Director of AI Innovation and Communications

Provides leadership and oversight in planning, managing, developing, and evaluating complex departmental strategy, initiatives and activities., The Director of AI Innovation and Communications will report to the Vice President for Media Relations & Strategic Communications.

The successful candidate will help MRSC:

• Develop and lead a department-wide AI communications and innovation strategy. Identify and prioritize opportunities across media relations, ASU News, strategic communications, presidential communications, visual communications, broadcast, social media, audience development and distribution.
• Partner with MRSC teams to identify, test and implement AI-enabled approaches that enhance their work. Potential applications may include story discovery and background research; media targeting and identification of niche outlets, journalists, podcasts and creators; media pitch development; issue and trend monitoring; message and scenario analysis; and content adaptation and distribution.
• Modernize and enhance daily workflows through responsible use of AI. Reduce repetitive work and expand staff capacity while preserving human judgment, editorial standards, accuracy and accountability.
• Build AI fluency and adoption across MRSC. Provide training, coaching, shared resources, demonstrations and practical playbooks that meet employees at different levels of experience and comfort.
• Serve as the strategic and functional lead for MRSC AI initiatives. Define user needs, use cases, requirements, content standards, evaluation criteria, governance and adoption in partnership with the teams responsible for technical architecture, development, deployment and maintenance.
• Guide the continued development and evaluation of public-facing AI experiences. Work with ASU News, visual communications, AI developers, Enterprise Technology, Enterprise Brand Strategy and Management and other relevant stakeholders to make authoritative ASU News and MRSC content easier for public audiences to access and understand.
• Lead the development of AI-assisted research, monitoring and knowledge-management capabilities. Help MRSC identify stories and experts across ASU, track developments in higher education and the broader AI ecosystem, and prepare timely briefing and communications materials in partnership with MRSC and enterprise technical teams.
• Lead MRSC’s communications strategy for ASU’s work in AI. Coordinate with MRSC leadership, Enterprise Technology, Knowledge Enterprise, Enterprise Brand Strategy and Management, academic units and other partners to develop accurate, consistent and compelling messaging about AI across ASU research, teaching, operations and public impact.
• Maintain an active network across the AI ecosystem. Stay closely connected to AI research, industry, policy, advocacy, technology media and relevant online communities; monitor emerging technologies, companies, regulation, public debates and narrative shifts; and translate those developments into communications opportunities and risk guidance for MRSC leadership.
• Position ASU as a trusted authority on AI in higher education. Identify timely storylines, experts, media opportunities, thought-leadership platforms and public conversations in which ASU can make a meaningful contribution.
• Help MRSC anticipate and prepare for AI-related issues. Monitor misinformation, synthetic media, privacy, intellectual property, bias, transparency, regulation and changing public expectations, and develop appropriate communications guidance and response plans with relevant university partners.
• Establish and promote responsible AI practices for communications. Align MRSC practices with ASU requirements for human review, factual verification, source attribution, privacy, intellectual property, accessibility, bias mitigation, disclosure and use of approved tools.
• Measure and report on MRSC’s AI initiatives. Evaluate adoption, usefulness, effectiveness, quality, risk and lessons learned, and recommend which approaches should be scaled, revised or discontinued., * Frequent standing for varying lengths of time and walking moderate distances to perform work.
• Frequent bending, reaching, lifting, pushing, and pulling up to 25 pounds
• Regular activities require the ability to quickly change priorities.
• Frequent communication to perform essential functions.
• Regular use of standard office equipment, including, but not limited to: computer workstation/laptop (keyboard, monitor, mouse), printer, fax, calculator, copier, telephone, and associated computer/technology peripherals.

Department Statement: We tell and share the stories of one of the largest public research universities in the country through our team of internal reporters and editors, media and public relations veterans, and a full-service creative team. Our goal is to create content for, distribute content to, and create relationships with audiences around the globe., Graduate Assistant, Intern and part-time positions are counted as half time for experience equivalency, meaning one year equals six months of experience.

Bachelor’s degree and ten (10) years of experience appropriate to the area of assignment/field; OR, Any equivalent combination of experience and/or training from which comparable knowledge, skills and abilities have been achieved., * At least two years of demonstrated experience applying AI in communications or a related professional setting, including identifying and prioritizing use cases; using generative AI and related AI technologies for research, analysis, content development, monitoring, and distribution; designing and evaluating AI-enabled workflows; and applying responsible AI practices.

• At least seven years of progressively responsible experience in strategic communications, public affairs, journalism, digital communications, technology communications, or a related field.
• Seasoned communicator with strong practical AI fluency and the ability to translate among editorial, communications, technical, and leadership teams.
• Strong communications judgment, curiosity, hands-on AI experience, and the ability to lead change.
• Ability to explain complex technical and policy developments clearly, collaborate productively with developers and Enterprise Technology teams, and train colleagues with different levels of AI experience.
• Ability to build trusted partnerships across communications, technology, legal, privacy, compliance, and leadership teams.
• This is not a software-development position.
• Relevant experience may come from AI- or technology-focused journalism, an industry association, a technology company, or other complex, mission-driven institutions.

ASU’s comprehensive benefits package is a key part of your total compensation. Visit the ASU Compensation Estimator

Employment Verification Statement:

ASU conducts pre-employment screening which may include verification of work history, academic credentials, licenses, and certifications.

Background Check Statement:

ASU conducts pre-employment screening for all positions which includes a criminal background check, verification of work history, academic credentials, licenses, and certifications. Employment is contingent upon successful passing of the background check.

Fingerprint Check Statement: This position is considered safety/security sensitive and will include a fingerprint check. Employment is contingent upon successful passing of the fingerprint check.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how communications teams discover stories, conduct research, create and distribute content, monitor issues and understand audiences. It is also a defining area of ASU research, teaching and public impact. Media Relations & Strategic Communications (MRSC) is seeking a Director of AI Innovation and Communications to help the department apply AI responsibly across its work and strengthen how ASU’s AI expertise, strategy and impact are communicated to external audiences.

Media Relations & Strategic Communications is the central communications team for Arizona State University, one of the largest public research universities in the country. ASU is a new type of American university, one grounded in both excellence and access.

ASU is an R1 research university with more than $1 billion in annual research expenditures and is a national leader in microelectronics, engineering, space exploration, climate and sustainability, and more. In a given year, 200,000 people enroll at ASU either in person or online., Arizona State University is a new model for American higher education, an unprecedented combination of academic excellence, entrepreneurial energy and broad access. This New American University is a single, unified institution comprising four differentiated campuses positively impacting the economic, social, cultural and environmental health of the communities it serves. Its research is inspired by real world application blurring the boundaries that traditionally separate academic disciplines. ASU serves more than 100,000 students in metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona, the nation’s fifth largest city. ASU champions inclusive excellence, and welcomes students from all fifty states and more than one hundred nations across the globe.