Assistant Vice Chancellor of Strategic Initiatives & Communications for Enterprise Operations

About the role

• Location
• ST. LOUIS, MO 63130
• Scheduled Hours
• 37.5

Position Summary

The Assistant Vice Chancellor of Strategic Initiatives & Communications for Enterprise Operations (AVC) serves as the Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff's principal partner for shaping the strategic narrative, messaging, and executive communications of the Enterprise Operations (COO) organization.

This role sets the storytelling and reputational strategy for the division, leads internal communications during moments of change, and provides direct communications support to senior leadership. The AVC also acts as a deputy to the Chief of Staff on select strategic priorities and cross-functional initiatives, representing the COO's office and helping to advance the broader operating agenda across Enterprise Operations.

Primary Duties & Responsibilities

Communications Execution and Executive Support

• Executive Communications Support: Provide direct communications support to the COO, including talking points, briefing documents, presentations, and executive-level social media content.
• Internal & Change Communications: Partnering with central communications, lead internal change communications planning and execution, including development of response protocols, key messages, and leadership coordination during sensitive or high-stakes moments.
• Works side by side with Assistant Vice Chancellors and senior marketing and communications leaders across the University to advance the COO's strategic priorities. Provides leadership and direction in cross-functional communications discussions, as appropriate, to ensure the COO's vision is clearly understood, effectively translated into communications strategy, and consistently implemented across relevant audiences and channel.

Chief of Staff Partnership and Advising

• Deputy Chief of Staff Duties- representing the Chief of Staff in select meetings and working groups, leading special projects, and helping coordinate cross-functional priorities across Enterprise Operations.
• Strategic Advising: Act as a trusted advisor to the Chief of Staff on matters of organizational narrative, reputation, and stakeholder perception.

Narrative and Storytelling Strategy

• Narrative & Messaging Strategy: Partner with the Chief of Staff to set the Enterprise Operations narrative and messaging strategy, ensuring consistency across audiences, channels, and initiatives.
• Storytelling & Story Sourcing: Identify cross-division story opportunities that showcase the impact, priorities, and people of Enterprise Operations.
• Storytelling Framework: Develop and maintain the COO storytelling framework, establishing consistent narrative architecture for all Enterprise Operations communications.

Cross Division Governance and Performance

• Cross-Division Alignment: Ensure all divisional communications leaders within Enterprise Operations are aligned on messaging, and that COO-level messaging reflects WashU's broader institutional priorities.
• Executive Leadership Team Information Flow: Organize and manage the flow of information shared by the Executive Leadership Team, ensuring updates and decisions are cascaded accurately and on time to the network of division-level communications leads across Enterprise Operations.
• Performance Reporting: Track and report performance indicators for the division-level communications leads, ensuring goals are scored, results are communicated, and course corrections happen in real time.

Performs other duties as assigned.

Job Location/Working Conditions

• Normal office environment

Physical Effort

• Typically sitting at a desk or a table
• Repetitive wrist, hand or finger movement
• Ability to move to on and off-campus locations

Equipment

• Office equipment

Additional information

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all job duties performed by the personnel so classified. Management reserves the right to revise or amend duties at any time.

Required Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree

Certifications /Professional Licenses

• No specific certification/professional license is required for this position.
• Work Experience: Relevant Experience (8 Years)

Skills: Not Applicable

Driver's License: A driver's license is not required for this position.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in English, journalism, communications or related field.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ten years of progressively responsible experience in strategic communications, executive communications, public affairs, issues management, public relations/media relations, or marketing, within a large, complex, multi-stakeholder organization;
• Higher education experience.

Preferred Qualifications

Education: Master's degree

Certifications/Professional Licenses

No additional certification/professional licenses unless stated elsewhere in the job posting.

Work Experience

No additional work experience unless stated elsewhere in the job posting.

Skills

Change Communications, Crisis Communication, Executive Communications, Executive Presence, Influencing Skills, Organizational Communications, Relationship Building, Sound Judgment, Stakeholder Buy-In, Synthesizing Complex Information, Writing

• Grade
• G00
• Questions

For frequently asked questions about the application process, please refer to our External Applicant FAQ.

Accommodation

If you are unable to use our online application system and would like an accommodation, please email or call the dedicated accommodation inquiry number at and leave a voicemail with the nature of your request.

Pre-Employment Screening

All external candidates receiving an offer for employment will be required to submit to pre-employment screening for this position. The screenings will include criminal background check and, as applicable for the position, other background checks, drug screen, an employment and education or licensure/certification verification, physical examination, certain vaccinations and/or governmental registry checks. All offers are contingent upon successful completion of required screening.

Benefits Statement

Washington University in St. Louis is committed to providing a comprehensive and competitive benefits package to our employees. Benefits eligibility is subject to employment status, full-time equivalent (FTE) workload, and weekly standard hours.