Head of Strategic Communications/PR

Job Summary:

As the Head of Strategic Communications / PR at Wisconsin Athletics you will lead the strategic direction and execution of all communication efforts, ensuring a clear, consistent, and impactful strategic communications strategy. This role requires a visionary leader who can drive messaging strategy with authority while maintaining strong cross-functional collaboration. You will oversee external and internal communications, executive messaging, crisis management, and media relations to enhance brand reputation and align communication efforts with business objectives.

Key Responsibilities:
- You will work with several units across sports and campus, partnering closely with Head of Brand Marketing, Events & Promotional Marketing, Legal, Campus Relations, etc.
- Develop and own a comprehensive communications strategy that enhances corporate reputation and stakeholder trust.
- Provide strong leadership, guiding a team of communication professionals to execute high-impact initiatives.
- Drive messaging strategy, ensuring clarity, consistency, and alignment with business goals while maintaining autonomy in decision-making.
- Oversee media relations, including press outreach, thought leadership, and proactive storytelling.
- Serve as a trusted advisor to leadership, shaping executive messaging and guiding public positioning.
- Implement crisis communication plans, ensuring proactive and reactive strategies to manage risk.
- Maintain an acute awareness of internal culture and external landscape, adapting communication strategies accordingly.
- Leverage data analytics to measure the impact of communication efforts and optimize future strategies.
- Ensure strategic communication efforts are aligned with key business initiatives across the organization.

Essential Responsibilities:
Provides strategic leadership for all communication initiatives, ensuring alignment with corporate objectives, internal culture, and external factors.

Job-Specific Responsibilities:
- Develops and executes an integrated communications strategy.
- Oversees media relations, crisis communication, and public affairs.
- Advises executive leadership on strategic messaging and positioning.
- Manages internal communications to ensure employee engagement and alignment.
- Leads and mentors a high-performing communications team.
- Ensures compliance with brand standards and ethical communication practices.

Key Traits:
- High Emotional Intelligence: Understands the nuances of messaging, stakeholder engagement, and organizational culture.
- Strategic Authority: Leads with confidence and ensures communications remain effective, not dictated by committee.
- Strong Leadership: Proven experience running a strategic communications team and setting the direction.
- Situational Awareness: Understands both the internal dynamics and external factors that impact communication.
- Execution-Focused: Aligns communication efforts with business goals and drives measurable results.
- Knows the Role: Recognizes when and where to be involved, ensuring communications are a strategic asset.

This role is an opportunity to lead with vision, ensuring Wisconsin Athletics maintains a strong, strategic, and cohesive communications presence across all platforms.

Responsibilities:

Provides strategic direction and leadership for administration of sports and other key areas within the Athletics Department. Serves as executive staff member of the Athletic Director's Senior Management Team responsible for a $150 million, 23 sport, National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Intercollegiate Athletic Program.

• 10% Assists with overall strategic planning efforts for the athletics program
• 70% Provides oversight of major administrative areas and department initiatives which may include sports administration and other key functions within the athletics division
• 5% Exercises supervisory authority, including hiring, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or approving hours worked of at least 2.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees
• 5% Responsible for policy development, budget planning, and ongoing staff development
• 5% Develops, communicates, and monitors goals for areas of responsibility that support strategic plans and department initiatives
• 5% Ensures compliance with department policies as well as bylaws, rules, regulations, and interpretations of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and all applicable conferences with which the University may be affiliated

Institutional Statement on Diversity:

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

For more information on diversity and inclusion on campus, please visit: Diversity and Inclusion

Education:

Required
Bachelor's Degree
Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, or a related field

Preferred
Master's Degree

Qualifications:

- 15+ years of experience leading strategic communications, public relations, or corporate affairs.
- Proven ability to develop and implement high-impact communication strategies.
- Strong media relations experience, with established industry connections.
- Exceptional leadership and decision-making skills; can lead comms without unnecessary dilution.
- Expertise in crisis management and executive messaging.
- Interest in consuming news & media
- Proficiency in all media platforms is required
- Strong analytical mindset; measures impact and refines strategy accordingly.

Work Type:

Full Time: 100%

It is anticipated this position requires work be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location.

Appointment Type, Duration:

Ongoing/Renewable

Salary:

Minimum $175,000 ANNUAL (12 months)
Depending on Qualifications
Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as:
- Generous vacation, holidays, and paid time off;
- Competitive insurances and savings accounts; retirement benefits;
- Badger gear & season tickets for Badger football, men's basketball and men's hockey, and/or the varsity sports pass.

More Benefits information can be found at https://hr.wisc.edu/benefits/. 

Additional Information:

Conditions of Appointment: This is a 100% Limited appointment. Salary will be assigned within the appropriate range, commensurate with the candidate's qualifications and experience. An excellent benefits package is also included. Successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without need of employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment.

How to Apply:

To ensure full consideration, please submit your completed application no later than 11:55 p.m. CST on the assured consideration date. Your application should include:
1. A cover letter detailing how your qualifications and experiences align with the responsibilities of the position.
2. A comprehensive resume.
3. Contact information for at least three professional references. Finalists will be contacted before any communication with these references.

Applicants selected to proceed in the selection process will be notified directly. All applicants will receive notification once a final selection has been made and the search is complete.

Contact:

Kayla Weisensel
kw4@athletics.wisc.edu
608-262-6340
Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.

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Official Title:

Sr Associate Athletic Director(AT020)

Department(s):

A42-INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS/GENERAL OPERATNS/ADMIN

Employment Class:

Limited

Job Number:

312144-LI

 

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence through diversity and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, click here

If you need to request an accommodation because of a disability, you can find information about how to make a request at the following website: https://employeedisabilities.wisc.edu/disability-accommodation-information-for-applicants/

Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require you and your references to answer questions regarding sexual violence and sexual harassment.

The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).

The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3 calendar years, and on-campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. UW-Madison will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin Police Department.