(Auraria) Deputy Chief of Marketing & Communications
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Salary
$10,000.00 - $125,000.00 Annually
Location
Denver, CO
Job Type
Full Time
Job Number
AHEC-4295-06.2026
Department
Auraria Higher Education Center
Division
Chief of Staff / Campus Relations
Opening Date
07/10/2026
Closing Date
7/24/2026 11:59 PM Mountain
FLSA
Determined by Position
Type of Announcement
This position is open only to Colorado state residents.
Primary Physical Work Address
Auraria Campus
FLSA Status
Exempt; position is not eligible for overtime compensation.
Department Contact Information
Nicole Yanez at nicole.yanez@ahec.edu
How To Apply
Please submit an online application for this position at https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/colorado. Reach out to the Department Contact to apply using a paper application, including any supplemental questions. Failure to submit a complete and timely application may result in the rejection of your application. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that application materials are received by the appropriate Human Resources office before the closing date and time listed.
Description
Benefits
Questions
Department Information
This is a Non-Classified position, performing the outlined duties with the Auraria Higher Education Center.
Who we are:
Welcome to the Auraria Campuslocated in the Platte River Valley in downtown Denver. The Auraria Campus is the service provider for 38,000 students and approximately 5,000 faculty and staff working at and attending the Community College of Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and the University of Colorado Denver . Learn more about us through this link: The Auraria Campus (https://aurariacampus.edu/)
Auraria employees enjoy an excellent benefits package which includes paid vacation, holidays, and sick leave, multiple medical, dental and vision options, discounted RTD Pass, BenefitHub and outstanding retirement plan. Learn more through this link: Non-Classified Benefits Package (https://www.ahec.edu/ahec-staff/human-resources/current-employees/non-classified-benefits) .
So, if you're interested in a great job working alongside great people, this may be the opportunity for which you've been waiting for.
Description of Job
Job Summary: Auraria Higher Education Center is seeking a Deputy Chief of Marketing & Communications (a Non-Classified position) reporting to the Chief of Staff. The Deputy Chief of Marketing and Communications serves as a senior strategic leader responsible for advancing institutional priorities through integrated marketing, communications, brand strategy, and stakeholder engagement. This role provides executive leadership, strategic direction, and governance for the Marketing & Communications function. Through subordinate managers, the Deputy Chief oversees communications, marketing, media relations, digital engagement, stakeholder communications, and brand strategy activities that advance organizational priorities and strengthen institutional reputation. The Deputy Chief partners closely with executive leadership to translate organizational priorities into clear, compelling, and coordinated communications that strengthen institutional reputation, support campus-wide initiatives, and foster trust and engagement among internal and external stakeholders. In Auraria's unique multi-institutional environment, this position also works in close partnership with institutional partners across campus to coordinate campus-wide messaging, align communications strategies, and support collaborative initiatives that impact the broader Auraria community. This position supervises marketing and communications staff, drives cross-functional collaboration, and ensures timely, high-quality execution of campaigns and deliverables in a dynamic and collaborative environment.
Essential Job Functions: Strategic Communication and Executive Counsel:
Provides strategic leadership for the agency's integrated marketing and communications function, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities, executive direction, and institutional goals.
Advises the Senior Leadership Team on strategic communications, reputation management, stakeholder engagement, issues management, organizational change, and messaging strategy.
Develops and oversees executive communications, including speeches, presentations, media advisories, talking points, briefing materials, key messages, and public-facing communications for executive leadership.
Ensures communication strategies are proactive, coordinated, timely, accurate, audience-centered, and aligned with agency priorities.
Serves as strategic advisor to the Chief of Staff and executive leadership on communications implications of organizational decisions, policy initiatives, operational changes, and emerging issues.
Represents the agency on executive committees, cross-functional leadership teams, and external stakeholder groups as assigned.
Internal Communications:
Oversees the strategy, editorial direction, content development, and distribution of agency-wide internal communications to foster employee engagement, transparency, and organizational alignment.
Partners with department leaders to ensure internal communications are clear, strategic, accurate, and consistent across the agency.
Identifies opportunities to inform and engage employees through multiple communication channels, including newsletters, digital platforms, web content, and targeted campaigns.
Establishes and manages communication review and approval processes to ensure messaging is appropriately vetted and aligned with organizational priorities.
Campus Relations and Multi-institutional Communications:
Leads collaboration and information-sharing between AHEC and partner institution communications leaders to coordinate campus-wide messaging, align communications strategies, and support timely, accurate communication regarding shared campus priorities, operations, and issues.
Oversees communications related to campus operations, major events, incidents, and initiatives affecting multiple institutions or shared campus stakeholders.
Leads and convenes campus communications forums and committees to foster collaboration, strengthen relationships, and support alignment on institution-specific and campus-wide initiatives.
Negotiates and resolves communications issues involving multiple institutions, departments, or stakeholder groups where competing interests or priorities exist.
External Communications and Media Relations:
Leads the development and dissemination of timely, accurate, and strategic external communications, including media statements, press releases, public announcements, website content, and executive messaging.
Serves as a primary point of contact for media relations and manages responses to external inquiries, public information requests, and reputational issues.
Develops and implements communication strategies to strengthen organizational reputation, public trust, and stakeholder awareness.
Coordinates messaging with internal departments and external partners to ensure consistency, responsiveness, and strategic alignment.
Public Information and Crisis Communications:
Serves as Public Information Officer (PIO) or designee during campus emergencies, incidents, crises, and high-profile issues requiring coordinate communication responses.
Collaborates with the Auraria Campus Police Department, emergency preparedness personnel, executive leadership, and institutional partners to coordinate emergency messaging and public information dissemination.
Develops and oversees internal and external communication strategies, including crisis communication protocols ensuring timely, accurate, and consistent messaging.
Serves as agency spokesperson, and prepares executive-level talking points, speeches, and organizational announcements supporting executive leadership during crises, emergency situations, or reputational challenges.
Coordinates activation of a Joint Information Center (JIC), when necessary, to support unified communications and interagency coordination during incidents.
Develops communication protocols and response strategies for sensitive, high-profile, or potentially controversial issues.
Marketing, Brand Strategy, and Creative Services:
Providing strategic oversight of marketing, branding, creative services, and campaign execution to support agency priorities, departmental initiatives, and campus engagement efforts.
Establishes agency-wide marketing, branding, and audience engagement strategies and provides executive oversight of marketing initiatives to ensure alignment with organizational priorities.
Ensures consistent stewardship of the agency brand, visual identity, messaging standards, and audience strategy across all communication platforms and deliverables.
Partners with departments and institutional stakeholders to identify objectives, develop marketing strategies, and implement create solutions that drive measurable outcomes.
Digital Communications, Website, and Social Media Strategy:
Oversees digital communications strategy, including website governance, content management, usability, and brand consistency across digital platforms.
Ensures agency websites, internal staff resources, and digital communication tools remain current, accessible, accurate, and strategically aligned with organizational priorities.
Provides oversight of social media strategy, content planning, audience engagement, and performance analytics to strengthen public engagement and institutional visibility.
Establishes metrics and evaluates communications and marketing performance through analytics, reporting, and continuous improvement practices.
Leadership, Governance, and Organizational Strategy:
Establishes the strategic vision, priorities, goals, and performance measures for the Marketing & Communications function.
Cultivates trusted partnerships with agency leadership, departments, institutional partners, vendors, and external stakeholders to advance agency priorities and collaborative initiatives.
Supports organizational initiatives through strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, survey design and analysis, communications planning, and change management.
Develops and manages departmental budgets, resources allocation strategies, contracts, and vendor relationships.
Establishes communication policies, standards, governance processes, and brand guidelines to ensure consistency, compliance, and organizational effectiveness.
Provides leadership and oversight to communications, marketing, and digital engagement functions through subordinate managers.
Performs other duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights
Application Requirements:
Completed online application, resume and cover letter.
Resume and Cover letter required. The cover letter must specifically describe how your education and professional experience meet the minimum qualifications and any preferred qualifications listed in this posting.
Must possess a valid unencumbered Colorado driver's license at the time of application.
Failure to submit a completed application, resume and cover letter may result in removal from further consideration.
Minimum Qualifications:
Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in communications, public relations, journalism, marketing, public administration, organizational leadership, business administration, or a related field.
Ten (10) years of progressively responsible professional experience in communications, public relations, marketing, media relations, public affairs, or a related field, including demonstrated experience communicating across multiple platforms and audiences.
Five (5) years of experience supervising staff, managing programs or projects, and landing cross-functional initiatives in a complex organization environment.
Demonstrated experience developing and implementing strategic communications, executives' communications, media relations, crisis communications, or stakeholder engagement strategies.
Experience drafting, editing, and reviewing high-level writing communications, including executive messaging, public-facing materials, speeches, talking points, media responses, or organizational communications.
Must maintain a valid and unencumbered Colorado driver license.
Please note that if offered employment, candidate will be required to furnish a copy of their motor vehicle report (MVR) as part of the background check process.
Preferred Qualifications:
Master's degree in communications, public administration, marketing, higher education, organizational leadership, business administration or a related field.
Experience in higher education, government, public sector, nonprofit, or similarly complex, mission-driven organizations.
Experience collaborating across multiple institutions, organizations, or stakeholder groups to coordinate communications and shared messaging.
Experience serving in a public information, crisis communications, emergency management, or incident communications role.
Experience advising executive leadership on communications strategy, reputation management, organizational change, or stakeholder engagement.
Demonstrated experience managing external media relations, public affairs, or high-profile public communications issues.
Experience supervising communications, marketing, or creative professionals and fostering team development and accountability.
Conditions of Employment:
Must be a state of Colorado resident.
Must be able to successfully pass a criminal background check.
Must be able to maintain confidentiality and professionalism.
Must be able to work on-site, Monday-Friday and weekends and nights as needed.
Attributes and Abilities:
Exceptional written, verbal, interpersonal, and listening skills, with the ability to synthesize information, communicate complex issues clearly, and respond diplomatically and effectively to diverse stakeholders across organizational levels.
Strong organizational, project management, and prioritization skills, with the ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously while maintaining attention to detail and meeting deadlines.
Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgement, discretion, and critical thinking in a fast-paced, politically sensitive, or high-pressure environments while adapting to shifting priorities and responding effectively to emerging issues.
Ability to anticipate issues, assess risks, identify solutions, and proactively recommend courses of action.
Demonstrated professionalism and emotional intelligence, with a commitment to fostering a respectful, collaborative, and solutions-oriented workplace culture.
Demonstrated ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise discretion when handling sensitive, confidential, or high-profile matters.
Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain trusted, collaborative relationships across institutional boundaries and navigate complex, multi-stakeholder environments to build consensus and advance shared priorities.
Proven experience in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with a diverse population at all levels throughout the institution-and into the community.
Ability to communicate in a positive and effective manner, across various modalities.
Ability to balance multiple projects and tasks in parallel to maintain attention to detail.
Outwardly contributes to a respectful, positive, and professional workspace.
Ability to establish work priorities, follow through, and meet established deadlines.
Strong judgment and critical thinking skills.
Ability to deliberately listen and communicate relevant information, anticipate problems, and offer suggestions for resolution.
Supplemental Information
Colorado Partnership for Quality Jobs and Services Act information
After careful review of this position and the duties that it performs, it has been designated in accordance with the Colorado Partnership for Quality Jobs and Services Act as a "Not Covered" position, it does not fall in the category of employees that are eligible for representation by COWINS, also known as the union. To learn more about this designation please visit this link: http://coloradowins.org/
Applicant Checklist & Minimum Qualifications
We request that you include the following in your application:
Cover Letterdetailing how your experience & education meet minimum and preferred qualifications.
Resumedetailing a summary of work history.
E-mail AddressAll correspondence regarding your status in the selection/examination process will be conducted by email.Minimum QualificationsYour application as submitted is used to determine if you meet Minimum Qualifications. Please read the Minimum Qualifications and ensure that information in your application "draw correlations" to the Minimum Qualifications. Human Resources Analysts will not infer that you meet the Minimum Qualifications if information isn't detailed in your application.Years of experience will be expressed in terms of full-time equivalent service with full-time workload equal to one (1) Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) year. No more than 1.00 FTE year may be credited in any twelve (12) month period. Positions working 40 hours or less per week will be pro-rated (30 hrs/wk=0.75 FTE=9 mos credit; 20 hrs/wk=0.5 FTE=6 mos credit; 10 hrs/wk=0.25 FTE=3 mos credit.)Commitment to Equity, Diversity and InclusionThe State of Colorado believes that equity, diversity, and inclusion drive our success, and we encourage candidates from all identities, backgrounds, and abilities to apply. The State of Colorado is an equal opportunity employer committed to building inclusive, innovative work environments with employees who reflect our communities and enthusiastically serve them. Therefore, in all aspects of the employment process, we provide employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, medical condition related to pregnancy, creed, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, or military status (with preference given to military veterans), or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law. Auraria Campus is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, our agency will assist individuals who have a disability with any reasonable accommodation requests related to employment, including completing the application process, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, participating in the employee selection process, and/or to perform essential job functions where the requested accommodation does not impose an undue hardship. If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to ensure you have a positive experience applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to Nicole Yanez at nicole.yanez@ahec.edu
Employer
State of Colorado
Address
See the full announcement by clickingthe "Printer" icon located above the job titleLocation varies by announcement, Colorado, --
Website
https://careers.colorado.gov/
