Join our ever growing team

General Notes

Established in 2023 as UT Austin’s newest college, the School of Civic Leadership is a community of scholars and students dedicated to studying the foundational ideas and institutions of a free society, with the goal of advancing human flourishing. We value independent thought, civil discourse, reasoned deliberation, and intellectual curiosity as we prepare to meet the challenges of the present and sustain the blessings of liberty for future generations.

SCL is home to the Civitas Institute, a national and international hub for excellence in scholarship, commentary and public outreach on economic dynamism, individual flourishing, civic virtue, and constitutionalism. Upholding the University’s motto—Disciplina Praesidium Civitatis, “Education is the guardian genius of democracy”—we advance The University of Texas at Austin’s mission to achieve excellence in education, research, and public service.

The University of Texas at Austin provides an outstanding benefits package to staff, including:

• Competitive health benefits (Employee premiums covered at 100%; family premiums at 50%)
• Vision, dental, life, and disability insurance options
• Paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays
• Teachers Retirement System of Texas (a defined benefit retirement plan)
• Additional voluntary retirement programs: tax sheltered annuity 403(b) and a deferred compensation program 457(b)
• Flexible spending account options for medical and childcare expenses
• Training and conference opportunities
• Tuition assistance
• Athletic ticket discounts
• Access to UT Austin's libraries and museums
• Free rides on all UT Shuttle and Capital Metro buses with staff ID card

For more details, please see: https://hr.utexas.edu/prospective/benefits and https://hr.utexas.edu/current/services/my-total-rewards

Purpose

We are seeking a Communications Associate to support our media and outreach efforts at the School of Civic Leadership. This role involves assisting with newsletter management, social media management, content production, podcast management, website content, print projects, and audience engagement to expand our reach and enhance our communications strategy. The ideal candidate is organized, tech-savvy, and passionate about digital media and audience engagement.

Responsibilities

• Newsletters: Assist with content creation, formatting, scheduling, and distribution of our daily, weekly, and ad hoc newsletters. Maintain and manage subscriber lists.
• Social Media: Create, schedule, and monitor social media posts across multiple platforms (YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter). Engage with the audience, track performance metrics, and recommend improvements.
• Content: Collaborate with staff and scholars to create short-form video, graphic, and written content.
• Podcasts: Coordinate between show hosts, guests, and the production team to record podcast episodes. Schedule and promote podcasts.
• Website Content: Add new content such as podcasts, articles, and reports to Civitas Institute and Civitas Outlook.
• Print Projects: Assist with managing the production process for recurring print projects, such as books and mailers.
• Audience & Distribution Lists: Organize and update contact lists, press lists, track audience growth, and implement strategies to increase engagement.
• Other related functions as assigned.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in communications, marketing, liberal arts, or related field. Two to four years of experience in communications, social media, or a related field. Strong organizational and interpersonal skills, including written and verbal communications. Excellent writing, proofreading, and communication skills. Strong attention to detail. Ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment. Eager and able to learn new skills, tools, and processes quickly.

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with email marketing platforms. Strong understanding of social media platforms. Basic knowledge of design tools such as Figma and Photoshop. Familiarity with video tools such as Adobe Premiere, Premiere Rush, or Headliner. Familiarity with website analytics and CMS. Photography skills.

Salary Range

$53,000+ depending on qualifications

Required Materials

• Resume/CV
• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of interest
• One writing sample (500–1,000 words). Sample press release, newsletter article, social media campaign copy, blog post, or other communications-focused sample.

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

Employment Eligibility: Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

Retirement Plan Eligibility: The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

Background Checks: A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

Equal Opportunity Employer: The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

Pay Transparency: The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

Employment Eligibility Verification: If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form.  You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States.  Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment.  Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

E-Verify: The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

Compliance: Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.