DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS PLANNING - University of Washington

Req #: 239587 Department: SCHOOL OF MEDICINE Job Location Detail: Hybrid Eligible (typically one day per month in office) Posting Date: 10/21/2024 Closing Info: Open Until Filled Salary: $11,500 - $12,875 per month Shift: First Shift Notes: As a UW employee, you will enjoy generous benefits and work/life programs. For a complete description of our benefits for this position, please visit our website, click here. (https://hr.uw.edu/benefits/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2018/02/benefits-professional-staff-librarians-academic-staff-20230701\_a11y.pdf) As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills, and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world. UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits, and natural beauty. **UW Medicine Strategic Marketing and Communications has an outstanding opportunity for a Director of Communications Planning to join their team.** At UW Medicine, we work to improve health for all people through excellence in clinical, research, and education and training programs. As the only comprehensive clinical, research and learning health system in the five-state WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) region, UW Medicine provides the most up-to-date care for each individual patient, leads one of the world's largest and most comprehensive medical research programs, and provides innovative learning programs for students, trainees, and practitioners in the health professions. UW Medicine's Strategic Marketing and Communications (SMC) team plays a unique and vital role in advancing UW Medicine's mission to improve the health of all people. We advance UW Medicine's mission by creating connections to the discoveries, knowledge, and care that improve people's lives. Our team is comprised of 50+ dedicated professionals who work across a variety of marketing and communications disciplines for both the health system and UW School of Medicine (SoM), including brand and marketing strategy, news and media relations, internal and crisis communications, web development, UX/DX strategies, social media, writing, and graphic design. Our success lies in our core values: respect, teamwork, creativity, continuous improvement, and focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, that are reflected in all that we do. **POSITION PURPOSE** The Director of Communications Planning (Director) holds a critical and supervisory role within the Strategic Communications team and is responsible for managing highly visible, large-scale communications and communications projects and initiatives for UW Medicine. This position supervises the communications planning and project management team - currently made up of the Senior Communications Project Manager and the Communications Specialist. The Director is also responsible for overseeing the planning and project management of some of the organization's most critical communications initiatives, projects, and needs. This position requires critical thinking, sound judgement and the ability to build and maintain collaborative relationships across the UW Medicine system. This person will be a go-to and trusted resource in advising leaders across the organization regarding their large-scale communications needs. The successful candidate will possess strong, hands-on organizational and project management skills and be simultaneously able to generate big picture vision as well as provide the sharp attention to detail needed to manage critical communications. The candidate should be able to successfully manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet sometimes-tight deadlines while aligning communications and plans with the UW Medicine culture, business objectives, brand, vision and values. Strong presentation, writing and editing skills are needed as is a solid understanding of best practices around change management and communications audiences, deliverables and channels including intranets. A successful candidate will possess strong listening skills and a fluent understanding of experience in and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion considerations. The position interfaces with leadership, faculty, researchers and staff from each of the UW Medicine entities: Harborview Medical Center, UW Medical Center, Valley Medical Center, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, UW Neighborhood Clinics, UW Physicians, Airlift Northwest, and the University of Washington SoM. The position collaborates closely with other teams within the strategic communications umbrella - internal communications, media relations, social media, and hospital communications - as well as digital and marketing teams. A commitment to integrity, kindness, the ability to have fun, and the ability to build strong relationships and partnerships across the health system will be highly valued. **DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES** Communications Planning, Advising, Management, Execution and Evaluation - 70%: + Design system-wide and entity-specific communications strategies for some of the organization's most critical projects, incidents, initiatives and more. + Advise leaders and colleagues on effective communications planning. + Develop communications plans and oversee deliverables, timing and coordination of those plans. + Reliably ensure the accurate and on-time execution of large-scale communications projects and plans. + Continuously manage and improve upon the communications planning template used by the strategic communications team. + Utilize effective project management, data collection and reporting tools and practices for coordination of communications and plans. + Provide crisis communications planning support for the senior executive director of strategic communications. + Work effectively with senior leaders and other employees across the UW Medicine system to build relationships, earn trust, facilitate cross-functional communication and move projects to completion in a collaborative way. + Anticipate communications needs and proactively work to avoid obstacles and facilitate the implementation of solutions. + Ensure alignment with overall communications strategy, organizational mission and organizational values. + Understand and work to incorporate principles of diversity, equity and inclusion in all projects, products and interactions. + Accurately convey objectives, insights, key messaging, timing, formats and needed deliverables to team members and develop content as needed. + Maintain a communications planning calendar. + Analyze data, provide recommendations and manage implementation of data-driven decisions to ensure continuous improvement and the ability to demonstrate value. + Ultimately support and advance the mission of UW Medicine + Related duties as assignedTeam Management - 30%: + Manage, support and mentor team members with strong and collaborative management skills. + Review, edit and provide oversight of team members' work, helping ensure the successful completion of projects. + Provide performance coaching and evaluation of team members. + Help onboard new team members as needed. + Identify areas where improvements are needed to improve team collaboration and deliverables. **MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS** + Bachelor's degree in communications or related field + Five or more years of progressively responsible communications experience _Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration._ **ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS** + Strong leadership acumen with proven experience and effectiveness managing people + Experience designing, implementing and leading successful communications programs + An authentically and consistently good listener + Exceptional writer and oral communicator, able to quickly and accurately write and edit compelling content + The ability to manage complex work while keeping concepts as simple and streamlined as possible + Exceptional organizational skills + A fluent understanding of, experience in, and commitment to, inclusive language, accessibility, and diversity, equity, and inclusion considerations + Proven ability to work in a fast-paced, high-change environment with demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously + Demonstrated ability and willingness to create strong results with sometimes-limited resources + Exceptional skills in relationship building and collaboration + High level of computer literacy skills including experience with MS Office Suite + Ability to occasionally work outside of typical business hours as needed to address urgent situations + Demonstrated commitment to integrity + Expertise and experience in crisis communications planning. **DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS** + Ten or more years of progressively responsible communications experience + Five or more years of experience supporting executive communications + Advanced degree in communications or related field + Prior experience working in a large, complex organization + Prior work in an academic or health system setting + Familiarity with the AP style **Application Process:** The application process may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process. These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select "Apply to this position". Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment, you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your "My Jobs" page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are access ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed. 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.