Communications Manager

Overview

General Description

The City University of New York (CUNY) is seeking a Communications Manager for the Office of Research (OR).

CUNY's Office of Research supports the research, scholarly, and creative pursuits of the CUNY community. The three divisions of OR (Research Development and Programs, Research Administration and Compliance, and Innovation and Entrepreneurship) provide assurance to funding agencies and to the public that University research is conducted in accordance with the highest ethical standards. Investing in the research development of members of the CUNY community, from students to senior faculty, the OR focuses on collaborative and transdisciplinary research innovations, fosters entrepreneurship, and ensures compliance with local, state, and federal regulations and ethical standards regarding the responsible conduct of research and sponsored program administration.

Reporting to the Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, the Communications Manager serves as a strategic partner for messaging the importance of CUNY discovery and its transformative impact on our society. The Communications Manager will engage key stakeholders within the university leadership, across CUNY’s campuses and schools, and throughout the public at large with tactics that build broader awareness of, new collaborations with, and greater capacity for the CUNY research enterprise. The Communications Manager will cooperate with the AVCR’s team and the three divisions of CUNY OR to enhance the value and outcomes of priorities across these functional units. This role will play a crucial part in building the visibility and interconnectivity of CUNY research as the university system returns to full on-campus operations in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other Duties

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
 

• Managing the OR web domain that serves as a hub for vital content about CUNY research integrity and compliance as well as opportunities and outcomes, both for the University research community and the public. This includes design, hands-on development, content generation, updates, and editing.
   
• Crafting targeted narratives that inspire key stakeholders regarding the research discoveries of CUNY faculty and students, both within and beyond the University researching community.
  
   
• Authoring, editing, and coordinating distribution of OR reports and guidance memos for external and internal stakeholders including the press, policymakers, government officials, campus administrators, compliance officials, and researchers.
   
• Supporting the Research Development and Programs group in crafting and widely disseminating calls for trainings and funding opportunities; supporting the Research Integrity and Compliance group in clarifying and sharing the most up-to-date policies and procedures across the University; supporting the Innovation & Entrepreneurship group in honing and promoting content that celebrates CUNY inventors and commercialization successes.
   
• Conceiving and implementing a social media strategy for CUNY OR with university-wide reach and sustained public impact, to progressively build follower counts and engagement metrics.
• Discovering content, delivering a compelling voice, and managing publication workflow to completion for the OR newsletter (22,000 subscribers) and other OR publicity assets (e.g. EurekAlert! press releases).
   
• Building sustained and collaborative relationships with fellow communications officers across the university system to advance the priorities of CUNY OR and the broader research enterprise.

Qualifications

Technical Skills:

• Adept with WordPress and/or equivalent web design and development tools
   
• Skilled with Content Management Systems for social media and other high-growth media platforms
   
• Fluent with Adobe Creative Suite (particularly InDesign) and other industry standard visual applications
   
• Experienced with standard Microsoft and Google suite applications

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and at least five years related experience required
   
• Master’s degree in a communication or applied media field preferred
   
• Proven capability to create and edit content using standard journalism/editorial practices and manage social media strategies on contemporary platforms
   
• Experience as a creative graphic artist capable of conceptualizing and designing in a variety of media on demand
   
• Superlative oral and written communication skills with strong attention to detail
   
• Knowledge of and experience with science communications strategies to connect with audiences of varying demographics, backgrounds, and education levels
   
• Ability to collaborate with and influence the many different higher education management constituencies, including academic, editorial, and technical staff
   
• Ability to work productively, both independently and on teams, in a collaborative office environment