Job ID: 28877
Updated: September 7, 2023
Location: Main Campus
We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the traditional territories of the people of the Treaty 7 region in Southern Alberta. The City of Calgary is also home to Métis Nation of Alberta, Region III.
Position Overview
The Dean’s Office in the Faculty of Graduate Studies is currently seeking a Full-time Regular Communications Specialist.
The Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) has approximately 8000 graduate students across 170+ University of Calgary graduate programs. FGS is the faculty of registration for these students and provides support to this community of learners along with the administrative and academic employees and leaders of the graduate education community. Within FGS, the communications team supports the unit in these and other activities, including but not limited to graduate recruitment, student advising, award administration and promotion, special events, and storytelling to raise the profile of graduate studies and graduate student research.
Reporting to the Manager, Communications, FGS, the incumbent will work collaboratively with multiple members of the FGS team. The incumbent will connect regularly with leadership, faculty and staff in graduate programs and other units. The diverse and specialized nature of this work requires flexibility, adaptability, and reflective practices to address the needs of a variety of audiences and initiatives. The position requires discretionary decision making that involves fully understanding the impact of those decisions, using sound judgement, and initiating resolutions. The incumbent must be prepared to manage the many competing demands of an academic environment, exercise flexibility as required, and support a positive and thriving workplace culture.
The Communications Specialist, FGS, will support the development and execution of communication planning along with development and delivery of digital and print assets in support of the FGS communications strategy. Key assets and digital tools will be developed so they can be quickly tailored to specific needs. Marketing and communications approaches will be used to maximize our online presence and effectiveness in engaging with the graduate education community at UCalgary. Under direction of the Manager of Communications, FGS, the incumbent supports a range of projects in the areas of graphic design, web content development, social media planning and delivery, branding of presentations, student guides and other assets, creation of videos, storytelling across multiple channels, tracking analytics, and more. The role will also advise on the effectiveness of assets.
Position Description
Summary of Key Responsibilities (job functions include but are not limited to):
- Work with internal clients to determine, evaluate, and translate communication needs into design concepts, and to work from those concepts in developing original, branded graphics for digital and print material.
- Prepare, execute, and evaluate the effectiveness of communications plans for multiple initiatives and events.
- Write internal stories and articles for UToday and other UCalgary channels, conducting interviews with students, staff, and faculty.
- Plan, film, and edit original video content for multiple initiatives, platforms, and audiences.
- Proactively maintain and update content on current website, including event listings using LiveWhale.
- Plan, prepare and deliver newsletters for multiple audiences.
- Gather, analyze, and prepare regular reports with recommendations using Google Analytics and other tools.
- Maintain a system of organizing digital files.
Qualifications / Requirements:
- A Bachelor’s degree in business, public relations, journalism, communications, marketing, or a related field is required (equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered).
- A credential in graphic design is an asset. Demonstrated excellence in graphic design using Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Bridge, Acrobat) is required.
- 3-5 years of related, progressive experience is required.
- Excellent communication, writing and editing skills are required. Familiarity with and/or interest in generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) is an asset.
- Experience with web content management systems (e.g., Drupal), Marketo, Hootsuite and Qualtrics respectively are assets.
- Demonstrated experience in video planning, creation and post-production using Adobe Premier Pro and Audition.
- In-depth knowledge of branding, marketing, and the design process. Knowledge of University culture, context, and strategic plans is an asset.
- Demonstrated experience in quickly assessing and understanding the goals and communication requirements of a project including audiences, extrapolating needs, developing key messages, proposing, and implementing communications tactics solutions, and evaluating effectiveness.
- Demonstrated experience in communications planning including leveraging analytical tools is required.
- Demonstrated experience with social media management of institutional or organizational accounts, including setting targets and assessing effectiveness of social media activities, digital marketing, SEO, and Google Analytics.
- Must be result-oriented, showing initiative and creativity to identify areas for improvement and to implement potential solutions.
Application Deadline: September 21, 2023
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.
Additional Information
This position is part of the AUPE bargaining unit, and falls under the Specialist/Advisor Job Family, Phase 2.
To find out more about management and staff opportunities at the University of Calgary and all we have to offer, view our Management and Staff Careers website. For more information visit Careers in the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
The University strongly recommends all faculty and staff are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
About the University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is Canada’s leading next-generation university – a living, growing and youthful institution that embraces change and opportunity with a can-do attitude. Located in the nation’s most enterprising city, the university is making tremendous progress on its Eyes High journey to be recognized as one of Canada’s top five research universities, grounded in innovative learning and teaching and fully integrated with the community it both serves and leads. The University of Calgary inspires and supports discovery, creativity and innovation across all disciplines. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.
The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy in line with the foundational goals of Eyes High, 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 Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (equity@ucalgary.ca) and requests for accommodations can be sent to Human Resources (hrhire@ucalgary.ca).
We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, however preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.