Vice President, Communication & PR

About the Role

Nightingale College is looking for a Vice President, Communications & PR to join our executive leadership team and lead the strategy behind how we tell our story — to the public, to our own community, and to the learners and alumni whose lives we're helping change. Reporting to the Chief Growth Officer, you'll hold executive-level accountability for our Communications division, which spans three distinct audiences: PR & External Publications, Corporate Communications, and Learner & Alumni Communications.

As Nightingale scales toward 20,000 learners by 2028, this role owns the communications infrastructure that will carry us there. You'll set the vision, empower three directors to lead their respective audiences with real ownership, and make sure everything we say — externally and internally — is cohesive, purposeful, and unmistakably Nightingale.

What You'll Do

Enterprise Communications Strategy

• Architect a cohesive enterprise communications strategy across all three audience functions, while preserving what makes each one distinct
• Ensure all communications across the organization advance Nightingale's Purpose and align to the Core 7 framework
• Serve as the senior communications voice on the executive leadership team, representing the division in strategic planning and to external stakeholders

PR & External Publications

• Guide the Director of PR & External Publications in building brand awareness and positive sentiment among the public, nurse leaders, and state boards of nursing
• Ensure Nightingale's distance learning model and commitment to non-traditional learners is represented accurately and compellingly in every state and region we operate
• Provide strategic oversight on media relations, earned media, and crisis communications
• Serve as a regulatory communications steward, ensuring external communications account for accreditation and governing body implications

Corporate Communications

• Guide the Director of Corporate Communications in building a system-wide strategy that unites all Collaborators around Nightingale's growth goals
• Ensure internal communications continuously reinforce Core 7 connection, Evolvitude™, and Collaborator fulfillment in purpose
• Oversee communications support for the executive team and Collaborator Experience function, keeping Collaborators informed of organizational direction and programs

Learner & Alumni Communications

• Guide the Director of Learner & Alumni Communications in building a comprehensive strategy across the full learner journey — from enrollment through LPN → ASN/RN → BSN → MSN (Nurse Practitioner)
• Ensure operational communications are accurate, timely, and regionally tailored to each enrolled population
• Support learner progression and continuation goals through intentional, journey-mapped communications

Measurement & Accountability

• Build and maintain a VP-level KPI dashboard consolidating performance across all three director-led functions
• Report regularly to the CGO on the health and strategic effectiveness of enterprise-wide communications

What You Bring

Minimum Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive communications leadership, including demonstrated experience at the VP or executive level
• Master's degree required
• Demonstrated understanding of higher education communications
• Proven track record owning budget accountability for a communications function in a growth-stage organization
• Experience leading simultaneous multi-audience communications strategies with full hiring and resource authority
• Strong data fluency — able to build, interpret, and present KPI-based performance frameworks
• Executive presence — able to operate as a peer within an executive leadership team and represent the organization externally

Preferred Qualifications

• Working knowledge of accreditation processes and state board of nursing regulatory environments
• Familiarity with higher education and non-traditional learner populations
• Background in change communications and organizational culture alignment

Why Nightingale

At Nightingale, communications isn't a support function tucked in a corner — it's how we hold our high-impact community together and share our story with the world. As VP, you'll shape how nurse leaders and state boards see us, how our own Collaborators feel connected to our Purpose, and how learners experience their journey from enrollment through advanced practice. This is a rare opportunity to sit at the executive table and lead communications strategy that's directly tied to real people building careers in nursing — all while championing Evolvitude™ and the Core 7 framework that defines who we are.