Communications Associate Director

Salary:

Minimum $83,000 Maximum $121,735 ANNUAL (12 months)
Depending on Qualifications
The starting salary for this position is $83,000 but is negotiable based on experience and qualifications. This position will receive a comprehensive benefits package, including generous paid time off, competitively priced health/dental/vision/life insurance, tax-advantaged retirement savings accounts, and participation in the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) pension fund.

Job Summary:

The University of Wisconsin Aquatic Sciences Center (ASC) is a statewide program of multidisciplinary research, education, and outreach dedicated to the protection and sustainable use of Wisconsin's water resources - our lakes, rivers, and groundwater - as well as Wisconsin waters of lakes Michigan and Superior. Together with other funding activities compatible with the ASC mission, the Center administers two major multidisciplinary, system-wide research programs that serve the people of the state and Great Lakes - the Sea Grant Institute (SGI), focusing on the protection and sustainable use of the nation's Great Lakes, and the Water Resources Institute (WRI), focusing on solutions to Wisconsin's present and emerging water resources issues. Annually, the Center administers approximately $6 million in federal, state, and private funding. Both SGI and WRI function as grant agencies and are the only source of NOAA-Sea Grant and USGS-Water Resources funding in the state, awarding over $1.6M in funding annually to Wisconsin public and private universities and colleges. In addition, the Center is home to approximately thirty research, outreach, education, communication, and administrative staff stationed in Madison and additional locations around the state. Visit https://aqua.wisc.edu/ for more information.

The Communication Associate Director reports to the Center Director, and participates in all aspects of strategic communications: planning, program development and execution as part of the combined management team, consisting of leaders of the Center's research, outreach and education, communications, and administration teams. The Communications Associate Director will lead the center's communications efforts and team, federal and state reporting efforts, and government and media relations. Specifically, the position will manage the Center's communications staff (five at present), projects, and annual budget; develop and maintain strategic communications plans, establish goals, seek additional funding when opportunities arise, set priorities, and oversee progress; develop and coordinate effective communications projects (e.g., print publications, web sites, video productions, podcasts, exhibits/displays, workshops and meetings, media relations and social marketing campaigns, and more); serve as lead investigator for the Center's base communications programs funded by the national Sea Grant College Program and the National Institute for Water Resources; participate in program reviews, event promotion and delivery, and planning activities; lead program government relations, organizing responses to legislators and organizing and participating in annual lobbying events; lead the submission of program evaluation and reporting obligations to the National Sea Grant Office, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the state of Wisconsin; actively participate in developing center long-range plans and policy and administrative guidelines and decisions as part of the ASC management team; serve as the public information officer and, in the director's absence, media spokesperson for the ASC and its programs.

Responsibilities: Assists with communications strategic planning and execution. Implements communications plans in support of division or unit goals and objectives.

• 10% Assists in the development and implementation of communications focused strategic planning initiatives and objectives
• 10% Develops communications campaigns, programs, and/or projects in alignment with strategic objectives
• 10% Assists in the development and implementation of operating policies and procedures to promote communications in alignment with the strategic plan
• 10% Directs and evaluates communications projects, including the design, production, and delivery of internal and external publications
• 25% Exercises supervisory authority, including hiring, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or approving hours worked of at least 2.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees
• 5% May assist with developing and auditing the unit's communications budget
• 10% May serve as a liaison to internal and external stakeholder groups providing communications information and representing the interests of the unit
• 15% Completes annual institutional reporting to meet federal and state requirements, ensuring synthesis and sharing of societal and economic impacts with relevant audiences.
• 5% Coordinates federal, state, and media relations on behalf of the program.

Institutional Statement on Diversity:

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

For more information on diversity and inclusion on campus, please visit: Diversity and Inclusion

Education:

Required
Bachelor's Degree in a scientific field or in journalism, public relations, marketing, or related field

Preferred
Master's Degree in a scientific field or in journalism, public relations, marketing, or related field

Qualifications:

Required Qualifications:

* At least 5 years experience (beyond degree) project management for communications, media relations, public relations, or social marketing initiatives conveying scientific or technical subjects to diverse audiences.
* At least 3 years experience with team management and mentoring and ability to effectively manage staff to achieve shared goals.
* Ability to create and implement strategies to increase and amplify the representation of a diverse range of voices, viewpoints, and experiences
* Demonstrated experience working on multiple communications platforms or media.
* Excellent organizational skills, with a proven track record of effectively managing multiple simultaneous projects and deadlines
* Exceptional writing and editing skills.
* Excellent presentation skills.
* Experience developing and managing project or departmental budgets
* Experience with message development and delivery.

Preferred Qualifications:

* At least 5 years experience communicating marine, freshwater or environmental science and research in higher education institutions.
* At least 10 years experience, including documented success in communication program development, grant management, team management/supervision, and program execution with the integration of research and outreach activities
* Experience with government relations.
* Experience with media relations.
* Experience with marketing, including digital marketing.
* Experience with institutional reporting to federal or state funders.
* Experience with program management, budgets, data-driven planning, reporting and evaluation.
* Experience with strategic planning.
* Experience with networking and partnering and collaboration across organizations

Work Type:

Full Time: 100%

This position may require some work to be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location. Some work may be performed remotely, at an offsite, non-campus work location.

Appointment Type, Duration:

Ongoing/Renewable

Additional Information:

Successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States (i.e., a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without need of employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment.

How to Apply:

Please click on the "" button to start the application process.
To apply for this position you will need to upload:
1) A resume (it can exceed 2 pages)
2) A cover letter describing your communications, supervisory, budget, and leadership experience as well as any experience working with federal and/or state government and institutional reporting, and government relations (2 page maximum)
3) A description of a major communications team or project you have led or to which you have significantly contributed (e.g., public information campaigns, targeted-audience efforts, publications production, etc.). Please describe your role in the project, its goals, obstacles you encountered and how they were overcome, and the project's effectiveness. (2 page maximum)

You will also be asked to enter contact information for three professional references, including a current supervisor, who can speak to your abilities as they pertain to this position. References will not be contacted without prior notification to the candidate.

Contact:

Tracy Hanke
tracy.hanke@aqua.wisc.edu
608-262-7618
Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.

Official Title:

Comm Assoc Dir (B)(CM060)

Department(s):

A34-OVCR/AQUA SCI/AQUA SCI

Employment Class:

Academic Staff-Renewable

Job Number:

302648-AS

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence through diversity and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, click here

If you need to request an accommodation because of a disability, you can find information about how to make a request at the following website: https://employeedisabilities.wisc.edu/disability-accommodation-information-for-applicants/

Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require you and your references to answer questions regarding sexual violence and sexual harassment.

The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).

The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3 calendar years, and on-campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. UW-Madison will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin Police Department .