COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST

Req #:	208553
Department:	ENVIRONMENTAL AND OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
Posting Date:	09/22/2022
Closing Info:	Open Until Filled
Salary:	Salary is commensurate with education and experience.
Shift:	First Shift

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.

UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty.

The University of Washington School of Public Health Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS) is dedicated to creating sustainable communities where everyone has access to clean air, clean water, safe food and safe workplaces. As part of the top-ranked UW School of Public Health, DEOHS educates tomorrows health and safety leaders and reaches todays workforce with sustainable health solutions through our public service, innovative research and cross-disciplinary partnerships. We are seeking a full-time Communication Specialist (Payroll Title: Public Information Specialist, Grade 8) to join our Continuing Education team and contribute to our department Communications team.

DEOHS Continuing Education Programs (CEP) reflect the DEOHS commitment to serving the ongoing and evolving educational needs of occupational health and safety practitioners, businesses and workers. The DEOHS CEP delivers high-quality professional development courses, builds partnerships and engages regional communities to promote safe workplaces and sustainable environments. DEOHS CEP provides the practice community with health and safety training to reduce and prevent workplace injuries and illnesses in Region X: Alaska, Washington, Idaho and Oregon.

Environmental and Occupational Health has an outstanding opportunity for a Communication Specialist. The Communications Specialist will work with DEOHS CEP leaders to brainstorm content ideas and lead stakeholder engagement.The Communication Specialist will report to the DEOHS CEP Director. The Communications Specialist will also provide support one day a week to the DEOHS Communications Team

The Communications Specialist will play a key role in developing and executing the CEP communications strategy. The primary responsibilities include writing, editing, and producing content for CEPs e-newsletters, blogs, website, email campaigns, course announcements and social media channels. The successful candidate will create content that engages the workplace health and safety community with the goal of expanding CEPs audiences and course registrations. In addition, the Specialist will collaborate with the CEP team to manage existing customer relationships, identify new target audiences and execute a plan for distributing promotional program content across Alaska, Idaho, Washington and Oregon. Other tasks include monitoring the customer relationship management (CRM) database and tracking analytics.

Specific activities will include:

Communication:

Develop a communications strategy for CEP that includes outreach to target audiences and social media content creation in collaboration with the DEOHS CEP staff and Communications team.

Implement the communications plan to promote courses offered by the two centers of CEP: the Pacific Northwest OSHA Education Center and the Northwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety.

Create original material, including: conceptualizing and developing communication pieces related to the mission of DEOHS CEP; conducting interviews with CEP instructors and students; developing blog posts, e-newsletter copy and social media text in alignment with CEPs messaging themes and brand positioning; identifying photos, videos and graphics to visually illustrate the content; and managing the content review process with internal and external stakeholders.

Create content for the DEOHS blog, e-newsletter and social media channels, as well as connecting CEP content to the overall mission of DEOHS

Edit and proofread content written by other team members and department staff.

Produce short videos (1-3 minutes) featuring CEP courses for the newsletter and social media.

Reach out to customers and collaborators to promote CE programs and provide information and resources on emerging topics.

Design and distribute marketing materials both in print and electronically for specific courses.

Produce, publish and maintain content for website, resource hub and online learning programs that is accessible and Section 508 compliant.

Customer Relationship Management and Outreach:

Participate in outreach activities to expand stakeholder engagement and expand target audiences.

Monitor, support and evaluate results of communication campaigns with the CEP team.

Maintain our customer relationship management database (e.g. KEAP), ensuring that data is clean and up to date.

Manage the day-to-day social media posting, generate discussions on social media and monitor all social media channels.

Track analytics for all social media and create quarterly reports.

Solicit information, enter data and edit records in CRM databases tailored for email marketing campaigns.

Provide reports on the effectiveness of communication/marketing campaigns and use information gathered to improve future campaigns.

Other Responsibilities:

Regularly update program information on CE website.

Provide backup support for CE team for course logistics and delivery as needed.

Respond to telephone inquiries and email regarding DEOHS CE courses and refer as appropriate.

Perform other duties as assigned by the Director.

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, click here.

Requirements:

Bachelor's Degree in Communications, English, Marketing, Journalism, Public Relations, or related discipline

Minimum of 2 years of experience in communications strategy development.

Experience in bringing a team together to develop and execute a strong communication plan.

Ability to take initiative, set priorities, juggle competing priorities and meet deadlines

Familiarity with web content management systems (e.g., Drupal, Wordpress, etc.) and customer relationship management systems (e.g., KEAP, SalesForce, etc.).

Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Experience with content writing for all media platforms and e-newsletters.

A writing sample will be requested by the hiring team.

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

Desired:

Familiarity with video software, such as Animoto.

Experience with creating content to meet accessibility requirements.

Basic understanding of public health and/or worker health and safety concepts.

Application Process:
The application process for UW positions 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 Workforce Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select Apply to this position. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your My Jobs page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. 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.

Applicants considered for this position will be required to disclose if they are the subject of any substantiated findings or current investigations related to sexual misconduct at their current employment and past employment. Disclosure is required under Washington state law.

Committed to attracting and retaining a diverse staff, the University of Washington will honor your experiences, perspectives and unique identity. Together, our community strives to create and maintain working and learning environments that are inclusive, equitable and welcoming.