Chief Communications Officer

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership
• Serve as a trusted advisor to the Dean and is a member of the Executive Team.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive communications strategy aligned with institutional priorities.
• Establish communications goals, performance metrics, and annual reporting processes.
• Build and lead a high-performing communications function and culture.
• Manage communications budgets, vendors, agencies, and production resources.
• Provide leadership for reputation management and crisis communications planning.
• Brand Strategy and Thought Leadership
• Lead development and stewardship of the school's brand narrative and positioning.
• Position USC Leonard Davis as the leading voice on aging, longevity, and gerontology.
• Translate complex research and academic expertise into compelling public-facing stories.
• Create messaging frameworks that resonate with diverse audiences, including students, donors, media, policymakers, and industry leaders.
• Identify opportunities to elevate faculty and leadership as national thought leaders.
• Media Relations and Public Affairs
• Develop and maintain relationships with national, international, healthcare, science, education, business, and public policy media.
• Lead proactive media outreach and earned media campaigns.
• Secure high-impact media placements, interviews, op-eds, and thought leadership opportunities.
• Prepare faculty and leadership for media appearances and public speaking engagements.
• Monitor emerging issues and develop rapid-response communications strategies.
• Enrollment and Marketing Communications
• Partner with admissions and enrollment leadership to strengthen recruitment efforts.
• Develop campaigns supporting master's, doctoral, executive, and online programs.
• Create compelling student, alumni, and career outcome storytelling.
• Oversee digital marketing, content marketing, and audience engagement strategies.
• Ensure communications efforts contribute directly to enrollment growth objectives.
• Advancement and Philanthropic Communications
• Partner closely with our Development Office and the Dean to support fundraising priorities.
• Helps develop donor-focused communications strategies.
• Helps create impactful case statements, campaign narratives, and donor engagement materials.
• Helps position aging and longevity as compelling philanthropic investment opportunities.
• Research Communications
• Elevate visibility of faculty research, centers, institutes, and grant-funded initiatives.
• Develop research impact reports, policy briefs, and executive summaries.
• Promote faculty awards, discoveries, publications, and external recognition.
• Support communications efforts related to federal agencies, foundations, and research sponsors.
• Increase awareness of the school's contributions to public policy and s

Benefits

Additional Information

The University of Southern California (USC), founded in 1880, is in the heart of downtown Los Angeles and is the city's largest private employer. USC is consistently ranked among the nation's most prestigious universities, and the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology features one of the world's best degree and research programs in gerontology. The USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology has an international reputation as a hub of aging research, and with additional strong programs throughout the university, it leads the way in defining and advancing the field of gerontology: https://gero.usc.edu . The world's leading school dedicated to the science of aging seeks an innovative, strategic, and entrepreneurial Chief Communications Officer (CCO) to join the Dean's Executive Team. As a key advisor to the Dean and senior leadership, the CCO will lead the development and execution of a comprehensive communications and reputation strategy that advances the school's mission, strengthens global visibility, increases enrollment, cultivates philanthropic support, elevates research impact, and positions USC Leonard Davis as the authoritative voice on aging and longevity. This is a unique opportunity to shape the narrative around one of the defining issues of the 21st century. The successful candidate will help transform public understanding of aging while amplifying the school's leadership in research, education, policy, and innovation. The Chief Communications Officer serves as the school's senior communications executive and chief storyteller. Reporting directly to the Dean, the CCO will oversee all aspects of strategic communications, marketing communications, media relations, executive communications, digital strategy, content development, thought leadership, crisis communications, and stakeholder engagement. The CCO will work closely with academic leadership, faculty, development office, admissions, alumni relations, USC central communications, and external partners to build awareness of the school's impact and strengthen its reputation among prospective students, donors, policymakers, researchers, healthcare leaders, industry partners, and the public.

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