Assistant Director Of Communications

As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.

UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty.

The Office of Academic Personnel (OAP) leverages its subject matter expertise and institutional perspective in academic personnel administration to support the recruitment and retention of the University of Washington's world-class community of faculty, librarians, and academic staff.

We have an outstanding opportunity for an Assistant Director of Communications.

Reporting to the Vice Provost for Academic Personnel, the Assistant Director of Communications is responsible for developing and implementing integrated communication strategies that will help build and support awareness and expand the impact of OAP’s vision, mission, core values, business operations, and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Key responsibilities include marketing and brand management, website design and content management, coordination of professional development programs and events, and managing customer relationships with internal and external constituents.

The Office of Academic Personnel must communicate important issues with direct impact and/or relevance to faculty, other academic personnel, faculty leaders, and support staff across all 18 of UW’s schools, colleges, and campuses. The Assistant Director of Communications must be able to understand and interpret complex business, technical, and policy issues, and must be able to communicate these issues clearly and concisely, and in a way that advances the UW and OAP brand and strategic priorities with professionalism and integrity.

OAP is a key administrative unit overseeing policies and processes governing over 20,000+ academic personnel at the University of Washington including professorial faculty, who are central to advancing the UW's educational, research, and public service mission. The ever-changing landscape of technology, regulation, and stakeholder needs requires OAP to be agile and responsive. In serving the UW community, the Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications joins the entire OAP team in promoting and continually aspiring to excellence, collaboration, integrity, innovation, diversity, service, and respect.

Duties & Responsibilities

Marketing and Brand Management

Develop and direct a comprehensive communications and marketing strategy that promotes and supports a robust organizational brand rooted in the vision, mission, and priority goals of OAP and the University of Washington. This position can act on behalf of OAP leadership to make decisions and execute marketing and communication strategies while seeking final approval from the Vice Provost for Academic Personnel.

Align messaging and branding across OAP platforms. This position will ensure that communications support and align with the UW’s brand style and messaging and also support the overall goals and mission of the OAP. This position should have a comprehensive understanding of the mission of the UW and as well a comprehensive understanding of the mission and communications strategy of key partners.

Develop organizational policies and procedures for communicating on behalf of OAP that represent and advance the organization’s strategic identity; develop/provide tools, training, and resources to build communications capacity across the OAP team

Design, create, edit and author a variety of communication pieces across multiple platforms, which may include news articles, print materials, newsletter articles, social media posts, direct emails, website articles, print signage, digital signage, event brochures, and websites. This position will be responsible for both authoring first drafts of communication materials as well as editing the work of others. This position will also utilize and leverage existing channels of communication while identifying and developing new channels.

Establish and curate a social media presence for OAP; publicize relevant events, information, and resources; collaborate with University Marketing and Communications subject matter experts, OAP team members, external consultants, or website creators to establish comprehensive and seamless messaging. Messaging on OAP platforms will be targeted to the UW faculty and academic personnel, general public, the entire UW and specific UW audiences, depending on specific faculty professional development campaigns and their call to action. Messages will detail OAP policies, procedures, practices, and will also elevate the work and important role of the OAP to the entire University.

Serve as an enthusiastic ambassador of the OAP brand and lead efforts to establish and ensure consistency of the UW and OAP communication/design/brand standards across all OAP materials and communication modes including reports, slide decks, email, print, web, social media, signage, and trainings/presentations materials.

Develop key performance indicators (metrics) to gauge communication effectiveness; monitor and report on website and social media analytics, training and presentations feedback, and other messaging reach.

Conduct customer and peer research to advance the OAP brand.

Website Design and Content Management

Develop, enhance, and maintain the OAP’s website. Specifically, this position will lead the development of an updated OAP website in collaboration with University Marketing and Communications. This position will be responsible for authoring web content, making relevant edits and updates directly to the OAP website, and curating web content to meet customer and institutional priorities.

Develop and implement strategies to support efficient, intuitive site navigation. This position will work to increase the usability, readability and accessibility by faculty, librarians, residents, fellows, professional staff and key stakeholders to improve the overall user experience on the OAP website.

Promote accessibility standards and best practices.

Use website analytics and engage with stakeholders to measure impact while researching, developing and implementing solutions and improvements to existing web content.

Professional Development Programs and Events Coordination

Work with OAP leadership and subject matter experts, in developing a menu of professional development activities such as faculty professional development programs, new academic leadership support training, leadership training, new faculty onboarding, to support faculty and other academic personnel needs and advance institutional priorities; leverage communications expertise to inform decisions about sequencing, design, and delivery of workshop content and asynchronous professional development/training resources.

Take initiative in supporting internal training opportunities for OAP team to develop presentation and communication skills (e.g., public speaking and PowerPoint best practices).

Customer Relationship Management

Leverage systems and tools to support efficient and effective customer relationship management.

Develop and implement strategies for gathering and analyzing data related to customer experience and feedback

Requirements include:

Bachelor's degree

4 years accumulated professional experience

Experience creating and delivering content across multiple platforms (e.g., web, social media, print, email, events)

Success establishing, implementing, and managing strategies to understand customer needs/perspectives and grow customer relationships.

Excellent oral communication and interpersonal skills.

Ability to develop focused, coherent, correct, and engaging written content.

Ability to collaborate effectively.

Intermediate proficiency using modern content management and desktop publishing tools/software.

Demonstrated ability to organize priorities to deliver high quality work on time and within budget.

Familiarity with brand management activities.