Communications Manager

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Position Overview

The School of Environmental and Forest Sciences (SEFS), a unit within the College of the Environment at the University of Washington, has an outstanding opportunity for a Communications and Marketing Manager to lead in the promotion of the school’s programs, events, and impacts and communication with various internal and external stakeholders.

SEFS is a broad-based Environmental science and natural resources program with a multi-disciplinary faculty and many forms of public engagement—on campus, in Seattle and the State of Washington, and around the world. Originating in 1907 as a forestry program, we address technical, scientific, and social challenges of developing renewable forest products, stewarding forests for a range of ecosystem functions and services, and understanding the social and Environmental consequences of stewardship and production choices. The Communications and Marketing Manager will take leadership in telling our stories, making and maintaining connections, and managing events.

Responsibilities

Working with school leadership, faculty, and staff, as well as with other partners in the College of the Environment and the University of Washington, the Communications and Marketing Manager will:

• Lead development and execution of a marketing and communications strategy that addresses various constituents and incorporates appropriate channels, including our website, publications, e-newsletters, articles, posters, electronic and social media, and reports.
• Constituents of the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences include students, alumni, our Advisory Board, the UW community, partners, donors, and other key stakeholders.
• Cultivate and promote the public image and brand for SEFS and manage all communications channels.
• Advise SEFS leadership on key communication opportunities and approaches.
• Write, review and edit announcements, statements, newsletters, press releases, reports, talking points, and other communications on behalf of the director.
• Promote and lead organization of a few high-profile events per year that augment the overall communication strategy.
• Serve as the primary resource to SEFS faculty and staff for developing communication strategy and messaging that is aligned with UW and SEFS brand priorities and help identify means to produce necessary content.
• Develop templates and tools that can be used broadly within SEFS whose staff may or may not include individuals with training in marketing and communications.
• Review and edit the work of others to ensure consistency with the established communication strategies.
• Create and edit website content, author first draft content, manage revisions, publish content, promote and manage school events, and evaluate outcomes.
• Hire, train, and supervise a student intern, contract student employees, and/or student volunteers to support the development of marketing and communication content.
• Collaborate with partners within SEFS, the College of the Environment, and other offices within the University (e.g., UW Advancement) to best represent SEFS and its programs.

Qualifications

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Communications or related field.
• 4 years of experience in marketing, journalism, communications or related field, or equivalent experience in communications and marketing.
• Working proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite, InDesign, Photoshop and Microsoft Office.
• Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except where there are legal requirements such as license/certification/registration.

Desired:

• Master's degree or higher in Communications or related field.
• 7 years of experience in marketing, journalism, communications, or related field, or equivalent experience with constituent relations and outreach.
• Experience with tools for managing web-based content, such as WordPress, GoogleSites, etc.
• Experience with mass email and calendaring tools, such as Marketo and Trumba.
• Understanding of and experience with UW support offices (e.g., Creative Communications, UW Advancement) and systems (e.g., Arriba, Workday).
• Demonstrated experience in developing and executing communications strategies and plans and superior writing and editing skills for print, web and presentations.
• Significant experience in positions requiring writing and editing of newsletters, articles, key messages, presentations and other communication materials.
• Highly self-motivated and self-directed with a passion for learning about the work of others and producing compelling communications.
• Strong written communication and editing skills, high level of attention to detail, outstanding organizational skills and ability to schedule, track and manage multiple projects on tight deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to produce effective communications plans and materials for all audience levels.
• Effective interpersonal skills, including the ability to build working relationships across diverse groups of people and at different levels and work collaboratively to enhance unit effectiveness.
• Ability to work both independently and in teams, to be highly collaborative, and to take initiative.
• Proficiency with digital and social media platforms, including Twitter and Facebook.
• Able to interpret technical and scientific information for a non-technical audience.
• Creativity, flexibility, sound judgment and excellent problem solving skills.

Compensation: As a UW employee, you will enjoy generous benefits and work/life programs. For detailed information on Benefits for this position, click here.