ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT FOR COMMUNICATIONS
The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) seeks a full-time Assistant Vice President for Communications to plan, direct, and manage communications activities, including program and event marketing, public information initiatives, and a variety of organizational messages, reports, documents, and materials.
About CIC
CIC is the premier membership organization for small and mid-sized independent liberal arts colleges and universities in the United States. CIC's membership includes more than 700 colleges, universities, and organizations. CIC has a threefold mission: supporting and developing campus leaders, advancing the excellence of member institutions, and enhancing public understanding of the contributions independent higher education makes to society. CIC’s 30-person staff, based at Dupont Circle in Washington, DC, develops and manages a dynamic set of conferences, projects and programs; member services, research and public information initiatives; and other initiatives to engage members in all three mission areas.
About the Position
The Assistant Vice President for Communications is a new position reporting to the Senior Vice President who oversees member engagement and communications. The Assistant Vice President will supervise two direct reports on the communications team and collaborate closely with program and project management teams across the organization. The AVP will collaborate closely with program teams across the organization and with the member engagement team.
CIC has embraced a “digital-first” communications strategy. The new Assistant Vice President will play a leading role in implementing this digital-first approach and aligning organizational capacity and culture with it. CIC has also recently launched a “member engagement” approach; the AVP will develop and implement data-informed and member-centric communication plans and assess their effectiveness.
In addition, the Assistant Vice President for Communications will:
- Collaborate with program managers to design and implement messaging campaigns to promote events and increase member engagement;
- Prepare and manage detailed project schedules and work flows;
- Keep project stakeholders informed about progress and process;
- Collect and analyze data to assess effectiveness of communications and track and monitor key metrics;
- Coordinate email and social media campaigns to ensure they are optimized to achieve CIC’s goals;
- Develop, write, review or edit stories, articles, and messages for a variety of communication formats.
- Ensure that CIC’s high standards of accuracy, timeliness, and quality are met in all publications and communications; and
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Qualifications, Competencies, and Requirements
The ideal candidate will have experience directing and managing communications for a membership organization, higher education institution, or non-profit organization which employs a “digital-first” strategy. They will also have experience directing website content, email campaigns, newsletters, and social media. Strong familiarity and comfort with standard office and collaboration tools such as Zoom, Slack, Office 365, Google Workspace, and common project management applications is required. A bachelor’s degree is required (preferably from a CIC member institution) as well as at least five years of full-time experience in communications management in a relevant setting. Experience with supervision and staff development is required. Familiarity with higher education audiences and issues is strongly preferred. Commitment to professional growth is desirable, as is experience with implementing organizational change agendas.
The successful candidate will demonstrate outstanding writing skills, including the ability to write effectively in various formats and media. Familiarity with Chicago Manual of Style standards is desirable. Attention to detail and the ability to organize and track complex processes is essential. Effective interpersonal communication and a highly collaborative work style are required, as are flexibility and the ability to adjust quickly in response to changing needs and circumstances.
Like all CIC staff members, the Assistant Vice President for Communications will demonstrate a proactive, positive, and member-focused disposition; handle competing priorities independently and effectively; exercise creativity and initiative in solving problems; and be inclined to thrive in a small office environment.
This position requires occasional overnight and out-of-area travel. Performing the responsibilities of this position requires the ability to see, hear, and speak; work in a normal seated position; manually operate standard office equipment such as keyboards and printers; and move throughout an office or conference space. CIC requires that employees be optimally protected against COVID-19 by receiving all recommended vaccinations.
TO APPLY: The position is available immediately and will remain open until the successful candidate is appointed. To apply, submit a c.v. and a letter of interest to
CICJobs@cic.edu with the subject line “AVP COMMS”; for full consideration, apply by May 15.
Director of Presidential Engagement
The Council of Independent Colleges seeks a full-time Director of Presidential Engagement to plan and manage programs for the presidents of member colleges and universities, including CIC’s signature Presidents Institute, the largest annual gathering of college and university presidents in the nation.
About CIC
The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), located in Washington DC, is the major national membership organization for small and mid-sized independent colleges and universities in the United States. Membership includes more than 700 colleges, universities, and higher-education organizations. CIC pursues a threefold mission: supporting and developing campus leaders, advancing the excellence of member institutions, and enhancing public understanding of the contributions independent higher education makes to society. A 30-person staff, based in an office at Dupont Circle in Washington, DC, develops and manages a dynamic set of conferences, networks, projects, and programs; member services, research and public information initiatives; and a range of other activities to advance all three mission areas. CIC’s full-time staff is augmented with senior advisors, industry experts who contribute to specific projects and programs.
Working at CIC
CIC is an equal opportunity employer and offers competitive compensation and benefits. Full-time CIC staff are based in the DC office, with the option to work remotely on two designated days per week. Work hours are flexible around designated “core hours” (10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.)
CIC offers a generous benefits package that includes health, vision, and dental insurance; a flexible spending account; short- and long-term disability insurance; and life insurance. CIC also offers a retirement plan with an employer contribution match. Employees and their dependents may be eligible to participate in CIC’s
Tuition-Exchange Program. CIC recognizes 11 paid holidays per year, including Juneteenth National Independence Day.
About the Position
The Director of Presidential Engagement is a new position responsible for managing programs that support and develop the leadership of CIC member presidents. The Director’s principal responsibility will be managing programmatic elements of the
CIC Presidents Institute, held annually on January 4–7.
The Director of Presidential Engagement will report to the Senior Vice President who oversees the CIC Presidents Institute and member engagement. The Director will work in close partnership with an annually appointed President in Residence—usually a member president who has recently retired —who will bring experience, vision, relationships, and programmatic ideas to the planning and implementation of the Institute. The Director will also collaborate closely with the staff team responsible for non-program elements of the Institute, including colleagues focused on marketing and communications, participant experience, registration, venue logistics, and sponsorship, as well as with a project manager.
This is a hands-on position: the successful candidate will understand that high-touch, team-centered collaboration produces top-quality programs and events. In that spirit the Director will:
- Collaborate with the President in Residence to develop programs that address issues important to higher education leaders in effective and engaging formats. While subject matter expertise will be supplied by the President in Residence and advisory committees, the Director will meet with and listen to college and university presidents, read about and research issues in higher education, and assess proposals from external partners and sponsoring organizations that serve higher education.
- Coordinate between the President in Residence and staff members responsible for other aspects of the Presidents Institute.
- Schedule and host planning calls and rehearsals with program presenters; draft and edit program materials including session descriptions, PowerPoint presentations, and live polls; maintain a database of speaker and session details including travel needs, audio-visual, and physical event set-up details.
- Collaborate with the project manager to prepare and manage detailed project schedules and workflows and communicate regularly with cross-functional leaders to ensure a seamless event experience.
- Collaborate with the marketing/communications team to develop Institute messaging and visual identity, and to develop content for marketing and promotional materials.
- Collaborate with CIC’s research director on Institute assessment and presidential engagement metrics. Use data-informed planning to meet program quality and presidential engagement goals.
- Plan and support other programs of interest to member presidents, such as webinars, peer conversation circles, topical cohorts or networks, and others.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Qualifications, Competencies, and Requirements
The ideal candidate will have experience managing programs, conferences and events for a membership organization, higher education institution, or non-profit organization. They will be knowledgeable about issues of importance to college and university presidents, whether through service in higher education or a related association or through advanced coursework in higher education. A bachelor’s degree is required as well as at least five years of full-time work experience. Experience working with hybrid teams is desirable, as is experience working in highly collaborative teams. Strong familiarity with commonly used office productivity and collaboration tools is required.
The successful candidate will demonstrate experience turning ideas into practical action. Attention to detail and the ability to organize and track complex processes is essential. They will be able to build and nurture relationships with college and university presidents, leaders of firms serving higher education, and other senior professionals across higher education. The successful candidate will demonstrate outstanding writing skills. Effective interpersonal communication and a highly collaborative work style are required, as are flexibility and the ability to adjust quickly in response to changing needs and circumstances. The successful candidate will be proactive and confident, able to set and meet their own goals, and able to work with limited day to day supervision.
Like all CIC staff members, the Director of Presidential Engagement will demonstrate a proactive, positive, and member-focused disposition; handle competing priorities independently and effectively; exercise creativity, initiative and good judgment in solving problems; and be inclined to thrive in a diverse and collegial small office.
This position requires occasional overnight, weekend, and out-of-area travel. Performing the responsibilities of this position requires the ability to see, hear, and speak; work in a normal seated position for extended periods of time; use hands to finger, handle, or feel, and be able to lift and/or move up to 20 pounds; manually operate standard office equipment such as keyboards and printers; and move throughout an office or conference space. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. CIC requires that employees be optimally protected against COVID-19 by receiving all recommended vaccinations.
TO APPLY: The position is available immediately and will remain open until the successful candidate is appointed. To apply, submit a c.v. and a letter of interest to
CICJobs@cic.edu with the subject line “PI DIRECTOR”; for priority consideration, apply by Friday, May 6.
CIC is an equal opportunity employer and seeks a broad and diverse pool of applicants.