Scheduled Hours

37.5

Position Summary

The communications specialist will lead the development and implementation of communications strategies for Washington University’s Office of Sustainability and Center for the Environment. This joint position will promote the university’s sustainable operations as well its interdisciplinary environmental research.

The communications specialist will support both teams’ missions by engaging internal and external audiences – including students, faculty, staff, university leaders, community partners, alumni, parents, donors, and prospective donors. Responsibilities include conceptualizing, acquiring, creating, editing, and delivering content in traditional and innovative ways across multiple channels for each team.

Job Description

• Develops, implements and evaluates communications strategies tailored to internal and external stakeholders, including students, faculty, staff, community partners, alumni, parents, donors and prospective donors.
• Leads content creation and marketing communications. Cultivates, writes, edits and interfaces with broader university communications ecosystem to disseminate stories.
• Designs or supervises design of visually appealing and relevant content for electronic and print distribution.
• Creates, manages and sustains an impactful online presence through social media, website and/or targeted email marketing to internal and external stakeholders.
• Contributes to initiatives, meetings, and events, including regular team meetings, special events, and coordinating meetings with university partners.
• Supervises, trains, and mentors student workers to enhance communications streams while providing a valuable educational experience.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Applicant Special Instructions

• Please include a cover letter explaining your interest in the position, along with a resume, a writing sample, and a social media posting sample when submitting your application.

Working Conditions:

Job Location/Working Conditions

• Normal office environment
• Ability to travel to on- and off-campus locations
• Work limited evening and weekend hours for special projects/events/deadlines

Physical Effort

• Typically sitting at a desk or a table

Equipment

• Office equipment

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all job duties performed by the personnel so classified. Management reserves the right to revise or amend duties at any time.

Required Qualifications

Education:

Bachelor's degree

Certifications:

No specific certification is required for this position.

Work Experience:

Relevant Experience (3 Years)

Skills:

Not Applicable

Driver's License:

A driver's license is not required for this position.

More About This Job

This is a joint appointment to the Center for the Environment (via the Director of the Center for the Environment) and the Office of Sustainability (via the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Sustainability). This position will report to the Senior Director of Communications for the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor for Administration/Chief Administrative Officer.

Due to the nature of the job responsibilities, this job requires a full time in-person commitment with reasonable flexibility for limited virtual work.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in business administration, marketing, communications, journalism, English, or related field.
• Experience integrating the latest technologies to support communications objectives.
• Experience in leading and facilitating teams to develop targeted marketing communications plans.
• Excellent organizational, analytical, planning, and project management skills.
• ability to forecast and plan work across teams, while maintaining a landscape view of priorities, values, and vision.
• Passionate storyteller with superior writing and editing skills, and sensitivity to nuance and tone.
• Ability and sensitivity in interacting with – and developing compelling communications for – a racially, culturally, and socioeconomically diverse range of stakeholders, including faculty, staff, students, campus colleagues, alumni, community partners, donors and prospective donors, and senior-level administrators and external advisors.
• Commitment to continuous learning about cultural humility and equity.
• Energy, vision, initiative, creativity, empathy, humility, tolerance for ambiguity, ability to embrace and navigate change, tact, and sense of humor.
• Enthusiasm and ability to work in a dynamic, highly collaborative environment with multiple functions, audiences, and priorities
• Willingness and energy to interface with students, faculty, staff, and other stakeholders while representing teams at university events including tabling at campus activity fairs.
• Experience in using CRM systems to develop and manage constituent relationships. Experience in using data from these systems to develop and execute targeted communications via e-mail campaign management systems.
• Ability to identify, learn, integrate, utilize and train others on electronic tools that enhance work productivity and effectiveness.
• Ability and willingness to work limited evening and weekend hours for special projects, events and deadlines in service to the teams’ missions.

Preferred Qualifications

Education:

Master's degree

Certifications:

No additional certification beyond what is stated in the Required Qualifications section.

Work Experience:

Progressive Responsibility In The Area Of Marketing Communications (5 Years)

Skills:

Adobe InDesign, Detail-Oriented, Diplomacy, Environmental Science, Event Planning, Events Execution, Fundraising Communications, Highly Developed Interpersonal, Leadership, Market Development and Research, Marketing Communications Planning, Market Research Data Analysis, Organizational Sustainability, Problem Solving, Professional Collaboration, Project Management Software (PMS), Science Communication, Sound Judgment, Strategic Communication Management, Team Management, Time Management, Visual Communication Design, WordPress, Workload Prioritization

Grade

G11

Salary Range

$53,100.00 - $90,600.00 / Annually

The salary range reflects base salaries paid for positions in a given job grade across the University. Individual rates within the range will be determined by factors including one's qualifications and performance, equity with others in the department, market rates for positions within the same grade and department budget.

Questions

For frequently asked questions about the application process, please refer to our External Applicant FAQ.

Accommodation

If you are unable to use our online application system and would like an accommodation, please email CandidateQuestions@wustl.edu or call the dedicated accommodation inquiry number at 314-935-1149 and leave a voicemail with the nature of your request.

All qualified individuals must be able to perform the essential functions of the position satisfactorily and, if requested, reasonable accommodations will be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their job, absent undue hardship.

Pre-Employment Screening

All external candidates receiving an offer for employment will be required to submit to pre-employment screening for this position. The screenings will include criminal background check and, as applicable for the position, other background checks, drug screen, an employment and education or licensure/certification verification, physical examination, certain vaccinations and/or governmental registry checks. All offers are contingent upon successful completion of required screening.

Benefits Statement

Personal

• Up to 22 days of vacation, 10 recognized holidays, and sick time.

• Competitive health insurance packages with priority appointments and lower copays/coinsurance.

• Take advantage of our free Metro transit U-Pass for eligible employees.

• WashU provides eligible employees with a defined contribution (403(b)) Retirement Savings Plan, which combines employee contributions and university contributions starting at 7%.

Wellness

• Wellness challenges, annual health screenings, mental health resources, mindfulness programs and courses, employee assistance program (EAP), financial resources, access to dietitians, and more!

Family

• We offer 4 weeks of caregiver leave to bond with your new child. Family care resources are also available for your continued childcare needs. Need adult care? We’ve got you covered.

• WashU covers the cost of tuition for you and your family, including dependent undergraduate-level college tuition up to 100% at WashU and 40% elsewhere after seven years with us.

For policies, detailed benefits, and eligibility, please visit: https://hr.wustl.edu/benefits/

EEO/AA Statement

Washington University in St. Louis is committed to the principles and practices of equal employment opportunity and especially encourages applications by those from underrepresented groups. It is the University’s policy to provide equal opportunity and access to persons in all job titles without regard to race, ethnicity, color, national origin, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, protected veteran status, or genetic information.

Diversity Statement

Washington University is dedicated to building a diverse community of individuals who are committed to contributing to an inclusive environment – fostering respect for all and welcoming individuals from diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. Individuals with a commitment to these values are encouraged to apply.