Penn State Job Catalog

Additional levels that exist for this job profile can be seen below.

The Strategic Communications Specialist - Web Strategy works within the University's Office of Strategic Communications to advance the university's web presence as a unified, data-informed ecosystem; ensures that enterprise platforms deliver cohesive, accessible, and high-performing user experiences aligned with institutional goals in enrollment, research, and reputation. Distinct from Web Designers, who focus on interface/UI execution, Web Strategists architect, govern, and optimize the web ecosystem itself, translating institutional priorities into scalable, composable, and compliant web solutions.

• Develop and maintain an enterprise web strategy aligned with institutional priorities, user needs, and brand standards
• Serve as a primary steward of the University's web ecosystem, ensuring consistency, usability, accessibility, and performance across distributed sites
• Identify and evaluate emerging technologies, web experience best practices, and ecosystem enhancements
• Design content models, taxonomies, metadata standards, and CMS structures that integrate with design system components and API-driven architectures
• Establish and enforce governance frameworks covering tone, accessibility (WCAG), SEO (classic and entity-based), taxonomy, metadata, and workflow standards
• Support distributed authors through training, documentation, playbooks, and self-guided learning assets
• Partner with colleges, campuses, and administrative units to align local web initiatives with institutional strategy
• Serve as a bridge between marketing strategy and technical implementation teams (IT, vendors, platform teams)
• Lead web initiatives from discovery and requirements definition through launch, QA, acceptance testing, and continuous optimization; conduct audits, migrations, and quality assessments
• Develop KPIs, analyze web traffic and behavioral patterns, and translate insights into actionable improvements
• Lead usability research, persona development, and journey mapping to inform content and experience decisions
• Conduct business-technology assessments to identify digitization opportunities, evaluate platforms, and recommend investment strategies
• Manage integrations involving API-driven services, data infrastructure layers, marketing automation, personalization, and related systems
• Oversee change management, risk mitigation, and compliance across security, data privacy, and regulatory domains
• Recommend content improvements and web marketing adjustments to increase engagement, satisfaction, and conversions
• Administer and optimize web marketing programs, search campaigns, keyword strategies, and multi-channel promotions
• Produce analytical performance reports for senior leadership and cross-functional stakeholders

Level:

– Principal Professional

Base Description:

– Completes activities, tasks, and/or projects of a functional nature.

Level Summary:

– Displays mastery of defined skill areas/applications, principles, theories and practices. Evaluates and enhances existing practices. Recognizes emerging trends in area of expertise. Works independently on complex or strategic assignments. Directs and delegates appropriate tasks to others. Implements strategies to ensure achievement of initiatives. Prepares written and/or verbal presentations or proposals on complex issues and deliver to broad audiences. Identifies and implements innovative solutions to important, highly complex strategic and/or operational issues.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

– Indirect supervisor for other full–time employees
– May serve as direct supervisor for part–time, student, and/or temporary workers, volunteers, or a full–time employee

Fiscal Responsibilities:

– Validates and pays invoices
– Monitors and tracks budgets and funding
– May plan and forecast budgets

Problem Solving:

– Encounters complex and novel problems
– Applies policies, practices, specialized knowledge, and skills to resolve problems
– Understands benefits, limitations, and impact of potential solutions
– Anticipates potential problems and recommends possible solutions within general guidelines

Independence of Action:

– Works independently on complex or strategic assignments
– Uses existing practices as guidelines as well as working knowledge to determine specific work methods
– Carries out work activities independently, with supervisor available to resolve problems
– Reviews work of others to verify technical soundness

Communication and Collaboration:

– Communicates with both internal and external audiences
– Collaborates closely with team members and area leads across the University
– Prepares written and/or verbal presentations or proposals on complex issues and delivers to a broad variety of audiences
– Establishes and maintains networks to facilitate successful communication among units

• Comp Grade – 14
• Minimum – $97,100.00
• MidPoint – $121,400.00
• Maximum – $145,700.00