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Job Description

One of the largest and most comprehensive humanities centers in the United States, the Walter Chapin Simpson Center for the Humanities is dedicated to supporting cross disciplinary research and inquiry among University of Washington faculty and graduate students and underwriting major initiatives in the humanities in the service of the public good. The Simpson Center acts as a grantmaking unit within the university, generates and supports projects funded by outside grants and gifts, and administers budgets totaling in excess of $1.2M, with endowments of over $17M.

Research-focused and largely project and event based, the Simpson Center is well known nationally and internationally for its vibrant visiting speaker series, conferences, colloquia, and workshops on subjects central to the humanities, including the study of literature, film, language, culture, philosophy, and history. For more information, visit simpsoncenter.org. The Simpson Center seeks a highly organized, energetic, and responsible communications professional committed to the mission of higher education to join their dynamic and closely knit team.

The Public Information Specialist assures the operational integrity of the Simpson Center in the following ways:

Strategy and Leadership 15%

+ Develop a comprehensive strategic communications plan in collaboration with the Simpson Center’s leadership team that delivers the Simpson Center’s key messages to target audiences through a broad array of channels.

+ Lead strategy for email marketing campaigns and print and digital communications.

+ Work closely with the Simpson Center’s Program & Events Manager on institutional- and project-specific event publicity.

+ Work closely with the Administrator on the management of expenses within the annual communications budget.

+ Delegate tasks to hourly student assistants.

+ Manage and grow the Simpson Center’s social media efforts through leadership and strategic analysis.

+ Represent the Simpson Center on campus committees, roundtables, and councils (UW marketing roundtable, College of Arts & Sciences Drupal users’ group).

+ Serve as the Simpson Center’s liaison to UW College of Arts & Science marketing staff.

Multimedia Communications (digital, video, print, etc.) 40%

+ Implement core aspects of the Simpson Center’s comprehensive strategic communications plan, including development and production of digital communications, print publicity, and other promotional materials supporting many programs and events each year, including courses, lectures, meetings, and conferences.

+ Provide insights and reports to the Simpson Center’s leadership team on user engagement across platforms and types of communications, with an emphasis on marketing analytics and data.

+ Drive attendance to the Simpson Center’s campus- and public-facing events and ensure wide circulation of information on the Simpson Center’s funding opportunities for faculty and students.

+ Create, edit, and disseminate mass emails to academic and community audiences locally, nationally, and internationally. (Currently, the bi-weekly email newsletter reaches a subscriber base of 7,500, and the bi-annual research newsletters are sent to 600+ leaders in the humanities and higher education.)

+ Innovate, develop, edit, and disseminate new content for multiple media platforms, including essay, podcast, and video content across digital channels and tools.

+ Oversee the Simpson Center’s social media activity on platforms such as Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

+ Coordinate and oversee production of materials with graphic designers, presses, web developers, photographers, and videographers; set and manage production schedules and publicity budgets.

+ Ensure branding and graphic identity integrity across communications materials and mediums.

+ Identify opportunities for video or audio recordings to advance the Simpson Center’s mission; manage recording process (in-house or with contractor), edit, align with accessibility standards, publish, and disseminate.

+ Oversee the management of the Simpson Center’s archives (both digital and print).

Simpson Center Website 30%

+ Create and maintain content for the Simpson Center website using Drupal, in cooperation with the UW Design & Web Team. This includes content management of web pages and secure proposal submission forms for Simpson Center funding rounds (3 rounds per year; in the most recent year, the center received 136 total grant and fellowship proposal submissions) and sponsored projects.

+ Act as project manager on web development projects. Work with UW-IT and UW Creative Communications to ensure that the hardware and software needed to support the Simpson Center’s website are operating accurately.

+ Work closely with the Simpson Center’s Administrative Assistant on the management of the event calendar; submissions are reviewed, edited, and added to the website daily.

+ Solicit, edit, and manage content from faculty, staff, and graduate students for the website.

+ Ensure that electronic content is archived and accessible, and that all aspects of the website are functional, clear for users, and compliant with the ADA Title II Web Rule.

+ Maintain portal used by UW faculty to access research funds.

+ Track web usage/web analytics (report quarterly).

Storytelling & Scholarly Communications 15%

+ Within the framework of the Simpson Center’s comprehensive strategic communications plan, collect and create narratives and other types of documentation of Simpson Center activities for reports, online feature stories, and media pitches.

+ Develop media and public relations contacts, locally (UW, KUOW, KEXP, the Stranger, Seattle Times, Seattle Weekly), regionally (Tacoma News Tribune, Northwest Public Broadcasting), and nationally (Consortium of Humanities Centers & Institutes, Chronicle of Higher Education, National Humanities Alliance).

+ Acquire and maintain active knowledge of current UW humanities faculty research agendas and continuously develop leads for storytelling about that research to academic and public audiences.

+ Stay informed of cultural and intellectual contexts that affect research in the humanities

Minimum Requirements:

+ Bachelor’s degree.

+ 3 years of progressively responsible editorial, publications, communications, or development experience.

Additional Requirements

+ Experience with Microsoft Office, graphic design software, such as Adobe InDesign, and marketing automation software, such as Marketo.

+ Demonstrated proficiency in content management systems (CMS), such as Drupal or WordPress, for managing website content, design, and functionality.

+ Experience with storytelling and content creation.

+ Experience with drafting and distributing email newsletters.

+ Experience creating, curating, and managing content across multiple social media platforms.

Desired Qualifications

+ Proficiency in web design, editing, and coding software.

+ Demonstrated ability to learn and deploy new web-based technologies.

+ Knowledge in the humanities, broadly speaking.

+ Familiarity with the university, and/or with other education and cultural organizations.

+ Familiarity with and ability to implement ADA accessibility best practices across digital and print materials.

Compensation, Benefits and Position Details

Pay Range Minimum:

$69,864.00 annual

Pay Range Maximum:

$81,600.00 annual

Other Compensation:

-

Benefits:

For information about benefits for this position, visit https://www.washington.edu/jobs/benefits-for-uw-staff/

Shift:

First Shift (United States of America)

Temporary or Regular?

This is a regular position

FTE (Full-Time Equivalent):

100.00%

Union/Bargaining Unit:

Not Applicable

About the UW

Working at the University of Washington provides a unique opportunity to change lives – on our campuses, in our state and around the world.

UW employees bring their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills and dedication to building stronger minds and a healthier world. In return, they enjoy outstanding benefits, opportunities for professional growth and the chance to work in an environment known for its diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty.

Our Commitment

The University of Washington is committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful and welcoming community for all. As an equal opportunity employer, the University considers applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, citizenship, sex, pregnancy, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, disability, or veteran status consistent with UW Executive Order No. 81 (https://policy.uw.edu/directory/po/executive-orders/eo-81-prohibiting-discrimination-harassment-and-sexual-misconduct/) .

To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Disability Services Office at 206-543-6450 or [email protected] .

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 (https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=28B.112.080) .

University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, among other things, race, religion, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.