Communications Manager

Job Description One of the largest and most comprehensive humanities centers in the United States, the Walter Chapin Simpson Center for the Humanities is dedicated to supporting cross disciplinary research and inquiry among University of Washington faculty and graduate students and underwriting major initiatives in the humanities in the service of the public good. The Simpson Center acts as a grantmaking unit within the university, generates and supports projects funded by outside grants and gifts, and administers budgets totaling in excess of $1.2M, with endowments of over $17M. Research-focused and largely project and event based, the Simpson Center is well known nationally and internationally for its vibrant visiting speaker series, conferences, colloquia, and workshops on subjects central to the humanities, including the study of literature, film, language, culture, philosophy, and history. For more information, visit simpsoncenter.org. The Simpson Center seeks a highly organized, energetic, and responsible communications professional committed to the mission of higher education to join their dynamic and closely knit team. The Public Information Specialist assures the operational integrity of the Simpson Center in the following ways: Strategy and Leadership 15% Develop a comprehensive strategic communications plan in collaboration with the Simpson Centers leadership team that delivers the Simpson Centers key messages to target audiences through a broad array of channels. Lead strategy for email marketing campaigns and print and digital communications. Work closely with the Simpson Centers Program & Events Manager on institutional- and project-specific event publicity. Work closely with the Administrator on the management of expenses within the annual communications budget. Delegate tasks to hourly student assistants. Manage and grow the Simpson Centers social media efforts through leadership and strategic analysis. Represent the Simpson Center on campus committees, roundtables, and councils (UW marketing roundtable, College of Arts & Sciences Drupal users group). Serve as the Simpson Centers liaison to UW College of Arts & Science marketing staff. Multimedia Communications (digital, video, print, etc.) 40% Implement core aspects of the Simpson Centers comprehensive strategic communications plan, including development and production of digital communications, print publicity, and other promotional materials supporting many programs and events each year, including courses, lectures, meetings, and conferences. Provide insights and reports to the Simpson Centers leadership team on user engagement across platforms and types of communications, with an emphasis on marketing analytics and data. Drive attendance to the Simpson Centers campus- and public-facing events and ensure wide circulation of information on the Simpson Centers funding opportunities for faculty and students. Create, edit, and disseminate mass emails to academic and community audiences locally, nationally, and internationally. (Currently, the bi-weekly email newsletter reaches a subscriber base of 7,500, and the bi-annual research newsletters are sent to 600+ leaders in the humanities and higher education.) Innovate, develop, edit, and disseminate new content for multiple media platforms, including essay, podcast, and video content across digital channels and tools. Oversee the Simpson Centers social media activity on platforms such as Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Coordinate and oversee production of materials with graphic designers, presses, web developers, photographers, and videographers; set and manage production schedules and publicity budgets. Ensure branding and graphic identity integrity across communications materials and mediums. Identify opportunities for video or audio recordings to advance the Simpson Centers mission; manage recording process (in-house or with contractor), edit, align with accessibility standards, publish, and disseminate. Oversee the management of the Simpson Centers archives (both digital and print). Simpson Center Website 30% Create and maintain content for the Simpson Center website using Drupal, in cooperation with the UW Design & Web Team. This includes content management of web pages and secure proposal submission forms for Simpson Center funding rounds (3 rounds per year; in the most recent year, the center received 136 total grant and fellowship proposal submissions) and sponsored projects. Act as project manager on web development projects. Work with UW-IT and UW Creative Communications to ensure that the hardware and software needed to support the Simpson Centers website are operating accurately. Work closely with the Simpson Centers Administrative Assistant on the management of the event calendar; submissions are reviewed, edited, and added to the website daily. Solicit, edit, and manage content from faculty, staff, and graduate students for the website. Ensure that electronic content is archived and accessible, and that all aspects of the website are functional, clear for users, and compliant with the ADA Title II Web Rule. Maintain portal used by UW faculty to access research funds. Track web usage/web analytics (report quarterly). Storytelling & Scholarly Communications 15% Within the framework of the Simpson Centers comprehensive strategic communications plan, collect and create narratives and other types of documentation of Simpson Center activities for reports, online feature stories, and media pitches. Develop media and public relations contacts, locally (UW, KUOW, KEXP, the Stranger, Seattle Times, Seattle Weekly), regionally (Tacoma News Tribune, Northwest Public Broadcasting), and nationally (Consortium of Humanities Centers & Institutes, Chronicle of Higher Education, National Humanities Alliance). Acquire and maintain active knowledge of current UW humanities faculty research agendas and continuously develop leads for storytelling about that research to academic and public audiences. Stay informed of cultural and intellectual contexts that affect research in the humanities Minimum Requirements: Bachelors degree. 3 years of progressively responsible editorial, publications, communications, or development experience. Additional Requirements Experience with Microsoft Office, graphic design software, such as Adobe InDesign, and marketing automation software, such as Marketo. Demonstrated proficiency in content management systems (CMS), such as Drupal or WordPress, for managing website content, design, and functionality. Experience with storytelling and content creation. Experience with drafting and distributing email newsletters. Experience creating, curating, and managing content across multiple social media platforms. Desired Qualifications Proficiency in web design, editing, and coding software. Demonstrated ability to learn and deploy new web-based technologies. Knowledge in the humanities, broadly speaking. Familiarity with the university, and/or with other education and cultural organizations. Familiarity with and ability to implement ADA accessibility best practices across digital and print materials. Compensation, Benefits and Position Details Pay Range Minimum: $69,864.00 annual Pay Range Maximum: $81,600.00 annual Other Compensation: - Benefits: For information about benefits for this position, visit https://www.washington.edu/jobs/benefits-for-uw-staff/ Shift: First Shift (United States of America) Temporary or Regular? This is a regular position FTE (Full-Time Equivalent): 100.00% Union/Bargaining Unit: Not Applicable About the UW Working at the University of Washington provides a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees bring their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills and dedication to building stronger minds and a healthier world. In return, they enjoy outstanding benefits, opportunities for professional growth and the chance to work in an environment known for its diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty. Our Commitment The University of Washington is committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful and welcoming community for all. As an equal opportunity employer, the University considers applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, citizenship, sex, pregnancy, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, disability, or veteran status consistent with UW Executive Order No. 81. To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Disability Services Office at 206-543-6450 or dso@uw.edu. Applicants considered for this position will be required to disclose if they are the subject of any substantiated findings or current investigations related to sexual misconduct at their current employment and past employment. Disclosure is required under Washington state law. Use the filters or enter keywords in the search box (such as custodian, nursing or manager) to explore available opportunities. To find temporary opportunities, enter temporary in the search box. If you are a current UW employee: You must log into Workday and apply internally through the UW Jobs Hub. Looking for faculty, librarian or academic staff positions? Please visit our Academic Jobs site. Looking for student employment? Learn more on our Student Employment site. There are many perks to working for the University of Washington. Learn more about the benefits that could be available to you as a UW employee. Sign up for Job Alerts to be notified about job opportunities at the UW that interest you; youll be one of the first to learn when openings become available. You will be asked to create an account if you do not already have one.