Communications Specialist

Staff - Non Union

Job Category: M&P - AAPS Job Profile: AAPS Salaried - Information Services, Level A Job Title: Communications Specialist Department: Administration | School of Population and Public Health | Faculty of Medicine Compensation Range: $5,791.00 - $8,323.42 CAD Monthly

The Compensation Range is the span between the minimum and maximum base salary for a position. The midpoint of the range is approximately halfway between the minimum and the maximum and represents an employee that possesses full job knowledge, qualifications and experience for the position. In the normal course, employees will be hired, transferred or promoted between the minimum and midpoint of the salary range for a job.

Posting End Date: March 25, 2025

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

Job End Date: Apr 13, 2026

This position is for a 1-year term with possibility of extension.

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

Job Summary:
The Communications Specialist will manage the day-to-day communications for the School of Population and Public Health. Under the direction of the Director, Communications, the Communications Specialist will lead the development and execution of strategic communications initiatives, including identifying, creating and writing publications and stories that raise the profile and stature of the School of Population and Public Health, planning and editing relevant content for the website, and assisting the Director, Communications with communications-related special projects. They will also be responsible for managing the School's social media pages.

Organizational Status:

The Communications Specialist will be located at SPPH at UBC Point Grey Campus. This position is eligible for a hybrid work arrangement with three days in office work and two work from home days; however, this may be subject to change due to operational requirements.

The School of Population and Public Health (SPPH) is an innovative unit within the Faculty of Medicine that encompasses many of the health-related groupings at UBC that focus on population and public health and epidemiology. The School is structured around four divisions: Occupational and Environmental Health; Health Services and Policy; Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Public Health Practice; and Health in Populations. The resulting mix of professions and disciplines is seen as a means of connecting individuals and learners to galvanize the relationship between health research, public health and health services and to enhance learning.

The SPPH's academic program includes teaching in the undergraduate medical curriculum, courses for UBC undergraduate students, the Residency Program in Public Health and Preventive Medicine, and the following graduate programs: MHA, MHSc, MPH, MSc, MSc (OEH), Ph.D. The School also has several joint graduate programs with the Department of Statistics, School of Nursing, Faculty of Dentistry, MD/MHA Program and is in the process of developing a joint MD/MPH Program.

The SPPH is one of the most research-intensive units at UBC and is home to the Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Health, Centre for Applied Ethics, Centre for Health Services and Policy Research, Partnership for Work, Health and Safety, Human Early Learning Partnership, and the WHO Collaborative Centre in Global Health.

Work Performed:

The Communications Specialist will perform the following duties:

• Identifies and responds to emerging opportunities to profile the School, its research and its contributions to public health debates by writing stories for the School's website and other UBC publications, such as UBC Reports and UBC Medicine magazine, the Wall Papers, and TREK.

• Creates content for social media channels, including photography, illustrations, video clips, and blog posts, as aligned with wider communication initiatives and/or campaigns.

• Develops and manages effective working relationships with key communications personnel in other areas of the University, including the Faculty of Medicine Alumni Engagement, Media Relations, Communications, as well as UBC Media Relations.

• Manages the creation of an inclusive and engaged communications role in the School of Population and Public Health by developing relationships with faculty and staff that support the School’s strategic goals.

• Assists with communicating the School's strategic planning process, goals, and outputs to the School community in an effective and strategic manner.

• Plans, writes and edits relevant content and designs layouts for key communications tools and stakeholder-deliverable reports.

• Ensures appropriateness and consistency of key messages for targeted audiences and planning dissemination strategies to key audiences.

• Develops the bi-weekly internal newsletter, including researching, writing and editing content, controlling the editorial flow, production and publication, and acting as key liaison with content providers.

• Manages and creates content for School’s social media pages.

Consequence of Error/Judgement:
Errors made could influence the timely completion of work and compromise the reputation of the School.

Supervision Received:
The Communications Specialist receives direction from the Director, Communications.

Supervision Given:
May supervise student workers.

Minimum Qualifications:
Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Minimum four years of related experience, or the equivalent combination of education and experience.

- Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own
- Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Preferred Qualifications:

• University degree in Communications, Public Relations, Marketing or Journalism preferred.

• Experience in strategic communications writing and presenting, preferably in translating research to a public audience.

• Skill and experience in journalistic business writing.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills are required.

• Excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to deal with a diversity of people in a calm, courteous, and effective manner.

• Ability to develop and maintain cooperative and productive working relationships.

• Excellent organizational skills, including the ability to prioritize and work effectively under pressure to meet deadlines.

• Ability to work effectively with minimal supervision.