Description
The Dean's Office in the Faculty of Social Work is currently seeking a Full-time Limited Term Senior Communications Specialist for approximately 24 months.
This position reports to the Centre¿s Director, Strategic Operations, with strong links to the Office of Communications and Community Engagement, and Communications Managers in Law and Social Work. In this leadership role, the Senior Communications Specialist (Sr. Specialist) will work with the Deans in the Faculty of Social Work and Faculty of Law, with the Office of Communications and Community Engagement and with the Senior Director of the Centre for Transformation to build the national and international reputation of the Centre for Transformation (Family Justice System). As a strategic communications lead, you will develop, implement, measure and assess a communications strategy for the Centre for Transformation and Faculties, focused on strengthening and aligning all aspects of communications, marketing and reputation management within the strategic direction of the Centre and the university. The position requires vision, leadership, creativity, exceptional communications and marketing expertise, fiscal accountability, and experience with evaluation metrics and reporting. You will lead initiatives and support a collaborative culture within the Centre and the university, connecting with a wide and diverse collaboration internally and externally. As a member of the centre¿s leadership team, you will provide high-quality strategic advice and contribute to the overall success and effectiveness of the Centre for Transformation (Family Justice System).
The Senior Communications Specialist will work Monday ¿ Friday 35 hours per week, with the expectation and understanding of flexibility to work outside of regular business hours for special events.
Summary of Key Responsibilities (job functions include but are not limited to):
COMMUNICATIONS:
- Develop, implement and measure high-quality and timely communication strategies.
- Proactively seeks out opportunities and achieves success in reputation management, brand strategies, marketing, media relations, social media, campaigns, publications, events and internal communications designed to create a positive image for the Centre and the University of Calgary, and to support the desired outcome of family well-being.
- Provide long-and short-term communications advice to senior leaders, research chairs, and team members on Centre-related initiatives and issues.
- Stay current with recent technology and communications trends.
- Ensure the implementation of strong and consistent brand and positioning protocols for the communications efforts.
- Improve and broaden the reputation of the Centre locally, nationally and internationally.
- Ensure alignment of marketing and communications efforts across the Centre to ensure resources are focused on priorities to achieve transformation of the Family Justice System.
- Support internal communications, in conjunction with the senior leadership team, to foster a high-performance culture.
- Develop productive relationships with research chairs, leadership team, academics and staff.
- Manage contracts and relationships with external contractors, freelancers and design providers.
- Work professionally and collaboratively with other university communicators and marketing professionals, as well as members of the Office of Communications and Community Engagement and external funding agencies.
- Lead strategic communication plans, in support of the university¿s entrepreneurial brand, its strategic direction, Community Plan, Operations Plan and other initiatives.
- Create Annual Report to Community for print and web format. Seek input from Chairs, Deans, Directors and other team members.
- Create and maintain appropriate mailman lists and contact lists following Protection of Personal Information Act.
- Accountable for supporting the short- and long-term strategic objectives of the Centre through effective communications and marketing strategies.
- Responsible for the development of timely and compelling stories to showcase teaching, education and research, operations and community engagement accomplishments.
- Manage all aspects of copy, photos, video and other elements of content prior to implementation, including oversight of branding, web compliance, consistency, tagging, and localization of content.
- Develop and maintain a list of subject experts to ensure team members are available and trained to speak to media on topical public issues.
- Work with Director, Strategic Operations, Sr. Director, Research Chairs, Deans, and staff to create and maintain an engaging website for the Centre for Transformation (Family Justice System).
- Lead the delivery of successful events that meet objectives, by engaging internal and external collaborators.
- Establish, track and maintain social media channels and content to share the news and accomplishments of the Centre for Transformation.
- Ensure communications are timely, informative and appropriately represent the Centre and the university.
- Manage complex issues and challenging interpersonal interactions with composure and diplomacy.
- Create an environment where knowledge sharing, training tools, coaching and staff development ensure service levels are met or exceeded.
- Seek expert opinions and advice where appropriate and considered reliable.
- Proactively develop and maintain trustworthy, productive, problem-solving working relationships with colleagues and staff across the university community and external agencies.
- Build and maintain relationships with peers in the post-secondary, industry, policy and innovation sectors in Calgary and nationally.
STRATEGY ENGAGMENT AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT
- Develop and implement high-quality and timely communication strategy with marketing in mind based on industry best practices and key performance indicators.
- Use common templates and checklists for planning, media relations, content creation, marketing and events.
- In conjunction with the Deans and senior leadership, develop, monitor and meet the Centre¿s strategic objectives in the area of communications to support transformational change.
- Plan and execute special events with Director, Strategic Operations, Sr. Director, Administrative Coordinator and other team members.
- Manage an annual budget dedicated to communications
o Provide in advance a proposal of events to Director, Strategic Operations, Sr. Director, Deans and Research Chairs and research teams
o Seek annual budget allocation from Deans
o Provide annual written report to senior leadership members outlining approved budget and where funds were allocated
o Recommend changes to annual budget, as needed - Hire, mentor, and act as in-scope supervisor of student hourly employees and volunteers for events.
- Resource external funding sources for short-term employees to create a learning opportunity (example, Canada Summer Jobs).
- Provide advice to the Deans and leadership to effectively allocate and utilize resources to achieve strategic goals and objectives with regards to communications and marketing.
- Work with the Office of Communications and Community Engagement, University Advancement, and Communication Managers in Faculties Social Work and Law to provide a Centre for Transformation (Family Justice System) perspective on any university-wide announcements, events and initiatives.
- Attend regular team meetings to ensure alignment and deadline dates are established and met.
- Create and implement a web content strategy to ensure new and evolving content in a variety of topic areas related and aligned with transformational change, is highlighted on key web pages.
- Maintain employee contact information in UCalgary¿s profile website system.
- Maintain and develop website forms and SharePoint sites.
- Update website content in a timely manner, incorporating both planned updates and as-needed changes.
- Provide guidance to content contributors on use of analytics and reporting to inform and improve future web content and story outlets.
Qualifications / Requirements:
- A post-secondary degree in communications, journalism or public relations.
- Minimum of 7 years¿ experience in the communications field.
- Experience with marketing is a strong preference.
- Strong background in website development and maintenance is a strong preference.
- Demonstrated experience in planning and implementing strategic communications plans, which includes effective creation and execution of large-scale projects and campaigns aimed at target audiences.
- Excellent written and oral communications skills are required; this includes demonstrated ability to speak and write clearly and succinctly in a variety of settings and styles; ability to distill complex information into compelling stories, listen effectively and deliver messages that have the desired effect.
- Exceptional skills in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams), Zoom and Webinars.
- Previous experience in Drupal 9.0 a strong asset.
- Experience in project management and strategy engagement demonstrating an ability to plan for, and efficiently manage, multiple complex tasks along with strong attention to detail.
- A high degree of personal effectiveness and initiative in a fast-paced, complex environment.
- Experience in events planning and community outreach, including media, event marketing and communications.
- Experience in a collaborative setting, with strong interpersonal skills and a proven ability to build and maintain relationships with a wide and diverse collaborative community and across campus.
- Experience producing a variety of communication channels aimed at various internal and external audiences, leveraging online, social media, print and face-to-face communications best practices.
- Strong understanding of social media and how to leverage social media to build reputation.
- Demonstrated ability to work under pressure and deadlines, and to handle numerous priorities and competing deadlines.
- An ability to work effectively in a highly collaborative team setting as well as an independent, self-directed environment.
- Experience working in a complex, diverse, and innovative environment would be a strong asset.
Application Deadline: April 11, 2025
We would like to thank all applicants in advance for submitting their resumes. Please note, only those candidates chosen to continue on through the selection process will be contacted.
This position is part of the AUPE bargaining unit, and falls under the Specialist/Advisor Job Family, Phase 3.
For a listing of all management and staff opportunities at the University of Calgary, view our Management and Staff Careers website.
About the University of Calgary
UCalgary is Canada's entrepreneurial university, located in Canada's most enterprising city. It is a top research university and one of the highest-ranked universities of its age. Founded in 1966, its 36,000 students experience an innovative learning environment, made rich by research, hands-on experiences and entrepreneurial thinking. It is Canada's leader in the creation of start-ups. Start something today at the University of Calgary. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.
The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.
As an equitable and inclusive employer, the University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding [diversity] EDI at UCalgary can be sent to the Office of Institutional Commitments (equity@ucalgary.ca) and requests for accommodations can be sent to Human Resources (hrhire@ucalgary.ca).
Do you have most but not all the qualifications? Research show that women, racialized and visible minorities, and persons with disabilities are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At UCalgary we are committed to achieving equitable, diverse, inclusive and accessible employment practices and workplaces and encourage you to apply if you believe you are right for this role.
We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, however preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.
