Coordinator of College Access Communications

Coordinator of College Access Communications
Job Summary
Reporting to the Statewide Services Coordinator, this position manages communications for the 
Bureau of College Access and Outreach, provides support to all divisions in the Bureau, and helps 
create and maintain alignment of the Bureau’s work with that of other college access organizations in 
the state; curates, brands, and markets the agency’s college access and success resources; and works 
closely with the THEC/TSAC Director of Communications to support the agency’s overall 
communications strategy.
Responsibilities
• Serve as a member of the Bureau’s Statewide Services Team, with a focus on expanding the 
statewide culture of college-going in Tennessee, supporting the implementation of the Bureau’s 
initiatives, and facilitating the alignment of the work of all college advising services across the 
state. 
• Help manage CollegeForTN.org, Tennessee’s college access and success web portal, by performing 
ongoing maintenance as needed, creating new content, managing the CollegeForTN email inbox, 
and ensuring the site fulfills the agency’s goal of providing Tennesseans with a single destination 
for college, career, and financial aid information. This work will be done in concert with a thirdparty web development and marketing firm, the Director of College Access Alignment, the 
Statewide Services Coordinator, and the THEC/TSAC Director of Communications.
• Support a strong brand identity and marketing strategy for the Bureau’s initiatives to expand 
awareness and participation. Target audiences will include K-12 and higher education partners, K12 and adult students, and families. 
• Design deliverables that align with the CollegeForTN brand that will be used across the state in 
elementary, middle, and/or high schools to promote a college-going culture.
• Curate the digital presentation of Bureau resources and those of internal and external partners 
using social media, audio, and video platforms.
• In partnership with the THEC/TSAC Director of Communications and Bureau staff, ensure that all
public-facing work products are well designed and adhere to THEC/TSAC branding guidelines. 
Work products may include print and digital materials for Bureau initiatives, elementary, middle, 
high school, and adult learners; best practice briefs; and campaigns focused on increasing the
number of Tennessee high school and adult students who apply for financial aid, apply to college, 
and complete a FAFSA.
• Coordinate graphic design support to the Bureau with the State of Tennessee’s graphic design 
and printing office, the THEC/TSAC director of communications, and third-party vendors. Manage 
the bureau’s printing projects and resource inventories.
• Work with the THEC/TSAC Director of Communications to ensure all outgoing communications 
are aligned and appropriately branded. Identify ways to streamline agency communications to
partners, students, and families, and coordinate these communications to ensure a unified agency 
voice to these important audiences.
• Assist with managing external communications via text, email, and mail with students, college 
access professionals, and parents across the state, ensuring timely and effective dissemination of 
information and resources. Manage communications for our direct service programs, Advise TN and 
GEAR UP TN, including texting campaigns and support, and approval of GEAR UP TN newsletters 
and branded merchandise.
• Provide program implementation assistance to the Bureau’s programs as needed.
• Edit and publish a monthly CollegeForTN newsletter using our approved platform, currently Mail 
Chimp. Manage the CollegeForTN mailing list which currently contains over 4,000 contacts.
• Produce and host a monthly college access podcast in coordination with the Coordinator of 
Statewide Services and Webinars for TN.
Qualifications
• Education: Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred.
• Professional Experience: Minimum of three years graphic design, recruitment, outreach, student 
support, education, and/or school counseling experience. K-12 and/or college access experience 
preferred.
• Proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite and WordPress is highly preferred.
Knowledge and Abilities
• Goal-oriented with strong organization skills.
• Strong commitment to a team approach.
• The ability to work independently.
• Ability to adapt quickly and with flexibility.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal. 
• The knowledge of different educational and cultural environments and the ability to work with 
groups from diverse backgrounds.
• Excellent project management and planning skills accompanied by a high level of creativity. Ability 
to prioritize and manage multiple tasks at once.
• Must demonstrate a clear knowledge of college admissions, recruitment, outreach and financial
aid processes, and strategies used to improve postsecondary enrollment rates.
• Must demonstrate a firm belief that all students, regardless of their background, can access and 
succeed in higher education.
• Must possess a strong understanding of public education in Tennessee including recent reform 
efforts.
• Proficiency with computers, internet, and Microsoft Office software