Senior Writer, Office of Communications

Senior Writer, Office of Communications

University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn's distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America's Best Large Employers in 2023.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Posted Job Title
Senior Writer, Office of Communications

Job Profile Title
Editor C

Job Description Summary
The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School is one of the nation's oldest and most distinguished law schools. The Law School offers a unique approach, incorporating cross-disciplinary legal education, a distinctly collaborative environment, and an innovative curriculum to enrich student learning. The small and highly interdisciplinary faculty achieves scholarly excellence while emphasizing a shared effort to advance understanding of the law. The result is an intellectual community that bridges traditional boundaries and disciplines within a renowned internal culture of collegiality, making the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School an extraordinarily supportive academic community for all its members.

Reporting to the Executive Director of Communications, the Senior Writer manages high-quality content across digital, print, and social media platforms, ensuring alignment with strategic and institutional goals to communicate the Dean's overall vision while maintaining consistency with Penn Carey Law's editorial standards.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities:

• Content Development and Management:
  • Develop content ideas and strategies for long-term and short-term communications initiatives. Participate in weekly editorial meetings to refine these efforts.
  • Write content for Penn Carey Law, ensuring all materials are engaging and aligned with institutional priorities and editorial standards.
  • Oversee the content of premium publications, including Advances in Research, collaborating with departments and senior leadership on updates that align with Dean Sophia Lee's messaging and institutional priorities.
  • Engage with faculty and senior leadership to research and synthesize information into compelling communications for various audiences.
  • Translate academic efforts, including complex legal scholarship, into digestible, accurate, and engaging content.

• Editor of the Journal:
  • Serve as the Editor of the Journal, ensuring high-quality content and timely production of fall and spring publications.
  • Lead the editorial process, including conceptualizing themes, identifying and assigning stories, and collaborating with faculty, alumni, and other contributors to gather content reflecting the Law School's achievements and priorities.
  • Partner with designers, photographers, and other vendors to produce a visually engaging and cohesive publication.
  • Oversee and review the proofs to ensure accuracy and alignment with editorial standards.
  • Develop strategies to integrate the Journal content across digital platforms, including the website and social media, to expand its reach and audience engagement.

• Social Media Strategy and Content:
  • Develop and oversee the Law School's social media strategy to enhance engagement and visibility.
  • Write on-brand copy and create ideas for social media content, ensuring alignment with institutional priorities and messaging.
  • Collaborate with designers and digital specialists to produce visually compelling social media assets.
  • Maintain a consistent voice and tone across all social media channels to enhance audience engagement.

• Editing and Optimization:
  • Review and edit articles, reports, and other content to ensure accuracy, clarity, and alignment with Penn Carey Law's editorial standards and brand voice.
  • Manage text refinement before it is provided to designers for implementation, ensuring quality and consistency.

• Other duties as assigned:

Qualifications:

• A Bachelor's degree is required; a JD or related advanced degree is preferred.
• Understanding of complex legal topics
• A minimum of seven years of professional writing experience and proven success writing in a legal, policy, higher education, or related professional context are a plus.
• Experience collaborating directly with senior-level administrators or executives.
• Must possess exceptional writing ability, with proven experience conveying complex or technical subject matter in clear, engaging, and concise language.
• A demonstrated ability to work collegially and collaboratively in a service-oriented environment and manage projects independently according to firm deadlines.
• A sense of humor while working in a fast-paced environment is a plus.

The University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin (including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics), citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any class protected under applicable federal, state or local law. For clarity, this includes not discriminating on the basis of ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, and military status as required by the American Bar Association Standard 205.

Job Location - City, State
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School
Law School

Pay Range
$61,046.00 - $110,000.00 Annual Rate
Salary offers are made based on the candidate's qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, as well as internal and market factors and

the pay range assigned to the job profile.

Equal Opportunity Statement

The University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin (including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics), citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any class protected under applicable federal, state or local law.

Special Requirements
Background checks may be required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.

University Benefits

• Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Accounts: Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family's health and welfare. You can also use flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.
  
• Tuition: Take advantage of Penn's exceptional tuition benefits. You, your spouse, and your dependent children can get tuition assistance here at Penn. Your dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.
  
• Retirement: Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn's Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.
  
• Time Away from Work: Penn provides you with a substantial amount of time away from work during the course of the year. This allows you to relax, take vacations, attend to personal affairs, recover from illness or injury, spend time with family-whatever your personal needs may be.
  
• Long-Term Care Insurance: In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you're newly hired, you won't have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof of good health and are subject to underwriting.
  
• Wellness and Work-life Resources: Penn is committed to supporting our faculty and staff as they balance the competing demands of work and personal life. That's why we offer a wide variety of programs and resources to help you care for your health, your family, and your work-life balance.
  
• Professional and Personal Development: Penn provides an array of resources to help you advance yourself personally and professionally.
  
• University Resources: As a member of the Penn community, you have access to a wide range of University resources as well as cultural and recreational activities. Take advantage of the University's libraries and athletic facilities, or visit our arboretum and art galleries. There's always something going on at Penn, whether it's a new exhibit at the Penn Museum, the latest music or theater presentation at the Annenberg Center, or the Penn Relays at Franklin Field to name just a few examples. As a member of the Penn community, you're right in the middle of the excitement-and you and your family can enjoy many of these activities for free.
  
• Discounts and Special Services: From arts and entertainment to transportation and mortgages, you'll find great deals for University faculty and staff. Not only do Penn arts and cultural centers and museums offer free and discounted admission and memberships to faculty and staff. You can also enjoy substantial savings on other goods and services such as new cars from Ford and General Motors, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, and admission to theme parks.
  
• Flexible Work Hours: Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments. These approaches involve use of non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.
  
• Penn Home Ownership Services: Penn offers a forgivable loan for eligible employees interested in buying a home or currently residing in West Philadelphia, which can be used for closing costs or home improvements.
  
• Adoption Assistance: Penn will reimburse eligible employees on qualified expenses in connection with the legal adoption of an eligible child, such as travel or court fees, for up to two adoptions in your household.
  

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To learn more, please visit: https://www.hr.upenn.edu/PennHR/benefits-pay


To apply, visit https://wd1.myworkdaysite.com/en-US/recruiting/upenn/careers-at-penn/job/Law-School/Senior-Writer--Office-of-Communications_JR00103190





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