Senior Communications Specialist

Department: Human Resources

Classification: Public Relations & Mktg Spec 3

Job Category: Classified Staff

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type: Hybrid Eligible

Sponsorship Eligibility: Not eligible for visa sponsorship

Pay Band: 04

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

George Mason University Human Resources is dedicated to creating a people-centered environment where every employee feels valued, supported, and empowered to thrive. Our mission is to attract, engage, and retain talented faculty and staff through meaningful programs and practices that foster connection, growth, and well-being.

As a trusted strategic partner, our team champions an inclusive and innovative culture that prioritizes community and belonging. We play a vital role in advancing the university’s goals by designing and delivering services that support each employee’s professional and personal journey.

Serving close to 10,000 employees and retirees, our HR team continuously evolves to meet the needs of a dynamic and dedicated workforce, building a workplace where people can do their best work and feel a strong sense of purpose.

About the Position:

The Senior Communications Specialist leads, designs, and delivers strategic marketing and communications initiatives for the Human Resources team. This dynamic and people-centered role creates and coordinates messaging that helps engage, inform, and inspire George Mason’s faculty and staff community.

This position plays a critical role in building and strengthening the HR brand, making complex information accessible and relatable, and advancing initiatives that support George Mason's commitment to a diverse, inclusive, and thriving workplace. As a trusted advisor and storyteller, the Senior Communications Specialist helps translate HR programs and policies into clear, friendly, and professional communications that resonate with a wide range of audiences.

The Senior Communications Specialist supervises the Communications Specialist, ensuring the communications function operates as a high-performing, collaborative, and innovative team.

Responsibilities:

• Develops and executes communication plans and strategy for new and existing programs or initiatives, to include use of email, HR News, Around Mason and other university channels, HR website, social media, print media, and other media. Performs graphic design work as needed;
• Writes, designs and coordinates communications to employees and department liaisons on key initiatives, programs, policies, changes, or issues, including:
  • Partnering across HR leadership team to create, edit, and send timely official communication;
  • Weekly communication to University faculty and staff on HR issues, events, and opportunities;
  • Regular communication with the University’s Human Resources Liaison network;
  • Creating talking points as needed to facilitate communication on HR issues; and
  • Creating compelling slide decks, infographics, and other communication products to assist CHRO and leaders communicate analytics, trends, and initiatives;
• Serves as HR Brand Ambassador by executing CHRO’s rebranding strategy across unit collateral (website, social media, forms);
• Serves as main point of contact for HR’s brand and alignment with the University’s brand strategy. Builds and executes an exciting and people-centered brand strategy;
• Leads the re-imagining of the HR website, including the future transition from Wordpress to the University’s Drupal architecture;
• Ensures alignment with university standards and use UX strategies to create a website that is user-friendly;
• Creates and executes a strategy for using web analytics to drive engagement and provide analytics to leadership team;
• Supervises the Communication Specialist, including holding regular 1:1s, providing performance feedback, adhering to University’s performance management process, providing opportunities for mentoring, growth, and development. Ensures communications is a high-performing team;
• Performs other related duties as assigned;
• Takes on special interest projects on an as-needed basis;
• Designs or introduces new policies, guidelines and new programs; and
• Serves on committees as needed and represents HR as the communications lead.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in related field or the equivalent combination of education and experience;
• Demonstrated experience in communications or marketing;
• Considerable experience with Microsoft Office suite of programs;
• Some experience with Wordpress or Drupal;
• Some experience managing an organization’s social media account and content creation;
• Strong writing and editing skills;
• Effective interpersonal communication and customer service skills, including tact, diplomacy, and confidentiality;
• Ability to work independently, meet deadlines, and prioritize multiple tasks;
• Ability to translate technical policies into language and tone which is easily understood by our customers in a friendly and professional tone; and
• Collaborates and works well with diverse individuals with differing needs.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in related field;
• Considerable experience in communications or marketing (generally 3-5 years preferred);
• Some UX experience;
• Web accessibility training and experience;
• Some higher education experience;
• Some Human Resources experience;
• Some leadership or supervisory experience; and
• Experience leading communication strategy, including communication plans and branding.

Instructions to Applicants: 

For full consideration, applicants must apply for Senior Communications Specialist at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide Cover Letter and Resume for review.

Posting Open Date: August 8, 2025

For Full Consideration, Apply by:  August 25, 2025

Open Until Filled:  Yes