When you join Sallie Mae, you become a champion for all students.

We’re on a mission to power confidence as students begin their unique journey. To help them plan their higher education, successfully finish, and prepare for life after school. To help them Start smart. Learn big.

Students need guidance navigating this important time in their life. They need someone who acknowledges that their education path is unique. They need a partner willing to evolve and not only meet but surpass their expectations. We’re changing. Because students need a better way.

We’re looking for people who are excited to drive this transformation. To break barriers and think of new ways to adapt, help, and create better experiences for students—and for each other.

This is where diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives matter. It’s where you’re empowered to bring your authentic self to work.

Feeling your best allows you to do your best. Our benefits take care of the whole you—from physical and mental to financial and professional. You’ll get opportunities to further your education and career, support for you and your family (including your pets!), paid time off to volunteer for the things that matter to you, and more.

We’re obsessed with impact and making a real difference. For us, that means putting relationships first, asking “why not?” when tackling challenges, and continuously learning new skills.

Come do more than join something, change something. For students, for future generations, for the future of education.

What You'll Contribute

The Director of Communications is responsible for ensuring the quality, consistency, and effectiveness of internal communications across the Chief Operational division. This role focuses on leading communications—including executive presentations, employee engagement initiatives, and leadership messaging—aligned with the division’s goals, company strategic imperatives, and mission. The Director will establish best practices, create scalable processes, and implement templates that reflect divisional and corporate standards. Reporting to and collaborating with the Chief of Staff and sub-division leaders, the Director ensures clear, impactful communications that support the overarching priorities of the Bank President and Chief Operational Officer.

A successful candidate will have proven experience in driving larger-scale internal communications, implementing communication processes, and creating high-quality, engaging materials. Strong attention to detail, the ability to simplify complex topics, and ensuring alignment with organizational goals are essential. The ideal candidate will be a collaborative partner to senior leaders and capable of managing both strategic and operational tasks with a small team.
 

What You'll Do

Divisional Communications Leadership (35%):

Lead the creation and delivery of communications, presentations, and materials for division meetings, management reporting, and other division initiatives.

Drive quality standards and visual consistency for the division’s monthly business review and related reporting.

Implement best practices and templates for divisional communications, leveraging brand resources and corporate communication standards.

Serve as the primary communications advisor to the division Chief of Staff and sub-division leadership, ensuring clear, consistent, and compelling messaging across all channels.

Embed division goals, company strategic imperatives, and the company mission in all communications.

Leadership Support and Strategic Messaging (25%):

Partner with division leaders to enhance leadership communication within their teams, providing thought partnership, frameworks, and delivery support.

Create and manage a comprehensive portfolio of "what we do and how we work" collateral for sub-divisions to support internal and external engagements.

Lead communications for employee engagement initiatives, including presentations and run-of-show for associate events.

Develop and maintain communication platforms (e.g., Microsoft SharePoint) to facilitate effective collaboration across the division.

Operational Excellence in Communications (25%):

Develop and implement scalable communication processes ensuring consistency, timeliness, and quality across all communications.

Lead best practices and processes for change management communications within the division to drive clarity and alignment.

Foster a communications community of practice to share best practices and enhance collaboration, building from and amplifying communication efforts across the company.

Continuous Improvement and Talent Management (15%):

Continuously assess and improve communication practices, identifying opportunities for greater efficiency and alignment with organizational strategies.

Mentor and develop the communications team, fostering a high-performance culture that promotes best practices in content creation, writing, and presentation design.

The above information is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this job; it is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees in this role.
 

What you have

Minimum education, skills and experience required:

Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.

10+ years of experience in corporate or executive communications, with a proven track record at the management level.

Experience managing communications for large, diverse audiences, including senior executives and boards of directors.

Demonstrated success in leading a team, developing talent, and driving communications excellence.

Exceptional writing, editing, and presentation skills, with the ability to distill complex topics into clear, compelling narratives.

Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects and competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (especially PowerPoint and Word).

Experience developing and managing internal collaboration platforms (e.g., Microsoft SharePoint) to enhance information sharing and collaboration.

Preferred “nice to haves” on education, skills, and experience:

Experience with graphic design or visual storytelling.

Experience in employee engagement communications.

The Americans with Disabilities Act

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) prohibits discrimination by employers, in compensation and employment opportunities, against qualified individuals with disabilities who, with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform the “essential functions” of a job. A function may be essential for any of several reasons, including: the job exists to perform that function, the employee holding the job was hired for his/her expertise in performing the function, or only a limited number of employees are available to perform that function.

 

Feeling your best helps you do your best:Our benefits take care of the whole you—so you can build your work around your life (not the other way around!).

Competitive base salaries 

Bonus incentives 

Generous PTO, Floating Holidays and 12 Federal Holidays observed

Support for financial-well-being and retirement 401k with employer match

Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, hospital indemnity, critical illness, pet insurance and more

Employer paid short-term/long-term disability and basic life insurance  

Flexible hybrid working arrangements.

Paid parental leave and adoption reimbursement programs

Free access to on-site staffed fitness centers (in Delaware) and gym subsidy (for locations outside Delaware) 

Confidential counseling support (EAP), Health Advocacy services and Wellness program with financial incentives

Tuition Reimbursement and Family Scholarship Programs

Career development and training opportunities

Not the right fit?  Let us know you're interested in a future opportunity by clicking Introduce Yourself in the top-right corner of the page or create an account to set up email alerts as new job postings become available that meet your interest!

Sallie Mae is proud to be an equal opportunity (EEO) employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, genetic information, gender identity, disability, Veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. Click here to view the U.S. Pay Transparency Policy, here for federal job applicant notices, and here to view the California Employee Privacy Notice.
Reasonable accommodations are available for applicants with disabilities in all phases of the application and employment process. To request an accommodation please call (855) 756-2007 and choose option 9. All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodations.