Communications Associate

What You'll Actually Do

Scion operates student housing communities across the country, and this role sits at the intersection of resident relations, reputation management, and cross-functional communication at the corporate level. As a Communications Associate based out of Scion's Chicago headquarters, you'll handle inbound contacts from residents and guarantors across phone, email, chat, and social channels. That includes everything from routine questions to sensitive, high-stakes complaints that require coordination with legal or operations leadership before you respond.

A significant portion of the work involves managing online review responses across multiple platforms, which means you're not just answering residents directly. You're shaping how Scion's communities appear publicly to prospective residents and their families. You'll also work alongside on-site teams to build their capacity in reputation management, review strategy, and proactive resident engagement, including tools like Review Harvest and Entrata. When incidents or operational disruptions hit a community, you'll help coordinate resident communications so that messaging stays consistent and on-brand under pressure.

Beyond individual interactions, you'll track feedback patterns, flag recurring themes, and contribute to the internal resources that keep communication consistent: templates, FAQs, and response guidelines. The documentation side of this role is real. You'll maintain records in a reputation tracker and help inform the broader strategy based on what you're hearing from residents day to day.

What You Bring

• A bachelor's degree in Communications, Marketing, Hospitality, or a related field, or comparable professional experience
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to write clearly under pressure and across different tones and audiences
• Genuine comfort handling difficult conversations without becoming reactive or dismissive
• Organizational discipline to manage multiple open cases, follow-up threads, and documentation tasks simultaneously
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office; familiarity with ClickUp or Entrata is a plus
• The ability to work independently and coordinate across teams without needing heavy oversight

Context Worth Knowing

Student housing operates on a cycle that's distinct from conventional multifamily. Guarantors (typically parents) are often as engaged as the residents themselves, and that dual audience shapes how communications need to be framed. Lease-up seasons, move-in windows, and academic calendars create predictable spikes in volume and urgency. Someone who can anticipate those pressure points and help communities prepare for them will add real value in this role beyond just answering tickets.

The $58,000 to $60,000 salary range reflects a corporate associate-level position with a clear path toward senior communications, reputation strategy, or operations support roles as Scion's portfolio continues to grow. Hours are primarily standard business hours, though some evening and weekend coverage is expected to meet resident needs. The role is fully in-office at Scion's Chicago headquarters.