Communications Specialist📣 Job Ad

About the Role

KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) is seeking a Communications Specialist to support the implementation of its communications strategy. This full-time role, based in Thuwal, Makkah, operates at the intersection of relationship management, strategic planning, and execution. The specialist is key in fostering engagement with stakeholders and implementing effective communication initiatives across the university.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate with business units and stakeholders to understand communication activity strategy and support requirements.
• Assist in developing marketing communication tactical plans aligned with university strategy objectives, brand positioning, and target audience needs.
• Engage with stakeholders, GBC teams, digital teams, and creative partners to execute campaigns and initiatives.
• Facilitate effective communication and coordination with stakeholders and liaise with GBC specialist teams to ensure alignment and smooth execution of approved projects.
• Utilize insights from stakeholders and market research to refine and optimize marketing communication plans for maximum impact.
• Monitor and evaluate the performance of communication initiatives, providing insights for continuous improvement.
• Stay updated on industry trends and best practices in marketing communication to enhance effectiveness and innovation.
• Implement a consultative approach to engage university partners and division teams, developing work plans and managing expectations.
• Manage stakeholders, including regular reporting, activity monitoring, and issue escalation.
• Coordinate, draft, and deliver communications, content, and assets across various channels.
• Support the development of clear, audience-focused messaging aligned with KAUST’s brand and communication objectives.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure consistency in messaging across all channels.
• Utilize various communication channels, including digital platforms, print media, social media, and events, to reach target audiences effectively.
• Ensure all communications and content adhere to brand guidelines and reflect the university's values, tone, and style.
• Work with embedded resources to manage content on social media channels and websites as needed.
• Support the management of flagship or strategic university events, campaigns, and activations, assisting with conceptualization, planning, approvals, execution, and post-event evaluation and reporting.
• Track communication activities and maintain records of outputs and deliverables.
• Support the use of project management tools (*, Asana, Zendesk) to track progress and tasks.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Marketing and Communications Manager.

Required Competencies

• Proven experience in supporting integrated campaigns across various channels.
• Ability to manage stakeholder relationships and assist in developing and coordinating communication strategies to meet business objectives.
• Analytical skills to evaluate performance metrics and optimize activities.
• Ability to write high-quality, audience-facing communications that meet objectives.
• Project management skills for delivering communication projects, marketing collateral, and content marketing.
• Strong oral communication, interpersonal, negotiation, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience using research and data to inform communications strategy development.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in communications, marketing, public relations, or journalism.
• Project management certification is desirable.

Experience

• 3+ years of experience in a marketing or communications-related role.
• Knowledge of Asana & Zendesk or other similar project management and ticketing tools.
• Experience in a customer-facing/stakeholder management role (Preferred).
• Higher Education experience (Preferred).
• Experience working in a bilingual organization/environment (Preferred).

Location and Work Type

This is a full-time position located in Thuwal, Makkah, at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Salary details for this role are not disclosed.