Slate Communication Specialist

About McDaniel College:

McDaniel College is a four-year, independent college of the liberal arts and sciences offering over 100 undergraduate and graduate programs. One of the original "Colleges That Change Lives," McDaniel emphasizes experiential learning and student-faculty collaboration to develop the unique potential in every student. Represented by the Green Terror, over 20 athletic teams compete in the NCAA Division III Centennial Conference. A student-centered community of 1,600 undergraduates and 1,400 graduate students offers access to both Baltimore and Washington, D.C., plus a European campus in Budapest, Hungary.

This position has a budgeted hiring rate of $48,000 - $50,000. The position is classified as A2. The A2 salary band for all full-time, 12-month positions at the college with this classification have a minimum rate of $43,880 and a maximum rate of $63,187.20. For benefit purposes only, the workweek is estimated to be 35 hours per week. The actual schedule for exempt positions may vary based on the workload and responsibilities assigned.

At McDaniel College we value our employees by offering our full-time employees tuition remission, 403B retirement accounts, paid time off, medical insurance, flexible spending accounts, life insurance, and paid maternity and parental leave. For more information about the college's benefits, please click here to review the 2025 benefits guidebook and click here to view 2025 premium rates.

Job Description:

The Enrollment Management Division at McDaniel College is a dynamic, high-performance team that plays a critical role in advancing the College's mission. Reporting to the Director of Admissions Systems and Operations, the Slate Communication Specialist is a hands-on role that serves as an integral member of the Slate Tech Team and a key contributor to McDaniel's strategic marketing and recruitment efforts. This role is focused on executing and maintaining multi-channel communication efforts-primarily for undergraduate admissions-through Technolutions Slate.

The Slate Communication Specialist is responsible for building and managing dynamic communication plans and campaigns that engage prospective students throughout the enrollment funnel. This includes the development of templated print and digital materials, crafting and delivering targeted email and text messaging strategies, and optimizing communication flows to enhance user experience and enrollment outcomes. The position also serves as the primary liaison for project requests submitted to the Office of Communication and Marketing, ensuring brand-aligned, timely, and audience-relevant outreach across all channels.

Additionally, the Specialist manages updates for non-event admissions web content, supports event communications, and oversees the delivery of decision letters and scholarship notifications. By combining CRM expertise with an understanding of audience behavior and digital strategy, the Specialist helps translate enrollment goals into measurable, mission-aligned marketing execution.

This role involves close collaboration with the Director of Admissions Systems and Operations, the Associate Director of Admissions Systems and Communications, and the Admissions Event Manager, while also working closely with the College's Marketing and Communications team to uphold institutional branding and visual identity standards. The ideal candidate will bring exceptional writing, organizational, and analytical skills; a strong understanding of digital communication strategy; and the ability to translate complex data into clear, actionable outreach. Experience with Slate CRM, knowledge of relational databases, and an eagerness to optimize both process and impact are essential. This role is critical in driving prospective student engagement, refining marketing operations, and supporting the College's overall enrollment goal.

Essential Duties

• Build, manage, and maintain all undergraduate communication plans in Slate, including email, text, print, and decision communications.
• Create, test, and launch digital campaigns, including ad hoc emails and texts, in alignment with population-specific communication strategies.
• Routinely demonstrate consistent testing and proven accuracy in data reporting based on established protocols and departmental guidelines.
• Collaborate with the Office of Communication and Marketing to ensure all communications are brand-aligned, stylistically consistent, and error-free.
• Serve as the primary contact for contracted communication and marketing initiatives and support campus mail house projects through data exports and merge documents.
• Develop and manage all Slate queries related to communication execution, ensuring accuracy, appropriate audience inclusion/exclusion, and data integrity.
• Routinely monitor communication deliverability, open rates, and bounce-backs; adjust queries and campaigns to improve engagement and accuracy.
• Build and update decision and scholarship letters (print and digital) and ensure correct data merges and timely delivery.
• Maintain accurate documentation of communication workflows, decision processes, forms, and tools.
• Maintain the annual calendar of all communication touchpoints across channels and assess the functionality of Slate's Deliver Calendar to support communication audits.
• Collaborate with the Admissions Event Manager to maintain all event-related communications, including confirmations, reminders, and thank-you messages.
• Support form development, rule logic, and communication integration to enhance recruitment and enrollment strategies.
• Routinely review portals to ensure consistency and accuracy of content and ensure the seamless movement from Slate portal pages to .edu site.
• Review and update all non-event admissions website content, ensuring alignment with Slate portal pages and consistent user experience.
• Assist with building and maintaining Slate tools and snippets to support counseling, operations, and visit teams.
• Partner with the Director to assess and update rules and fields that impact communications, decision logic, and internal alerts.
• Provide import/export support for communication-related data and serve as a backup for the Slate Operations Assistant.
• Create queries for student ambassador and call center outreach and manage lists for call campaigns and engagement initiatives.
• Support print inventory reconciliation in collaboration with the Assistant Director of Operations.
• Complete all annual cycle prep work based on required deadlines and assignments.
• Provide training documentation and onboarding support related to communication processes and Slate use.
• Serve as a back-up for the Associate Director of Admissions Systems & Communications and/or Admissions Event Manager to ensure critical communications are deployed according to relevant communication plans.
• Respond to urgent communication needs as they arise and support other office-wide events and activities, including occasional evenings and weekends.
• Assess and maximize the Inbox functionality to support the Counseling and Operations Teams.
• Assist with other office-wide programs and division activities, including occasional evenings and weekends.

Requirements:

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required in a related field with two or more years of experience working within the admissions or related field.
• Two years of experience working with the Slate or comparable CRM preferred.
• Excellent technical, interpersonal, communication, organizational skills to maintain a professional and service-oriented demeanor. Must possess composure, tact, diplomacy, and discretion and be able to work efficiently and calmly in a deadline-driven environment and cycle.
• Excellent time management skills and the demonstrated ability to regain focus after interruptions.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy with high speed required.
• Working knowledge of a Windows environment and the Microsoft Office Suite (specifically merging documents in Word and manipulating data in Excel).
• Ability to anticipate and plan for cyclical activities and strong analytical skills preferred.
• Understands that the communication and system responsibilities often require work outside of normal business hours and is prepared to do so in order to meet deadlines and respond to urgent issues as they arise.

Information Security Role: Data User

• Follow the policies and procedures established by the appropriate Data Stewards.
• Comply with federal and state laws and regulations as well as College policies, procedures, and standards associated with the College computing resources and institutional data used.
• Use institutional data only as required for the conduct of College business within the scope of employment.
• Implement safeguards prescribed by appropriate Data Stewards for Limited Access and Restricted Data.
• Ensure the appropriateness, accuracy, and timeliness of institutional data used for the conduct of College business.
• Report any unauthorized access, data misuse, or data quality issues to the appropriate Data Steward for remediation.
• Accept and complete the confidentiality statement yearly if access includes Restricted data.
• Report any suspected data breach to the CIO and the IT Help Desk as soon as possible.

Working Conditions:

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is routinely working in a normal office environment with minimal exposure to adverse conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually minimal.

Physical Abilities:

The physical demands described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job:

• Sitting for long periods of time.
• Some bending and stooping when working with files.
• Limited lifting involved but not more than 10 pounds at a time.
• Finger dexterity for typing and use of other office equipment.

Additional Information:

McDaniel College, in compliance with federal and state laws and regulations, does not discriminate in the recruitment, admission, and employment of students, faculty, and staff in the operation of any of its educational programs and activities. McDaniel College will not tolerate any discrimination or harassment on basis of any protected status including protective hairstyle, race, religion, color, ancestry or national origin, disability, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy, military status, genetic information, marital status, veteran's status, or any other actual or perceived legally protected characteristics.

Application Instructions:

Completed applications must include a cover letter addressing position qualifications and related experience, resume, and the names and contact information of three professional references. Review of applications will begin immediately. Review of applications begins immediately.

Please click the Apply Now button below to begin your application.