Content & Digital Communications Specialist

Department
 

IOP: Communications

About the Department
 

Created in 2013 by University of Chicago alumnus David Axelrod (AB'76), the mission of the Institute of Politics (IOP) is to ignite in University of Chicago students a passion for politics, public service and civic engagement and to provide a forum for the debate and discussion of public issues. By bringing practitioners from the public arena to campus, and providing extracurricular opportunities in politics, policy, government and journalism, the non-partisan Institute seeks to open pathways for engagement and leadership to students across campus. This is done through the four primary programmatic components of the Institute. The Speaker Series program hosts nationally and internationally recognized speakers on a wide variety of issues related to the mission of the IOP. The Fellows Program presents an opportunity for political practitioners, policy makers, journalists, and others engaged in politics and public service, to be in residence at the University of Chicago for an academic quarter and provide weekly, extracurricular seminars to University of Chicago students. The IOP also sponsors a robust, paid internship program for undergraduate and graduate students, placing them in high-level settings overseas, in Washington, D.C. and at the state and local levels. Lastly, the IOP’s Civic Engagement programs provide pathways for students to take an active role in shaping politics and policy in their communities through leadership development programs, student-led civic engagement projects, and political exploration treks.

Job Summary
 

The Content & Digital Communications Specialist plays a crucial role in the Communications Department’s development and implementation of communications and marketing strategies, including public relations, brand management, event publicity, community engagement, and digital/social media management. This position assists in the integration of the communications needs of the Institute’s various initiatives, including its four core programs: the Speaker Series, Fellows Program, Civic Engagement Program, and Career Development Program. The position requires a knowledge of and passion for multi-channel communications and marketing, complemented by a robust interest in politics (local, national and international), and an ability to build relationships across diverse constituencies and communities. This position reports to the Institute’s Communications Director.

Responsibilities

• Manages the IOP’s digital and social media assets, compiling and analyzing relevant metrics based on established goals.
• Keeps track of social media engagement statistics, including responding to DMs and other inquiries to improve brand responsiveness statistics.
• Designs and executes outreach campaigns to keep the student and broader UChicago community informed of the IOP’s programming increase audience size for IOP events.
• Maintains editorial oversight of public outreach/social media feeds in order to preserve equitable attention to each of the IOP’s four program areas.
• Strategizes ways to increase social media following and engagement in order to build a student-centered community.
• Attends IOP programs to cover them for our social media; trains communications intern and/or other students for social media takeovers where in-person coverage isn’t possible.
• Produces other unique digital content for the IOP’s social media platforms (including mining past events for timely content tied to current news).
• Performs data analysis of highly engaged student demographics.
• Manages weekly newsletters, in collaboration with the outreach intern.
• Collaborates with the Communications Director and Multimedia Specialist to ensure we are telling a consistent story across platforms.
• Meets regularly with each program area to discuss their communications needs.
• Assists in building our IOP alumni network, including lead role in alumni engagement.
• Assists with biannual campus fundraising campaign.
• Handles organization of Institute CRM system, including data management and analysis.
• Designs and compiles two student engagement surveys per academic year.
• Assists as needed in updating website or with graphics.
• Plans, develops and disseminates information designed to keep the public informed of the organization's programs, accomplishments, or point of view, with moderate levels of guidance and direction.
• Continues to build knowledge of the University, processes and customers.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications
 

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

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Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

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Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree, preferably in public relations, marketing, English or related field.

Experience:

• Prior experience in communications or related field.
• Working knowledge with college students or on a college campus.
• Background with relational organizing.
• Finger on the pulse of social media trends.
• Eagerness to try new things.

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

• Deep fluency and knowledge of digital communications best practices including accessibility, website development, social media, data maintenance, and email marketing.
• Excellent communications skills required for the effective delivery of the Institute’s vision, mission and brand.
• Knowledge of Adobe Creative Cloud.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, as well as social media and CMS/CRM tools.
• Experience in production of marketing and communication materials; familiarity with website coding (HTML/CSS) and graphic design.

Preferred Competencies

• Exceptional time management and organizational skills including the ability to meet external and internal deadlines.
• Meet tight external and internal deadlines.
• Entrepreneurial, creative thinking about how to improve the Institute’s communications and outreach efforts.
• Knowledge of and passion for politics and igniting in young people a similar passion.
• Proven ability to be a valuable part of a team.

Working Conditions

• Evening and weekend work during peak activity times.
• Some travel.

Application Documents

• Resume/CV (required)
• Cover Letter (required)
• References Contact Information (3)(required)

When applying, the document(s) MUST  be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family
 

Communications

Role Impact
 

Individual Contributor

FLSA Status
 

Exempt

Pay Frequency
 

Monthly

Scheduled Weekly Hours
 

37.5

Benefits Eligible
 

Yes

Requires Compliance with University Covid-19 Vaccination Requirement
 

Yes

Drug Test Required
 

No

Health Screen Required
 

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required
 

No

Posting Statement
 

Employees must comply with the University’s COVID-19 vaccination requirements. More information about the requirements can be found on the University of Chicago Vaccination GoForward .
The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

 

Staff Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

 

We seek a diverse pool of applicants who wish to join an academic community that places the highest value on rigorous inquiry and encourages a diversity of perspectives, experiences, groups of individuals, and ideas to inform and stimulate intellectual challenge, engagement, and exchange.

 

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.  A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.  Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

 

The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at: http://securityreport.uchicago.edu . Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.