The University of Chicago

Department

SSD: Dean of Students - Staff and Temporary Employees

About the Department

Consistently ranked among the top ten social science research universities in the world, the Division of Social Sciences at the University of Chicago is at the vanguard of inquiry and impact. Whether through the field-defining scholarship of the Chicago Schools in Sociology, Political Science, and Economics, the path-breaking impact of the first graduate international affairs program in the U.S., the creation of interdisciplinary programs in the Department of Comparative Human Development and the John U. Nef Committee on Social Thought, or many other pivotal milestones, the Division has repeatedly transformed the social sciences since its founding in 1930.

The Office of the Dean of Students provides leadership and strategic direction across a broad range of administrative practices, policies, and services to enrich graduate student experience and promote students’ academic and professional success. The Dean of Students Office directs admissions, recruitment, registration, student records, financial aid, and graduation.

Job Summary

The job provides professional support and solves straightforward problems in a broad range of operational business activities in the creation of plans for events programming, marketing, and logistics. With guidance from others, monitors the execution of events.

In collaboration with senior management, the Admissions Communications Coordinator will support the development and dissemination of communications on behalf of the Division of the Social Sciences Dean of Students Office, primarily in relation to admissions (with a focus on MA admissions). The Coordinator will be responsible for developing, implementing, and managing communications to enhance prospective student engagement and drive new student enrollment. The Coordinator will create and manage various forms of communication, including email, SMS, web, and social media, to reach and engage prospective students.

The Admissions Communications Coordinator will also analyze the effectiveness of these campaigns, utilizing data to optimize future outreach efforts. This position will also assist the Admissions Team by participating in and hosting virtual and in-person events, including some domestic recruitment.

The ideal candidate will have excellent written communication skills, is a team-player, can communicate with diverse audiences, has great follow-up skills, can work independently, and will work on task through to completion. Excellent oral communication skills are also required.

This position reports to the Associate Dean of Students for Admissions within the Dean of Students Office but will secondarily report to the Director of Admissions and Enrollment for MA Programs and Graduate Recruitment. The position will work closely with the Communications and Marketing Manager in SSD Communications.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute targeted communication strategies that guide prospective students through the admissions funnel, from initial interest to application completion and enrollment, including managing automated email and SMS campaigns, ensuring timely and personalized communication to keep applicants engaged and informed throughout the admissions process; and monitoring and analyze engagement metrics across various communication channels to refine outreach efforts, optimize messaging, and improve conversion rates.
• Coordinate with colleagues across the Division of the Social Sciences to develop communications to prospective and admitted students. Coordinate with staff and program leadership to incorporate feedback, maintain consistent tone, and ensure cohesive messaging in multi-contributor pieces and campaigns.
• Collaborate closely with the Division’s communications team to ensure consistency in messaging across all communication platforms, including email, website, and print materials, as well as compliance with University brand/identity and digital accessibility guidelines.
• Working with SSD Communications, ensure that Division of the Social Sciences websites are consistently updated with important admissions and recruitment information.
• Interview students, alumni, and faculty to write profiles, marketing communications, and feature stories for Divisional channels.
• Develop promotional documents and other collateral materials (brochures, newsletters, information sheets, etc.) using approved templates.
• Participate in recruitment and yield events including in-person and virtual info sessions, Campus Days events, and summer programming for enrolling students, and conduct phone outreach to admitted and enrolling students.
• Travels and recruits domestically as needed.
• Is a member of the Office of the Dean of Students team and participates in regular meetings and events including orientation and convocation.
• Reviews and finalizes the guest lists, assists with mailing invitations and creates brochures for the event.
• Works to implement ideas for improvement as they are identified in addition to providing post-event feedback on turnout and vendor performance with direction from others.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, public relations, journalism, marketing, social sciences, or a related field.
• Master’s degree in the social sciences, higher education, or related field.

Experience:

• Experiencing writing or storytelling (academic or non-academic) and developing a voice.
• Demonstrated ability to draft, edit, and distribute written communications (academic or non-academic).
• Experience in conceptualizing, researching, and writing a diverse range of content.
• Adept at planning and tracking multiple writing projects, ensuring timely and successful execution.
• Willingness and ability to quickly master a range of position-related software applications.
• Experience in admissions, marketing, or communications a plus.
• Experience working with faculty or at an academic institution a plus.

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

• Proficient and functional knowledge of M.S. Office.
• Experience with willingness to learn editing HTML.
• Experience with, or ability to learn, liquid markup.
• Knowledge of and experience with SLATE or another admissions CRM technology a plus.
• Knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite a plus.
• Experience updating web content in Drupal 10 a plus.

Preferred Competencies

• Strong writing, editing, and communication skills with the ability to craft compelling messages for various audiences.
• Ability to identify priorities and organize complicated duties.
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team and be comfortable making independent judgments at the same time.
• Ability to manage interpersonal relationships with faculty, staff, students and prospective students under stressful circumstances and under tight deadlines.
• Strong presentation skills and comfort delivering presentations to large and diverse audiences.

Application Documents

• Resume (required)
• Cover letter (required)
• List of References (3) (required)

When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family

Communications

Role Impact

Individual Contributor

Scheduled Weekly Hours

37.5

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Pay Rate Type

Salary

FLSA Status

Exempt

Pay Range

$58,177.00 - $75,288.00

The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible

Yes

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at: http://securityreport.uchicago.edu. Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.

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