PR and Communications Manager

If you're passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country-and you're committed to working hard to play your part in building that future-consider WGU as the next step in your career.

Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals. The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders. Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families.

The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs.

At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is:

Job Description

The Opportunity

Western Governors University (WGU) is seeking a Regional PR Manager to drive earned media and reputation outcomes across the South Region. This role serves as a trusted communications advisor to the Regional Vice President (RVP) and leadership team, ensuring that PR strategies deliver measurable impact tied to WGU's OKRs: elevating brand and reputation, demonstrating employer value, and expanding industry influence.

As part of WGU's regional communications team, the South Region PR Manager will manage an external agency, source and elevate compelling student and alumni stories, and collaborate across Academic Communications, Strategic Partnerships, Community Relations, Alumni Relations and Government Relations. The role is designed for a self-driven, results-oriented communicator who can turn outcomes into insights and position WGU as the most student-centric university in America.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Advising

• Serve as the communications lead and advisor to the South Region RVP and leadership team.

• Surface reputational opportunities and risks, guiding long-term communications strategy that supports regional growth and enrollment goals.

Agency Oversight & Accountability

• Manage WGU's South Region PR agency as an extension of the team, setting priorities, approving strategies and demanding high-quality outcomes.

• Ensure agency work delivers Tier-1 wins and aligns with WGU's narrative pillars.

Student-Centric Storytelling & Media Engagement

• Source, develop and pitch compelling student, alumni and employer stories that highlight WGU's mission and impact.

• Build and maintain strong relationships with regional reporters, editors and influencers.

• Secure impactful media coverage of WGU scholarships, commencements, partnerships and thought leadership.

Measurement & Reporting

• Track and analyze PR performance against OKRs, including Tier-1 coverage, share-of-voice, sentiment and message pull-through.

• Contribute to monthly, quarterly and annual reports by delivering not just coverage counts but actionable insights for leadership.

Cross-Team Collaboration

• Work proactively with Strategic Partnerships, Community Relations, Alumni Relations and Government Relations teams to amplify WGU's impact through unified storytelling.

• Partner with corporate communications to integrate South Region stories into national campaigns.

• Influence without direct authority to align stakeholders, drive collaboration and ensure alignment with overall business objectives.

• Plan, execute and promote major events across the region, collaborating with other stakeholders and regional/national teams.

• Success working across disciplines, including paid media, social media, email, PR and analytics.

• Comfort working as part of a collaborative hybrid in-person/remote team.

What You'll Bring

• 7+ years of experience in public relations, corporate communications or media relations.

• Proven ability to drive measurable PR outcomes tied to business or mission goals.

• Strong background in agency management with a track record of holding external partners accountable for high-impact results.

• Established media relationships in the South Region preferred.

• Exceptional writing, editing and storytelling skills with a student-first lens.

• Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate metrics into actionable insights.

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, or related field.

• Proficiency in Spanish is preferred but not required.

Additional Details

• Location Requirement: Must be based in Austin, TX.

• Travel: ~30% across the South Region.

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Position & Application Details

How to Apply: If interested, an application will need to be submitted online. Internal WGU employees will need to apply through the internal job board in Workday.

Additional Information

Disclaimer: The job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It's not all-inclusive.

Accommodations: Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at recruiting@wgu.edu.

Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.