Communications Associate

This position is a part of the Non-Academic Staff Association (NASA). 

This position has a term length of 13 months from the date of hire and offers a comprehensive benefits package which can be viewed at: Faculty & Staff Benefits .

Location - North Campus Edmonton. This role is hybrid with a mix of remote and in-person.

Working for the University of Alberta

The University of Alberta acknowledges that we are located on Treaty 6 territory, and respects the histories, languages and cultures of First Nations, Métis, Inuit and all First Peoples of Canada, whose presence continues to enrich our vibrant community.

The University of Alberta is teeming with change makers, community builders, and world shapers who lead with purpose each and every day. We are home to more than 40,000 students in 200+ undergraduate and 500+ graduate programs, over 13,000 faculty and staff, 260,000 alumni worldwide and have been recognized as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers for over a decade.

Your work will have a meaningful influence on a fascinating cross section of people—from our students and stakeholders, to our renowned researchers and innovators who are quite literally curing diseases, making discoveries and generating solutions that make the world healthier, safer, stronger, and more just.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Senior Partner and supporting the Faculty Partners, the Communications Associate in the partnerships portfolio will both lead and support the development and execution of communications and marketing plans for projects and initiatives.

This is your opportunity to lead new strategies and grow your professional strengths while doing work that matters. You see connections and opportunities for integrating communications efforts, and thrive in a fast-paced environment. Both a strategist and a team player, you see connections and opportunities for integrating communications efforts across units and portfolios.

As a successful candidate, you will work collaboratively with colleagues in External Relations across a range of areas, including: internal communications, editorial strategy, digital, brand, marketing, media relations and more.

Duties

• Plans, coordinates, and implements communication and marketing programs/services, contributing to the delivery of integrated communications, marketing, digital and creative services to internal and external audiences.
• Significant hands-on communication duties with targeted marketing and communications planning.
• Works with client areas to identify and document client requirements. Collaborates with clients and team members on the development of projects, project scoping and planning.
• Drafts and contributes to communications and marketing plans for specific initiatives, programs or audiences.
• Executes communication plans and tactics and provides KPI reports to stakeholders under the general supervision of senior staff.
• Contributes to editorial planning for specific channels and audiences by completing audience and channel research, soliciting and generating content, assessing performance and providing recommendations related to trends and best practices.
• Represents area on university committees and working groups.
• Anticipates client/stakeholder needs and proactively addresses concerns.
• Provides advice, information and technical interpretation on complex technical matters in a manner that can be easily understood by clients/stakeholders who do not share the same technical background. Creates a common understanding of a deficiency, service gap or inefficiency with clients and/or stakeholders.
• Develops and manages strong stakeholder relationships through effective communication and client service to ensure deliverables are met. This includes stewarding strategic partnerships and information-sharing.
• Writes material for targeted audiences across a variety of channels.
• A commitment to advancing equity, diversity, and inclusivity throughout your work is essential.

Qualifications

• A diploma in a related field is required; degree preferred.
• Three to five years of progressive communications and marketing experience within a complex, multi-stakeholder organization.
• Ability to translate strategic priorities into actionable communications and marketing plans.
• Ability to balance competing priorities and meet and manage client expectations.
• Solid understanding of editorial strategy, internal communications, issues management, and social media management.
• Ability to identify target audience preferences and build content to meet them.
• Experience in project management. 
• High degree of professionalism and judgment.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication skills both written and oral and ability to work with all levels of staff and management.
• Strong research communication skills

Note: Online applications are accepted until midnight Mountain Standard Time of the closing date.

We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those individuals selected for an interview will be contacted.