STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

Job no: 243674-AS
Work type: Partial Remote, Staff-Full Time
Department: VCRGE/DISCOVERY TO PRODUCT
Location: Madison
Categories: Communications



Job Summary:

The Strategic Communications Manager develops and implements written, visual and online communications to advance the strategic objectives of the Office of Discovery to Product (D2P), the Innovate Network, and UW- Madison's overall innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. The successful candidate will operate with a significant level of independence and must have a high degree of professionalism, project management and organizational skills and the ability to interact effectively with campus and external audiences. This position provides the right candidate an opportunity to use their creativity and professional skills to develop a strong communication strategy and platforms for a growing campus program.

Discovery to Product (D2P) is a unit within the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education. D2P's mission is to empower campus innovators to realize the Wisconsin Idea by transforming ideas and technologies into products and services that change the world. Working with partners in the Innovate Network, D2P's strategic priorities include expanding and deepening the pipeline of campus commercialization projects, building a campus culture of entrepreneurship, maximizing resources and support for university innovators, and optimizing coordination across the university and regional ecosystem.

About the Job:

Communications Manager (CM003)

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

Qualifications:

At least three years of professional work experience required in the following areas:
- Leading communications and outreach efforts for an organization or campus unit as part of a team.
-Identifying goals and priorities, key audiences, messages, channels and creative direction.
-Creating and implementing strategic and tactical communication plans with objectives such as developing a positive brand image, promoting an organization and its programs, and attracting and retaining clients, members or supporters.
- Superb writing and editing skills across media with exceptional attention to detail. Ability to write with clarity, accuracy, and brevity.
- Sound judgement and ability to communicate scientific, technical, or sensitive information when working with journalists or other members of the public or lay audiences.
- Experience with inclusive communication strategies and working with diverse audiences.
- Demonstrated achievement in creating communications calendars, managing multiple, concurrent projects, attention to detail, and meeting deadlines.

- Experience preferred in the following areas:
- Website content management, design, development, and maintenance.
- Email marketing content management and software.
- Social media content creation and management.
- Media relations and original story creation.
- Organizational reports, brochures, flyers, and informational materials.
- Executive and organizational communications such as presentations.
- Technical experience with WordPress and Elogua software
- Basic familiarity with principles of graphic design and software such as Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator.
- Communications and outreach event planning and production experience in a higher education or professional association environment.

Additional Information:

D2P provides mentoring, entrepreneurial training, and grant funding to campus innovators; presents outreach and engagement events; and builds partnerships to support a campus culture of entrepreneurship. D2P helps teams advance a wide range of projects, from social innovations to consumer products, healthtech, food science, computing and apps, engineering and other technologies. D2P works with campus innovators from faculty and researchers to staff, undergraduate and graduate students, and is committed to increasing the participation and success of underrepresented innovators through proactive diversity and inclusion strategies. D2P also administers the Innovate Network and its website, which serves as centralized resource for campus innovators, aggregating news, events, resources, and funding opportunities from university and campus affiliate programs supporting innovation, commercialization, tech transfer, and campus entrepreneurship.

Successful candidates will have the experience and ability to develop and execute long- and short-term communications strategies as part of a team, guided by D2P's strategic plan, to support the success of key D2P programs such as entrepreneurial training and the Innovate Network. The position is responsible for execution of all tactics, oversight of the website, email marketing and social media, media relations, and developing content in various formats including digital and social media, original news and feature stories, print publications such as flyers, and brochures, executive communications, and an annual D2P impact report.

Department(s):

A347600-VCRGE/DISCOVERY TO PRODUCT

Work Type:

Full Time: 100%

This position requires 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

Salary:

Minimum $60,000 ANNUAL (12 months)
Depending on Qualifications

Instructions to Applicants:

You will be asked to provide a cover letter and resume addressing your skills and experience as they relate to the qualifications and duties in this job description.

Contact:

Jesse Lynch
jesse.lynch@wisc.edu
608-890-0904
Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1 (out-of-state: TTY: 800.947.3529, STS: 800.833.7637) and above Phone number (See RELAY_SERVICE for further information. )





Official Title:

Communications Manager(CM003)

Employment Class:

Academic Staff-Renewable

Job Number:

243674-AS

The University of Wisconsin is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. We promote excellence through diversity and encourage all qualified individuals to apply.

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 will require a criminal background check. It will 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 .

Applications Open: Nov 5 2021 Central Daylight Time
Applications Close: Nov 30 2021 11:55 PM Central Standard Time