Senior Communications Specialist

Grade 104

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Standard Work Schedule:
• Building:
• Salary Range: $100,000 - $110,000

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.
Position Summary

The Senior Communication Specialist will lead and support communications activities for the Division of Ethics within the Department of Medical Humanities and Ethics. This individual will promote Division faculty research, events, and education programs. In addition to intramural Division activities, this role will serve as the lead for communications for the national Center for ELSI Resources and Analysis (CERA), which is co-run with Stanford University. The Senior Communications Specialist will play a vital role in amplifying the missions of the Division of Ethics and CERA by working with faculty, researchers, staff, and external communication teams to showcase research, disseminate resources, and promote events.

This individual should be a proactive and strategic communications professional with excellent project management, writing, and editing skills, as well as experience leveraging data and insights to advance program goals and objectives. Through this role, there is an opportunity to build an innovative communications portfolio that exhibits mastery in written, visual, and video-based media across multiple platforms and audiences. The individual in this role will report directly to the Program Director of the Division of Ethics.

Responsibilities
Writing/Editing/Content Development/Email Marketing:

• Write, edit, proofread, and produce internal and public-facing materials, including newsletters, website content, social media posts, print materials, and brochures.
• Draft and edit stories for the website, newsletter, and other channels.
• Manage content development, distribution, and subscriber lists for the Division and CERA newsletters.
• Design event/program communications (flyers, announcements) and coordinate the distribution to internal and external audiences with program staff.
• Partner with faculty, staff, and communication teams to create, review, publish, and cross-promote stories and events.
• Ensure consistent branding across all promotional materials and communications.

Social Media/Web

• Maintain Division of Ethics and CERA social media accounts (Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky, LinkedIn) and identify new platforms as appropriate.
• Oversee and encourage engagement on CERA's discussion forum platform (Circle).
• Create and execute social media campaigns to increase engagement and visibility.
• Develop and maintain digital content for the Division of Ethics and CERA website and related sites.
• Track and analyze web and social media analytics; recommend and implement strategies to strengthen audience reach and engagement.

Miscellaneous

• Maintain and update the Institute mailing lists.
• Assist with general program administration as it relates to communications, online and print publications, and events.
• Assist with event logistics, including working with program staff on registration, video editing, and post-event communications.
• Perform other related duties and responsibilities as assigned/requested.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required in communications, marketing, journalism, or other related fields, and three years of related work experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in a higher education academic setting.
• Previous experience working in science communications
• Familiarity with bioethics/ethics, medical humanities, social sciences, public health, and genetics/genomics a plus.
• Master's degree required in communications, marketing, journalism, or other related fields, with at least three years of related work experience
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a small team.
• Highly detail-oriented, proactive, and able to thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment with minimal supervision.
• Exceptional organizational, analytical, interpersonal, and project management skills.
• Excellent written and oral communication abilities.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, Mailchimp (or similar platforms), event management software, website content management systems, and major social media platforms.
• Experience producing newsletters, social media campaigns, reports, memos, and other communication materials.
• Experience in monitoring and analyzing web and social media metrics.

Other Requirements
Application Materials:

• Cover letter
• Resumé
• Name and contact information for three References
• Portfolio of designs and websites managed and/or developed
• Short writing sample (1-2 pages)

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.