Communication Director - Job Description

ICA COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR
JOB DESCRIPTION

ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW

The International Communication Association (ICA) is an academic association for scholars interested in the study, teaching and application of all aspects of human and mediated communication. ICA began more than 60 years ago as a small association of U.S. researchers and is now an international association with more than 4500 members in over 80 countries. Since 2003, ICA has been officially associated with the United Nations as a nongovernmental organization (NGO).

The mission of ICA is to advance the scholarly study of human communication by encouraging and facilitating excellence in academic research worldwide. The purposes of the Association are (1) to provide an international forum to enable the development, conduct, and critical evaluation of communication research; (2) to sustain a program of high quality scholarly publication and knowledge exchange; (3) to facilitate inclusiveness and debate among scholars from diverse national and cultural backgrounds and from multi-disciplinary perspectives on communication-related issues; and (4) to promote a wider public interest in, and visibility of, the theories, methods, findings and applications generated by research in communication and allied fields.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Communication Director (a new position within the organization) will be responsible for spearheading strategic direction initiatives and planning, coordination, and management of the ICA's integrated marketing, public relations, and strategic communications program. The Communication Director (CD) will work with both external and internal constituencies to promote the field of communication, with ICA as its standard bearer. In addition, the CD will create and communicate the organization's messages and ensure overall continuity of institutional brand consistency and image. Moreover, the CD will support the organization's staff and board in developing and maintaining strategic partnerships with external organizations and funders. The CD will also develop and implement initiatives that would serve the association membership, and thus increase the benefit of being a member. The association is based in Washington, DC, but the CD can be located anywhere in the world through telecommuting. Some travel is required. The CD reports directly to the association executive director. Salary will be commensurate with experience.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Communication Director is responsible for the overall planning, organization, and direction of ICA's communication strategies and public information activities and promoting the importance of the field of communication, with ICA as its standard bearer, to media elites, policymakers, funders, and leaders in higher education.

The CD is responsible for fostering and maintaining relationships with international news media, editors, reporters, other Communication Directors, partner organizations, international institutions and governmental officials and their staff (when relevant); fostering greater awareness about ICA, ongoing research, and dominant themes in the field among members; and facilitating opportunities for ICA members to showcase their work and be active in public life.

Duties include but are not limited to:

Planning, organizing, and directing overall communication strategies and public information activities for the organization;
Managing, planning, directing, controlling and implementing an proactive communication program to enhance the reputation of the association and visibility of the field;
Overseeing internal and external communications and presentations, in close relation with the managing staff of ICA divisions, interest groups and committees;
Overseeing the association's digital communication, including the content for the Website, social media, and newsletters;
Developing, maintaining and promoting an ongoing service for members and interested external organizations that circulates updated news about member research, teaching, and service; Coordinating, overseeing and attending press activities, such as press releases and events;
Maintaining extensive and positive relationships with national and international media;
Representing the organization in the media and other relevant occasions;
Developing and implementing annual strategic communication plans that include goals, activities, materials, and performance indicators;
Providing detailed reports of communications activities, including return-on-investment analyses;
Supporting communication goals of ICA regarding national and global advocacy around issues relevant to the field, disciplinary and cross-disciplinary debates, and academia;
Participating in strategic planning with the Executive Director and the Executive Board
Identify communication needs and goals of ICA. The CD will conduct a periodic needs assessment to understand how ICA communicates within the field and across fields and identify gaps and opportunities.
Develop and implement a master "branding" plan for ICA with input from key expert members.
Develop and implement annual plans that include goals, activities, materials, and performance indicators. Annual plans should be discussed with key ICA members.
Serve as a liaison between communication scholars and key publics (e.g. the media, policy-makers, other academic organizations). The CD will be responsible for consulting with division chairs and fellows in order to identify interesting research and events. Specific criteria for selecting and highlighting work should be determined in the future. The CD should actively seek out relevant information and materials following specific guidelines agreed/endorsed by ICA.
Produce content for distribution through several information channels and platforms. Content could be gathered through several mechanisms. The CD should work with journal editors and editorial boards to pick noteworthy and newsworthy and policy relevant research findings and reflections from the ICA-affiliated journals. Also, the CD should work closely with ICA officers to identify relevant events and opportunities. The CD should maintain an updated database of experts on various technical areas (e.g. health, gender, media effects, media/information policy, environment, politics, race, ethnicity, religion, war/conflict) in order to contact them to address press inquiries and participate in various venues and events.
Manage and handle several information channels and platforms (from live interviews to press releases to social media).
Support communication goals of ICA regarding national and global policy-making around issues relevant to the field, disciplinary and cross-disciplinary debates, and academia.
Coordinate/provide logistical support to members/groups/divisions organizing local, national, and international events primarily aimed at raising the visibility of ICA.
Develop and maintain a web-based ICA Communication Digest platform that promotes the work published in ICA journals, monitors media appearances, and links key institutions and people.
Monitor appearances of ICA and its members in prestige media, as well as participation in forums focused on higher education, funding, and policy-making.
Travel as assigned by the Executive Director.

REQUIREMENTS

Master's or Ph.D. degree in a relevant field, including public relations, journalism, communication, or marketing (Ph.D. preferred)
A minimum of three years professional experience, ideally with some experience with nonprofit or academic organizations
Excellent communication skills, particularly when dealing with an international, multilingual audience
Ability to handle multiple projects under time and resource pressure
Be detail and results-oriented, and have strong knowledge of budget processes and evaluation of outcomes analysis
Comprehensive knowledge of media operations and expertise in the field of public relations and release of information for publication
Proven ability to develop communication strategies related to organizational policies in collaboration with a diverse team
Familiarity with academic circles in humanities and social sciences internationally, and with the field of communication in particular
Extensive knowledge and experience in the application of theories, principles and practices of communication as they relate to public information services
Knowledge of the latest advances in effective use of digital and social media for effective corporate communication, including (ideally) online communities, search engine optimization and other digital marketing tools
Develop and maintain strategic networks of people and institutions to disseminate ICA-related news and information.
Develop task orders, and manage part-time, task-specific consultants depending on circumstances and needs with a knowledge and understanding of various key publics and networks to be engaged
Multilingual skills.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Although a financial evaluation of outcomes will be key to sustaining this position in the long-term, we recognize that the value of a successful Communication Director is measured more by the benefits (tangible and intangible) that they bring to the association and its members. Below is the list of key performance categories and indicators on which we expect this position to be evaluated.

Category	Outcome	Indicators
Association Visibility	Increased national and international media coverage	# of news stories High conversion of press releases into news stories
	Increased traffic to ICA website or other digital platforms	Increased website (or other platform) traffic Lower website bounce rates Higher search performance Increased newsletter viewing
	Increased visibility at events relevant to the association and membership	Increased invitations to relevant events, panel discussions, hearings, etc. internationally
Association Brand Value & Reputation	Increased positive brand perception among members	Overall association membership positive value (as measured in annual conference or other survey)
	Increased positive brand perception among external partner/audience	Increased partnerships and sponsorships Increased invitations to relevant events Increased press interviews Increased partnerships with both private and public institutions
	Increased number of ICA-branded events	Number of events (workshops, regional conferences, gatherings) supported by or explicitly associated with ICA
Member Engagement	Increased Conference Attendance among members	% of ICA members at conferences
	Increased Member Retention	% of ICA members retained YoY
	Increased Member Satisfaction	Overall satisfaction ratings (as measured in annual conference or other surveys)
	Increased Non-Conference Member Activity	Increase in amount of activity occurring in non-conference venues set up, such as virtual conferences, discussion communities, social networks, etc.
Financial	Increased Membership	YoY membership increases across all categories or stable membership in the event of an increase in membership fees
	Increased Sponsorships	YoY increase in # of sponsors Increased sponsorship/exhibitor rates
	Increased Advertising Revenue	Increased ad revenue on all relevant platforms (e.g., conference program, Website, social media)

For some of the less tangible outcomes, such as increased association reputation, brand value, and member satisfaction, we recommend that the new Communication Director implement clear measurement plans (e.g., annual member and partner surveys, post-conference exhibitor satisfaction interviews/surveys) to help assess the effectiveness of their and the association's overall efforts.

EVALUATION

The CD position will include regular and rigorous monitoring of performance impact by the Executive Director and a special Task Force appointed by the ICA President. The data should help ICA to assess the value of the position and make future recommendations. Illustrative impact indicators could be:

Number of social networks built.
Number of members actively participating in ICA online platforms.
Number of appearances in global prestige media.
Tone of media stories that mention ICA and members.
Integrity of transmission of ICA's "key messages" in media stories.
Number of ICA members who participated in policy-making debates, gave parliamentary/congressional testimonies, informed funding policies of foundations.
Number of ICA members who participated in debates and task forces in higher education.

Evaluation criteria of the work will be built into the annual work plan of the CD.