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INTRODUCTION

The Director, Integrated Communications leads the coordination and execution of university-wide communications that inform, engage, and inspire Vanderbilt’s core and affiliated audiences—including students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends—while ensuring clarity, consistency, and alignment with institutional priorities and brand narrative. Reporting to the Senior Director, Brand Storytelling and Creative, this role oversees the integrated communications function, including internal communications, research and innovation storytelling, operational executive communications support for administrative and unit-level leadership, and routine crisis and issues communications. The Director leads a high-performing team of communications strategists, writers, editors, content specialists, and functional leads to deliver cohesive, audience-centered communications across channels and stakeholder groups.

This role serves as the enterprise integrator for message discipline and communications execution. The Director partners closely with the Director, Academic Affairs Communications to ensure academic unit strategies align with institutional messaging frameworks and institutional priorities, while respecting the distinct strategic and relationship responsibilities of each function.

About the Work Unit: The Communications and Marketing team at Vanderbilt University is a dynamic and deeply collaborative group. The division, with all of its departments and sub-teams, serves as the institution-wide center of excellence for communications and marketing, developing and executing strategies that inform, engage, and inspire others to participate in Vanderbilt University’s global academic and research mission. The division is a key strategic adviser and partner for other divisions in the university, providing comprehensive plans and thoughtful analysis on messaging opportunities and constraints. The Communications and Marketing team continuously seeks innovative solutions to new and emerging challenges in order to deliver results at scale to advance the larger mission, values, and priorities of the university.

Key Responsibilities and Expected Performance:

Team Leadership and Operational Integration

• Lead and manage the Integrated Communications team, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and executional excellence.
• Integrate internal communications, research storytelling, routine crisis and issues communications, and operational executive messaging into a cohesive operating model.
• Oversee intake, prioritization, and workflow processes to ensure campus communications needs are met with speed, quality, and consistency.
• Establish clear standards for editorial quality, voice, tone, and message discipline across communications outputs.
• Provide coaching, feedback, and professional development for direct reports.

Campus Partner Support

• Serve as a strategic and operational communications partner to administrative units across the university.
• Build and maintain trusted working relationships with leaders and operational teams to proactively identify communications needs and opportunities.
• Advise campus stakeholders on message framing, audience segmentation, timing, channel strategy, and implementation planning.
• Lead and coordinate complex, cross-functional communications initiatives that require alignment across academic and administrative units.
• Ensure communications across schools and central units are coordinated and consistent with messaging standards.

Enterprise Message Discipline and Alignment

• Develop and maintain message frameworks, narrative priorities, and editorial standards that guide communications across the university.
• Ensure internal, research, administrative, and issues communications align with institutional strategy and brand positioning.
• Partner closely with the Brand Storytelling and Creative team to ensure narrative cohesion and alignment between messaging and creative expression.
• Provide guidance and escalation pathways when cross-unit messaging requires institutional alignment or presents reputational risk.

Communications Planning and Prioritization

• Lead development of annual and quarterly integrated communications plans aligned with institutional priorities and enterprise initiatives.
• Establish and maintain a centralized enterprise communications calendar to ensure visibility, coordination, and sequencing of major announcements and initiatives.
• Partner with administrative units and academic communications leads to align unit-level communications plans with institutional strategy and narrative priorities.
• Facilitate cross-functional planning sessions to identify upcoming milestones, risks, and opportunities for coordinated storytelling and amplification.
• Define prioritization frameworks to manage competing communications requests and ensure resources are allocated to the highest-impact initiatives.
• Anticipate potential reputational, operational, or stakeholder sensitivities and proactively incorporate mitigation planning into communications strategies.

Partnership with Academic Affairs and School Communications

• Partner closely with the Director, Academic Affairs Communications to align school-level strategies with enterprise messaging frameworks.
• Provide narrative guidance and editorial standards to support academic communications initiatives.
• Collaborate on prioritization and amplification of academic initiatives with enterprise-level visibility.
• Serve as the functional authority for institutional message consistency, while the Academic Affairs lead serves as the primary strategist and relationship manager with academic leadership, including the Provost, Vice Provosts, and Deans.

Research and Innovation Communications

• Oversee and guide the work of team member(s) who provide communications support and execution for Vanderbilt’s research, scholarship, and innovation initiatives.
• Ensure research storytelling is integrated with broader institutional narrative priorities and coordinated with academic unit communications plans.
• In partnership with the Director, Academic Affairs Communications, support academic and research leaders in framing impactful, audience-centered communications.

Crisis and Issues Communications

• Oversee and guide the work of team member(s) who provide communications support and execution for routine crisis preparedness and issues communications planning and response.
• Establish messaging guardrails and rapid-response workflows to ensure consistent institutional voice during sensitive or high-impact situations.
• In partnership with the Director, Academic Affairs Communications and Director, Crisis and Issues Management, provide communications support and execution that ensures aligned and coordinated communications during crises or reputational risks.

Operational Executive Communications Support

• Provide strategic writing and messaging support for designated vice chancellors, associate vice chancellors, and administrative unit leaders to ensure clarity and alignment with institutional messaging standards.
• Oversee the work of team member(s) who develop routine and strategic communications—including announcements, talking points, and stakeholder updates—for central administrative and operational units (e.g., Dining, Facilities, Public Safety, and similar functions).
• Ensure executive-facing communications at the administrative level adhere to enterprise narrative frameworks and editorial standards.
• Coordinate with designated senior executive communications leadership when messaging intersects with Chancellor, Provost, or cabinet-level visibility.
• Escalate high-visibility or reputationally sensitive communications for appropriate review and alignment.

Strategic communications for the Chancellor, Provost, and cabinet-level executives are led through designated senior executive and Chancellor communications leadership; this role provides coordination and alignment support as appropriate.

Measurement and Continuous Improvement

• Evaluate, implement, and optimize communications technologies—including content management systems, collaboration tools, analytics platforms, and AI-enabled solutions—to streamline operations, improve message precision, and increase enterprise coordination.
• Define and track metrics to evaluate communications effectiveness, audience engagement, and alignment with institutional priorities.
• Provide regular reporting and strategic recommendations to the Senior Director, Brand Storytelling and Creative and executive MarComm leadership, including the COO and Vice Chancellor.
• Identify and implement process improvements to enhance coordination, clarity, and operational efficiency across integrated communications functions.

Supervisory Relationships:

This position has supervisory responsibility for approximately eleven communications professionals. This position reports administratively and functionally to the Senior Director, Brand Storytelling and Creative.

Education and Certifications

Bachelor’s degree or commensurate experience is required. Master’s degree (MBA) or commensurate experience is preferred.

Experience and Skills:

• Minimum of 8-10 years of progressively responsible experience in strategic communications, marketing, institutional engagement, or a related field, including experience working across multi-unit or matrixed environments.
• Demonstrated experience developing integrated communications strategies and managing cross-functional initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience influencing and coordinating work across complex, integrated teams, including both direct and indirect collaboration models.
• Demonstrated ability to lead in fast-paced, complex, and at times ambiguous environments while maintaining quality, composure, and team cohesion.
• Experience contributing to strategic messaging initiatives that align unit-level priorities with broader institutional goals and brand standards.
• Demonstrated ability to provide thoughtful counsel on messaging strategy, timing, audience impact, and reputational considerations.
• Experience supporting change initiatives with professionalism, adaptability, and sound judgment.
• Strong facilitation and partnership skills, with experience participating in cross-unit forums or working groups.
• Ability to apply sound judgment and systems thinking to manage competing priorities and translate complex information into clear, actionable messaging.
• Demonstrated discretion and professionalism in managing confidential or sensitive information.