Director of Campus Engagement and Communications

Director of Campus Engagement & Communications

Position Type: Onsite, 5 days per week at the Stanford campus
Budgeted Salary Range: $121,016 - $135,658

To be considered for this position, please submit a résumé and cover letter with your application. In your cover letter, we encourage you to share your interest in the role and highlight the experience most relevant to the position.

Stanford’s Department of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation (DAPER) is the premier intercollegiate athletics and recreation program in the country. With an unparalleled record of 139 NCAA team championships, we are the proud Home of Champions. Our success isn’t just measured in trophies; it’s reflected in the passion of our nearly 900 student-athletes competing across 36 intercollegiate varsity teams. It resonates in our unwavering support for the university’s physical education, recreation, and wellness initiatives. At Stanford, we don’t just embrace excellence; we define it. We don’t just nurture champions; we create them. Our actions are guided by the core tenets of DAPER culture, “The DAPER Way,” which are: Embrace Scholar Athleticism, Pursue and Revere Excellence, Lead with Courage, and Work Cohesively.

Are you ready to inspire champions? If yes, we encourage you to apply! 

Position Overview

The Director of Campus Engagement & Communications develops and leads engagement strategies and communications that connect students and the broader Stanford community with Recreation & Wellness programs, services, and opportunities. The Director creates compelling written, digital, visual, and promotional content across multiple channels; advances storytelling that builds awareness and engagement; and helps steward the department’s messaging and brand.

Reporting to the Executive Director for Recreation & Wellness, the Director works collaboratively across the department and builds partnerships throughout the university, including with Student Affairs and other programs that support the student experience. A skilled communicator and relationship builder, the Director translates strategic priorities and ideas into communications, campaigns, and engagement initiatives that resonate with diverse campus audiences.

At its core, the role takes a student-, member-, and client-centered approach, helping demonstrate how recreation and wellness contribute to physical fitness, health, and well-being while encouraging students to develop lifelong habits around movement, recreation, and wellness.

Key Areas of Focus Include

1. Lead the campus engagement strategy for Recreation and Wellness, building and strengthening partnerships that expand student access to and participation in recreation, exercise, and wellness opportunities.
2. Lead the department’s communications and storytelling efforts, developing clear and compelling messaging for Stanford and external audiences across multiple channels.
3. Develop and execute marketing and promotional strategies for Recreation & Wellness programs, services, events, and initiatives, driving cross-functional collaboration across the department.
4. Supervise and develop staff responsible for communications, engagement, and related student programming.
5. Develop engagement initiatives that demonstrate the role of recreation and movement in student well-being and encourage healthy habits that extend beyond the college experience.

Communications Leadership (35%)

• Work across several aspects of communication and engagement – from graphic design and branding to targeted creative outreach and story-telling, campaign management, advocacy, and events.
• Create exceptional written communications, edit high-level correspondence and write copy for internal communications, web, social, and email.
• Lead our campus event tabling marketing events strategy, procure appropriate promotional materials to incentivize student engagement 
• Review, finalize and curate the department policy handbooks, ensure alignment among groups and with DAPER and University policies as needed. 
• Assist senior team in creating materials to support their programs including coordinating publication of the quarterly program schedule
• Primary steward of department websites, content, strategy and maintenance.  Will supervise the outsourced website vendor

Marketing Strategies and Materials (30%)

• Ensure delivery of excellent marketing materials for our team. The Director will need to employ the following skill sets to be successful.
  • Create digital and print marketing materials for department classes, events, and needs. Utilize appropriate multimedia software tools such as: InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, AfterEffects, and Express and others as needed
  • Ensure and curate production-ready assets such as logos, icons, and graphics signage and other printing purposes.
  • Ensure conceptually strong visual designs and graphics 
• Develop and foster relationships with production partners to deliver great work (brochures, pamphlets, etc.) that is on time and on budget.
• Ensure and curate department library of quality photos of adventure/outdoor programs, fitness programs/classes, active sports/games, and facilities.
• Oversee and manage relevant social media platforms day-to-day internal account operations and brand integrity. 

Campus Engagement (25%)

• Advocate on campus for cross department and division collaboration to drive student engagement in recreational programs, exercise and wellness activities.
• Develop specific programs either originating in RecWell or co-branding with campus partners that ignite a culture of belonging and inclusion through activities on campus

Other Duties (10%)

• Supervise staff as necessary to craft and implement communications strategy and may supervise other programmatic areas as needed. 
• Serve on the senior team of directors sharing in the responsibility to lead the Recreation and Wellness group
• Uphold all university policies, DAPER policies and legal and integral obligations of a first class educational institution.
• Other duties as assigned.

Core Duties:

• Develop communication deliverables in an area of expertise for a unit or a complex program.

• Develop complex communications for various content delivery channels.

• Develop and design complex materials according to defined requirements using software applications and mediums.

• Work with vendors to obtain information to evaluate quality, process, and costs to support vendor selection.

• Maintain knowledge by attending webinars, conferences, networking etc. to remain at the forefront of current industry standards, trends and technology.

• Contribute to the development of communication strategy for the unit or program.

• Analyze data and curate illustrations, photos, and pictures for assignments.

• Work in collaboration with Institutional Communicators on media relations content and other areas.

Minimum Education and Experience

Bachelor's degree and five years of relevant experience or combination of education and relevant experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with internal communications groups across campus.

• Demonstrated excellent interpersonal skills

• Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex materials and communicate information in a manner easily understood.

• Experience with project management and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.

• Demonstrated ability to perform detailed work with high level of accuracy and attention to detail.