Strategic Communications Specialist

Department
 

Crown Network For College Success

About the Department
 

The Network for College Success (NCS), housed at the UChicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, ensures college readiness and success for all students by translating research into practice and supporting leaders to organize their schools for improvement. NCS provides professional learning and support to school and district leaders, helping them focus on what matters most for high school students. NCS supports adults within and across schools to build their capacity to lead change, improve instruction, and support student transitions in and out of high school. NCS envisions high schools that continuously cultivate collaboration, powerful learning, and a culture of high achievement to ensure postsecondary success for all students.

Job Summary
 

The Strategic Communications Specialist will build out NCS’s brand identity and brand awareness at the University of Chicago, in the city, and throughout the nation. With an intentional focus on racial equity, NCS is committed to spreading impact and innovation to a greater number of schools and districts in order to significantly improve student outcomes. This work will require the Specialist to develop and implement a comprehensive NCS Communications Strategy that will broaden the organization’s reach. The position will also develop a process for codifying and disseminating promising practices and tools to better serve schools and educators as part of a Gates Foundation grant. The Specialist will coordinate and prepare staff to give presentations to interested stakeholders (funders, educators, policymakers, etc.). The Specialist will facilitate a collaborative process with staff and stakeholders, eliciting diverse perspectives and equitable participation, when designing projects and implementing plans. The Strategic Communications Specialist will report to the NCS Director of Development.

Responsibilities

• Build out NCS brand identity and awareness as a quality professional development provider and equity leader with a comprehensive Communications Strategy.

• Develop, implement, and monitor NCS Communications Strategy with specific goals, tactics, and measurable results.

• Ensure consistency of NCS’s message and images across all communications platforms, in accordance with UChicago identity guidelines.

• Design effective and appealing marketing materials and professional development tools and resources.

• Build a high-quality interactive online presence using various platforms that enables policymakers, funders, and other stakeholders to easily access NCS knowledge and work.

• Manage relationships with external partners regarding communications, including website development, graphic design, and photo/video.

• Create and disseminate engaging, targeted content for schools and districts.

• Develop systems for gathering insights, data, and stories from NCS staff and school partners.

• Develop relevant and timely pitches to media outlets based on NCS’s strategic priorities while making connections to the broader education landscape.

• Promote key themes and conversations in the education field related to NCS’s work.

• Develop promotional materials as needed for contract/fee-for-service programming locally, regionally, and nationally.

• Develop a process to codify promising practices for schools and districts in collaboration with program staff. Codifications may include: case studies, toolkits, blogs, etc.

• Identify and support NCS staff to present at conferences.

• Build capacity of other staff members to present research and effective practice.

• Create all preparatory materials when presenting at conferences, speaking to interested stakeholders, including the press.

• Coordinate and communicate with University of Chicago staff and represent NCS to stakeholders as needed.

• Develops, plans, and disseminates information designed to keep the public informed of the organization's programs, accomplishments, or point of view.

• Makes contributions to the media interface, including writing press releases, planning and organizing media coverage for major events, and crafting responses to sensitive or controversial issues.

• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications
 

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

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Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

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Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

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