option Availability: Hybrid Company: Endowed Contact Name: Caleb Yu Contact Email: Job Titles and Pay Ranges: Non-Union Positions Noted pay ranges reflect the potential pay opportunity for each job profile. The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined considering the following criteria: Prior relevant work or industry experience Education level to the extent education is relevant to the position Unique applicable skills Academic Discipline To learn more about Cornell’s non-union staff job titles and pay ranges, see Career Navigator . 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