Communications Specialist – Durban

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Communications Specialist – Durban

Marketing
KZN

Position Summary:
The Communications Specialist for the Student Organisation supports the institutions mission to foster a vibrant and inclusive student life.
 
This role is responsible for developing and executing creative and strategic communications that promote student programmes, events, and services.
 
Thus keeping students continually informed during their studies. The ideal candidate is passionate about student engagement, skilled in storytelling, and adept at using digital platforms to connect with diverse student audiences.
 
Key Responsibilities:
 
    • Create and distribute engaging content to promote student events.
    • Works in collaboration with others to establish the needs, schedule, and deadlines for communication projects.
    • Applies strategic communications approaches to achieve respective individual and departmental goals.
    • Be responsible for crafting all student communication.
    • Manage communications across multiple channels, including social media, newsletters, websites, and digital signage.
    • Collaborate with student organizations, student leaders, and  departments to ensure timely and effective communication of initiatives.
    • Maintain and update the Student Engagement website, LMS, calendar and other platforms with current events and resources.
    • Track analytics and student feedback to improve outreach effectiveness and engagement.
    • Ensure all messaging is inclusive, accessible, and aligned with university branding.
    • Monitor communication , both written and verbal of all consultants to ensure effective communication skills, with the aim of training consultants.
    • Uses technology platforms to develop and deploy timely and relevant content designed to help students succeed
    • Writes, edits and formats messages for students.
    • Utilizes data analytics reports to improve communication methods, to measure and assess effectiveness of communications.
    • Maintains a working knowledge of the regulatory requirements regarding communication with students
    • Ensures that all student communications comply with institutions  branding guidelines.
    • Coordinates with departments to produce accurate, relevant and well-written content as needed.
    • Produces and/or analyses reports to monitor the results of communications systems.
    • Works collectively with other departments producing these reports
    • Creatively enhances the content of those communications over time to increase effectiveness of messaging to students.
    • Consistently applies communications skills and research-based communications principles to all aspects of the assignment.
    • Makes suggestions to improve both the content of information provided to students and the systems used to track the communication of that information to students.
 
Qualifications:
Required:
    • Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Marketing, Public Relations, Higher Education, or a related field.
    • 2–5 years of experience in communications, marketing, or student affairs.
    • Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with a creative flair.
    • Proficiency in social media management and email marketing platforms.
    • Ability to work effectively with students from diverse backgrounds.
Preferred and knowledge off:
    • Experience in higher education or working directly with student populations or customer care environment.
    • Basic graphic design skills.
    • Familiarity with technology systems (e.g. customer support systems, etc.) and data management.
    • Interpersonal skills and the ability to interact well with the public and media.
    • A kind and professional demeanour to project a positive image for the institution.
    • Problem-solving skills to handle sensitive issues that might arise surrounding the institutions image.
    • Good judgment to know the correct way to word statements and interactions to maintain a positive reputation.
    • Organizational skills to manage several projects at a time, while successfully coordinating meetings and deadlines.
    • Speaking skills for speaking on behalf of institution , as well as the ability to maintain key institution  messaging in all verbal interactions.
    • Writing skills to write clear, grammatically correct, professional press releases, speeches and content for social media.
    • To serve as a student advocate, always ensuring student needs are met. Communications methods and modern communication tools
    • Commonly used digital communication and social media platforms
    • Editing disparate written content to achieve a consistent voice
    • Experience using technology to create widely distributed and personalized communications
    •  Grammar and sentence structure
    •  Basic HTML
 
 
Abilities and Attributes:
    • Self-starter with the ability to work independently, or as a member of a committee or workgroup.
    • Excellent communications skills
    • Interpersonal skills
    • Proficient in using email, office applications, and basic calendaring software.
    • Ability to learn new technology, and adept in teaching others to use technological platforms.
    • Ability to manage to deadlines and against calendars with the ability to look forward to future deliverables.
    • Strong aptitude in organizing and verbalizing complex information.
    • Strong aptitude for configuring and using technology tools.
    • Ability to evaluate methods of communication for effectiveness using data, evaluation tools, usage reports, interviews and observation of behaviour.
    • Ability to adapt to rapidly changing processes and procedures, especially those involving the use of technology.
    • Excellent attention to detail.