Senior Communications Specialist, Internal Communications - Marketing & Public Affairs - F/T Days - University of California, Irvine

UCI Health is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine, and the only academic health system based in Orange County. UCI Health is comprised of its main campus, UCI Medical Center, a 459-bed, acute care hospital in in Orange, Calif., four hospitals and affiliated physicians of the UCI Health Community Network in Orange and Los Angeles counties and ambulatory care centers across the region. Listed among America’s Best Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report for 23 consecutive years, UCI Medical Center provides tertiary and quaternary care and is home to Orange County’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, gold level 1 geriatric emergency department and regional burn center. UCI Health serves a region of nearly 4 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County.

To learn more about UCI Health, visit www.ucihealth.org.

Position Summary:

The incumbent will be part of a strategic communications team that manages and advances institutional/internal, public/external and media relations functions for an academic health system. Team develops and manages initiatives in support of the university's mission and works across the organization, including with colleagues in academic, research, advancement/development operating units to advance those goals.

Responsibilities include providing internal and institutional communications management and support for UCI Health and the UCI Health Community Network, providing information for the healthcare co-workers, physicians and other key audiences, developing and executing internal messaging to support assigned areas. Experience managing multiple messaging initiatives designed to support multidisciplinary teams, outreach projects, and planning & executing strategic communications initiatives.

Total Compensation

We offer a wealth of benefits to make working at UCI even more rewarding. These benefits may include medical insurance, sick and vacation time, retirement savings plans, and access to a number of discounts and perks. Please utilize the links listed here to learn more about our compensation practices and benefits.

Required Qualifications:

• Strong organizational skills and self motivation and initiative to accept responsibility, work independently, prioritize workload effectively, meet deadlines and manage multiple tasks simultaneously while following through individual tasks to completion

• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships across the Health System

• Ability to maintain a work pace appropriate to the workload

• Must demonstrate customer service skills appropriate to the job

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English

• Exceptional writing and editing skills (ideally for newspaper) with demonstrated success writing clear, engaging, accurate and well-structured news stories/releases for a general audience

• Success proactively identifying a steady flow of newsworthy stories and placing in the press; success building the necessary relationships with experts to keep at the forefront of assigned area; steady success placing experts and pitching stories in the media

• Familiarity or proficiency with social media tools, including Facebook, Twitter and You Tube

• Bachelor’s Degree in Public Relations, English, Journalism or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience

• Demonstrates excellent organizational abilities, mature interpersonal relationships, as well as strong oral and written communication skills

• Proficient in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

• Minimum 5 years experience in journalism or corporate/non-profit communications

• Must possess the skill, knowledge and ability essential to the successful performance of assigned duties

• Flexibility to adapt to changing priorities

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge of photography and video production
• Familiarity or proficiency with publishing and web production software
• Experience in Academic Health setting
• Working knowledge of Hospital Incident Command System / Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Centers for Domestic Preparedness Healthcare Leadership Certification
• Knowledge of HIPAA regulations as they pertain to patient information, marketing and development. Ability to deal with confidential and sensitive information with discretion & good judgment
• Knowledge of University and medical center organizations, policies, procedures and forms

Conditions of Employment:

The University of California, Irvine (UCI) seeks to provide a safe and healthy environment for the entire UCI community. As part of this commitment, all applicants who accept an offer of employment must comply with the following conditions of employment:

• Background Check and Live Scan
• Legal Right to Work in the United States
• Vaccination Policies
• Smoking and Tobacco Policy
• Drug Free Environment

The following additional conditions may apply, some of which are dependent upon business unit or job specific requirements.

• California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act
• E-Verify
• Pre-Placement Health Evaluation

Details of each policy may be reviewed by visiting the following page: https://hr.uci.edu/new-hire/conditions-of-employment.php

Closing Statement:

The University of California, Irvine is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC nondiscrimination policy. 

We are committed to attracting and retaining a diverse workforce along with honoring unique experiences, perspectives, and identities. Together, our community strives to create and maintain working and learning environments that are inclusive, equitable, and welcoming. 

UCI provides reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities upon request. For more information, please contact UCI's Employee Experience Center (EEC) at eec@uci.edu or at (949) 824-0500, Monday - Friday from 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.