Job Details

Website Communications Manager

Reporting to the Director of Marketing, the Website Communications Manager serves as the primary liaison between Southern Oregon University and its external website vendor, ensuring clear communication, strategic alignment, and efficient execution of updates and enhancements. The Manager is responsible for maintaining an accurate, engaging, and dynamic website that supports student recruitment, elevates user experience, and reflects the university's mission, brand, and content strategy.

The Website Communications Manager also oversees the university's website change-management process, ensuring a structured, transparent, and efficient system for implementing updates and improvements within agreed-upon timelines. This role requires strong strategic thinking across marketing, user experience, and content, ensuring SOU's website remains optimized, accessible, and aligned with the university's brand and marketing priorities.

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Journalism, English, Public Relations, Digital Media, or a related field. Equivalent experience may be considered in place of a degree.
• At least 3-5 years of experience in website content management, digital communications, or copywriting.
• Experience working with external vendors and managing content updates for a comprehensive website.
• Proven ability to solicit, curate, write, and edit compelling web content that aligns with organizational goals.

Preferred Requirements:

• Experience in higher education.
• Familiarity with digital marketing tools (e.g., HubSpot, Mailchimp) and CRM platforms, such as TargetX.
• Proficiency with project management tools (e.g. Monday.com).
• Knowledge of basic design principles and tools like Adobe Creative Suite or Canva for simple content enhancements.

Essential Functions:

• Manage SOU's external website for strategic alignment, continuity, and brand standards:
• Provide strategic leadership across marketing, user experience, and content to ensure the website supports enrollment goals, aligns with SOU's marketing plan, and reflects the university's brand.
• Edit, create, and manage content within the CMS to maintain accuracy, clarity, and consistent application of SOU's Website Content Strategy across all sites.
• Optimize website content, structure, and user experience to enhance visibility, increase engagement, and support integrated marketing campaigns in collaboration with the marketing team.
• Monitor key web KPIs and analytics to evaluate performance, identify areas for improvement, and deliver data-informed recommendations to marketing, admissions, and academic programs.
• Conduct periodic content and UX audits based on KPIs, marketing priorities, and institutional goals to ensure information remains relevant, compelling, and enrollment-focused.
• Partner with accessibility experts to ensure ongoing compliance with WCAG 2.2 AA standards, ADA requirements, SEO best practices, and other digital guidelines.
• Collaborate with marketing, admissions, and academic programs to maintain high-quality content that highlights SOU's academic offerings, student success stories, and strategic initiatives.
• Serve as the primary liaison to SOU's external web vendor, coordinating requests, updates, timelines, and strategic discussions through one organized channel.
• Maintain a change management system to implement website changes:
• Develop and maintain a website change management system that provides a clear, efficient process for accepting, reviewing, approving, and implementing website updates.
• Establish workflows and guidelines for content updates to ensure quality control, consistency, and timely execution.
• Coordinate and oversee updates with external vendors to ensure alignment with deadlines, accessibility standards, university branding, and digital strategy.
• Collaborate with university colleagues to provide regular training on best practices for external websites and ensure content strategy alignment:
• Provide training and guidance on CMS usage and best practices for web publishing.
• Develop a training schedule in consultation with IT to ensure campus-wide compliance with SOU web policies.
• Staff a Web Governance Committee and offer recommendations for significant improvements and changes to the VP for University Advancement.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities:

• Excellent communication skills; demonstrated ability to effectively communicate information in a clear and understandable manner, both verbally and in writing.
• Demonstrated customer service experience requiring a very high level of diplomacy and professionalism to effectively handle a broad range of sensitive interpersonal situations.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret and consistently apply a wide variety of complex policies and procedures where specific guidelines may not always exist.
• Expressed ability to work with frequent changes in policies and procedures, under pressure of deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong analytical and research skills; demonstrated ability to gather, evaluate, and to develop well-reasoned conclusions and recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to proactively assess work operations and anticipate potential problems; ability to develop and implement strategies for preventing/resolving problems.
• Great ability to effectively perform work of a highly sensitive and confidential nature that requires access to information. Must be able to exercise sound judgment and discretion, tact, and diplomacy.
• Takes initiative in independently planning, organizing, and performing work assignments within broadly defined parameters.
• Demonstrated ability to work with a high level of productivity and accuracy/attention to detail.
• Excellent computer skills and proficiency with a variety of computer applications including word processing, spreadsheets, databases, online systems, social media platforms, Internet as well as online calendaring and email.
• Willingness to and work effectively in a heavily bureaucratic environment which requires regular interaction with a number of levels within the organization and multiple outside agencies.
• Working knowledge or ability to quickly learn, university infrastructure, policies, and procedures.

Content & Communication Skills:

• Exceptional writing, editing, and proofreading skills, with a strong understanding of brand voice, tone, and messaging.
• Experience collaborating with a variety of individuals with varying degrees of familiarity with website development or content management.
• Strong storytelling skills, with an ability to translate complex information into engaging, accessible, and persuasive content.
• Strong understanding of SEO best practices and how to structure content for maximum impact and visibility.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on content execution, including writing, editing, and managing updates within the CMS.

Project & Relationship Management:

• Proven ability to build and maintain strong working relationships with colleagues across departments, fostering trust and collaboration through diplomacy and clear communication.
• Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to juggle multiple priorities, manage competing deadlines, and adapt to shifting needs.
• Ability to navigate complex stakeholder dynamics while keeping projects on track and ensuring timely execution of projects.

Technical & Digital Proficiency:

• Familiarity with content management systems (CMS), specifically Wordpress.
• Basic understanding of web accessibility standards (ADA/WCAG) to ensure inclusive and compliant content.
• Experience using Google Analytics or other tools to monitor web content performance and engagement.

Physical Demands:

• Normal office activities such as sitting/standing at a desk, using a computer, answering phones, and communicating in person both in writing and via phone with others.
• Travel between buildings/locations on campus.

Special Conditions:

• Must be willing to travel and attend training programs off-site for occasional professional development.
• Must be able to work additional hours and adjust working hours to meet special jobs. May be called back periodically to perform work as needed on an emergency basis.
• Must be able to successfully pass a pre-employment background check.
• This position classification has been defined as exempt and is not subject to the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
• The person holding this position is considered a mandatory reporter under the Oregon Revised Statutes and is required to comply with the requirements set forth by the Oregon Department of Human Services.

SOU is an equal access AA/EOE committed to achieving a diverse and inclusive workforce. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Southern Oregon University will provide, if requested, reasonable accommodation to applicants in need of accommodation in order to provide access to the application, interviewing, and selection process.