Director of Marketing, Communications, and Public Affairs

Director of Marketing, Communications, and Public Affairs

Salary

$119,052.00 - $144,708.00 Annually

Location

All Campuses or other sites, CA

Job Type

Full Time - 12 Months/ 100% FTE

Job Number

FY2526-00159

Division

Presidents Office

Department

Foundation/Advancement

Opening Date

05/19/2026

Closing Date

6/14/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Job Description Summary

DEFINITION

Under the direction of an assigned administrator, the Director of Marketing, Communications, and Public Affairs provides strategic leadership for the District's marketing, communications, media relations, and public affairs functions.

The Director develops and oversees the District's comprehensive communications strategy to strengthen the college's public image, advance institutional priorities, support enrollment and student success initiatives, and enhance engagement with the community, media, and governmental partners.

The Director serves as the District's Public Information Officer, leads external communications and media relations, and oversees the development and execution of integrated marketing campaigns.

The Director supervises assigned employees.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

The Director is responsible for leading the District's strategic marketing and communications vision and ensuring alignment with institutional priorities, including enrollment growth, community engagement, public awareness, and resource development.

The Director represents the District in interactions with the media, governmental entities, and community stakeholders and provides strategic communications counsel to assigned supervisor and senior leadership.

This position requires a high degree of independent judgment, leadership in crisis and sensitive communications, and the ability to shape the District's public narrative through coordinated marketing, public relations, and public affairs efforts.

The Director supervises assigned personnel and oversees the development and implementation of districtwide marketing strategies, campaigns, and messaging.

ABOUT THE COLLEGE

Where You Will Work

Serving all of San Luis Obispo County, Cuesta College has provided comprehensive associate degree offerings, certificates, and community programs to the region since 1964. The main campus is located along scenic Highway 1, west of San Luis Obispo and east of the beaches of the Pacific Ocean. Cuesta College has a North County Campus in Paso Robles, and South County Center, in Arroyo Grande.

Who We Are

Equity, diversity, and inclusion are essential to our culture and the work we do. Cuesta College is proud to be a designated Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) committed to racial and socio-economic diversity as it reflects our communities and student populations. We actively seek to attract candidates who share this commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. As part of the Cuesta College team, you can expect to be part of a collaborative community of faculty, classified professionals, administrators, students, and community partners advancing educational excellence with intentional support services leading to student success and completion.

• Additional information about the college can be found at https://www.cuesta.edu/about/index.html
• The college planning documents can be found at https://www.cuesta.edu/about/collegeplans/index.html
• Our Student Equity Action Plan can be found at https://www.cuesta.edu/about/info/student-equity-initiatives/equity/index.html
• We offer comprehensive benefit options. Information about benefits can be found at https://www.cuesta.edu/about/human-resources/benefits/index.html

Essential Functions & Qualifications

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Develop and lead the District's comprehensive marketing, communications, and public affairs strategy;
• Serve as the District's Public Information Officer and primary spokesperson for media inquiries;
• Direct media relations, including press strategy, interviews, press conferences, and crisis communications;
• Provide strategic communications counsel to assigned supervisor and District leadership;
• Oversee development of integrated marketing campaigns supporting enrollment, student success, institutional priorities, and community engagement;
• Lead the development of the District's brand strategy and ensure consistent messaging across all communication platforms;
• Oversee public affairs and governmental relations communications that strengthen the District's relationships with elected officials, community leaders, and public agencies;
• Supervise assigned employees;
• Oversee the District's advertising strategy, including media planning, creative direction, and campaign performance;
• Establish and maintain relationships with regional media outlets and community organizations;
• Coordinate crisis communications and sensitive messaging on behalf of the District;
• Oversee the development of major institutional communications, including announcements, reports, and public messaging;
• Manage the marketing and communications budget;
• Serve on District leadership committees and provide communications guidance on institutional initiatives;
• Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with those contacted in the performance of duties;
• Demonstrate sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds of staff and students; and
• Perform other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

Required

• Bachelor's degree in communications, public relations, journalism, marketing, public administration, or a related field.

Preferred

• Master's degree in communications, public administration, marketing, or a related field.

Experience:

Required

• Five years of increasingly responsible experience in marketing, communications, public relations, or public affairs;
• Experience leading strategic marketing or communications initiatives;
• Experience working with media and managing public communications; and

Supervisory or leadership experience.

Preferred

• Experience in higher education or public sector communications;
• Experience serving as a Public Information Officer or managing media relations;
• Experience working with government relations or public affairs; and
• Fluency in Spanish (written and spoken).

Knowledge Of:

• Strategic communications planning;
• Public relations and media relations practices;
• Marketing strategy and campaign development;
• Crisis and issues communications;
• Governmental and public affairs communications;
• Digital marketing and communications platforms; and
• Brand management and messaging strategy.

Ability To:

• Lead complex communications strategies;
• Serve as an effective spokesperson for a public institution;
• Manage sensitive communications issues;
• Build relationships with media and community leaders;
• Supervise and develop staff; and
• Communicate effectively with diverse audiences.

Additional Information

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS TO APPLY

Candidates will be required to submit ALL of the required documents below when applying for this position. When uploading documents, PDF uploads are preferred.

• Cover letter;
• Resume;
• Reference List (see further instructions below);
• Unofficial transcripts;

Reference List Instructions: Your reference list must include 5-7 professional references, their contact information, and their relationship to you.

Completed online applications and all supporting documents must be submitted by the closing date for this position. LATE, INCOMPLETE, FAXED, MAILED OR EMAILED APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Cuesta College will not sponsor any visa applications.

San Luis Obispo County Community College District ("Cuesta College") is an equal opportunity employer committed to nondiscrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, medical condition, pregnancy (including pregnancy, childbirth, and medical conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth), age, disability (physical and mental), genetic information, military and veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal and state law in admission and access to, or treatment in employment, educational programs or activities at any of its campuses. Reasonable accommodations will be provided for applicants with disabilities who self-disclose. Cuesta College also prohibits harassment on any of these bases, including sexual harassment, as well as sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.

In compliance with California law, all prospective staff and students are entitled to read the Annual Security Report, published each October by the Cuesta College Department of Public Safety. This report contains information about our emergency and crime reporting procedures, as well as crime statistics for the past 3 years. You may request a copy of this report at one of our two Public Safety Offices: on SLO campus at Building 6600A or on North County Campus at building N1021, during campus business hours. You may also access the complete text of this report at the following website address: https://www.cuesta.edu/community/publicsafety/crime-information/clery-act.html

Cuesta College uses E-Verify as part of the I-9 process to verify the work eligibility of all new hires. E-Verify is an Internet-based system that compares information from an employees Form I-9 to data from U.S Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration records. For further information, visit: https://www.cuesta.edu/about/depts/humanresources/Job_Opportunities.html

Interview Process Information

Selected applicants will be invited to attend an in-person interview on Wednesday, July 8, 2026

Second interviews will be invited to attend in-person interview on Tuesday, July 14, 2026.

TO: New Employees

FROM: Human Resources

SUBJECT: Benefits for Classified & Management Employees

Cuesta Colleges Benefits website: https://www.cuesta.edu/about/depts/humanresources/Benefits/index.html

Employees who work half-time or more are entitled to receive fringe benefits. The fringe allocation is money from the District to help cover the cost of insurance. Employees working half-time or more are eligible to participate in the Districts medical, dental and vision insurance.

Employees with a work assignment of 50% to 74% of full time will receive one-half of the above stated fringe allocation.

If your insurance rate exceeds your fringe allocation, the balance will be deducted from your monthly payroll check. If the insurance plans selected cost less than the fringe allocation, any excess amount will be returned to the District. For more information about how fringe benefits are determined please refer to the collective bargaining agreement between SLO Community College District and Cuesta College Classified United Employees (CCCUE) or the Board of Trustees policy regarding management employees.

If you have any questions, please contact Human Resources at 805-546-3129 or hr@cuesta.edu.

01

We endeavor to foster a just and inclusive campus culture here at Cuesta College. Please tell us about your experiences with inclusion as it relates to your career or some other aspect of your work? If you have not had direct experience in this area, please tell us about your aspirations. We welcome learning about your areas of challenge or growth and success.

02

Each open position has specific attachment requirements in order to be considered by the hiring committee. If the attachment directions are not followed, your application will not be considered.

The required attachments for this position are:

• Cover Letter;
• Resume;
• Reference List ;
• Unofficial Transcripts;

Have you attached the correct required documents to your application?

• Yes
• No

Required Question

Employer Cuesta College (CA)

Address P. O. Box 8106

San Luis Obispo, California, 93403

Phone (805) 546-3129

Website https://www.schooljobs.com/careers/cuesta