SENIOR COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST

University of Washington SENIOR COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST Seattle, Washington

As a UW employee, you will enjoy generous benefits and work / life programs. For a complete description of our benefits for this position, please visit our website.

Increase your chances of an interview by reading the following overview of this role before making an application.

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.

At UW Medicine, we work to improve health for all people through excellence in clinical, research, and education and training programs.

As the only comprehensive clinical, research and learning health system in the five-state WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) region, UW Medicine provides the most up-to-date care for each individual patient, leads one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive medical research programs, and provides innovative learning programs for students, trainees, and practitioners in the health professions.

UW Medicine’s Strategic Marketing and Communications (SMC) team plays a unique and vital role in advancing UW Medicine’s mission to improve the health of all people by creating connections to the discoveries, knowledge, and care that improve people’s lives.

Our team is comprised of 50+ dedicated professionals who work across a variety of marketing and communications disciplines for both the health system and UW School of Medicine (UWSoM), including brand and marketing strategy, news and media relations, internal and crisis communications, web development, UX / DX strategies, social media, writing, and graphic design.

Our success lies in our core values : respect, teamwork, creativity, continuous improvement, and focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, that are reflected in all that we do.

SMC is looking for a talented Senior Communications Specialist to ensure communications for UWSoM’s MD program, particularly in the WWAMI region, align with UWSoM strategic priorities.

Reporting to the Director, MD / WWAMI Program Marketing Communications, the Senior Communications Specialist drives public relations initiatives for the WWAMI region.

This person will make content recommendations and oversee earned media outreach for WWAMI. This position will also assist with other communications projects as needed, including, but not limited to, drafting social media posts and op-eds;

webinar production; and occasional video assignments for social media.

The successful candidate must have an advanced understanding of the media, culture and political climates in each of the WWAMI states, have a proven ability to manage numerous stakeholder relationships, and work successfully across departments.

The Senior Communication Specialist will have strong writing and media relations skills, a track record of creative and strategic thinking, and a rudimentary understanding of content management systems.

They will possess a can-do, problem-solving attitude and be adept at multi-tasking. Excellent professional communication skills will be paramount as this person will work closely with a variety of individuals : deans, physicians, faculty, students, and SMC departmental teams.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Content creation and dissemination of news (50%)
• Content strategy (30%)

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Bachelor of Arts degree in communications, marketing, journalism or related field and a minimum of three (3) years’ related experience.

Equivalent education / experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license / certification / registration.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Professional demeanor. Strong time management and organizational skills while on tight deadlines and working on multiple projects simultaneously.
• Excellent listening, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Experience writing, implementing, and improving content strategies.
• Experience with video creation and webinar technology.
• Experienced at content development with a proven ability to write engaging stories and copy.
• Experience copy editing to ensure it meets channel needs and editorial standards.
• Adept at generating ideas and solving problems.
• Detail oriented with a strong ability to understand and communicate complicated concepts simply and clearly.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Five (5) or more years of related experience. Background in healthcare, medical education, or higher education. Public relations and / or brand marketing experience.

Experience with digital media. Experience with WordPress. Basic knowledge of HTML coding. Experience with analytics software such as Google Analytics.

Photography and video skills are highly desirable.

Application Process : The application process may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process.

These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and / or others. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.

University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, among other things, race, religion, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.

J-18808-Ljbffr