Associate Director, Communication & Media Relation

Staff - Non Union

Job Category

M&P - AAPS

Job Profile

AAPS Salaried - Information Services, Level C

Job Title

Associate Director, Communication & Media Relation

Department

Senior Leadership | Marketing and Communications | UBC Sauder School of Business

Compensation Range

$6,677.33 - $10,433.50 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

July 17, 2023

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

Job End Date

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

UBC Sauder School of Business is one of the world’s leading business faculties. The school consistently ranks among the top 100 in the world and is recognized internationally for excellence in research and learning, an outstanding faculty and unmatched global partnerships. A collaborative and respectful culture within which all members of our community can thrive is a key principle in our strategic plan, and one that underpins our educational mission.

We acknowledge that UBC Sauder at the Vancouver Campus is situated within the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Musqueam. We acknowledge that UBC Sauder at the UBC Robson Square is situated on the traditional territory of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh.

When you join UBC Sauder School of Business you become part of a team of academics and professionals committed to making a positive impact through business education.

The Associate Director, Communications and Media Relations at UBC Sauder oversees and leads the school’s proactive and reactive media relations initiatives. In this capacity, the Associate Director establishes strategies for the promotion of institutional achievements, research and milestones to promote the reputation of the school domestically and in international markets. The incumbent also provides strategic council and guidance to the UBC Sauder Dean, faculty and employees when engaging with journalists. As the school's lead advisor on issues management, the Associate Director works closely with UBC Public Affairs on crisis communications, providing issues analysis and briefs, key messaging, Q&As and media training.

The Associate Director leads the development and execution of content marketing strategies across a broad range of marketing and communication channels. The incumbent works closely with their marketing counterparts to develop integrated initiatives that drive business growth and promote the strengths and values of the school locally, nationally and internationally.

Working side by side with marketing colleagues and reporting to the Assistant Dean, Marketing & Communications, the Associate Director contributes to the development of the integrated marketing plans with an emphasis on content marketing, media and public relations. Acting as a brand champion, the incumbent identifies and establishes content strategies to promote the goals and priorities of the school and their effective and consistent delivery across all channels.

The Associate Director leads communications initiatives that provide solutions for a complex range of business units with diverse goals, including domestic and international recruitment, fundraising, alumni and business community outreach and career services.

Organizational Status

• Is the school’s key point of contact with UBC Public Affairs and works closely with the central unit on media relations initiatives, crisis communication and issues management.
• Manages public relations agency relationships, freelance writers, photographers, videographers and other contractors as needed.
• Reports to the Assistant Dean, Marketing and Communications.
• Represents the school in the larger UBC community playing a role on university-wide committees and task forces.
• Manages a team of professional and student employees and provides strategic council to other members of the Marcom team and communications professionals across the organization.
• Regularly liaises with department heads and employees from other units and centres within the school.

Work Performed

Strategy and Planning

• Responsible for setting and leading the school’s communications strategies that support the UBC Sauder strategic plan and growth in the departments KPIs and OKRs, in collaboration with the Director, Digital Marketing and UX.
• Ensures that internal communications strategies are in line with institutional priorities and core values, with the goal of creating greater internal affinity with the brand.
• Collaborates with the recruitment and acquisition teams in the development of integrated marketing plans through content creation that supports and compliments the schools paid and organic communications throughout the year. This includes specific stories, along with all social media support.
• Initiates direction for communications (stories, social media posts) to support marketing strategies across UBC Sauder.
• Leads the development of integrated content plans that harness the full range of external and internal communications channels and support the advertising and promotional activities at the school, including web, social platforms, e-newsletters, and traditional vehicles and publications.

Content Leadership

• Identifies, recommends and implements new approaches for storytelling and content delivery and directs communications/social media managers in the execution of strategies.
• Provides direction for content, identifying high-performance content that generates increased user engagement and action. Promotes best uses of web, video and social media to engage stakeholder audiences.
• Works closely with and advises marketing team on the integration of content driven strategies, to support marketing campaigns.
• Supervises Social Media team, including ongoing management and development of the school’s social media channels ensuring that strategies are aligned with UBC Sauder’s online goals. Oversees tone/quality of SM communications, planning and audits, and performance measurement.
• Provides strategic guidance and direction to the larger content community distributed across the faculty to ensure the effective articulation of key messages and identifies opportunities for synergy and collaboration in support of Marcom strategic priorities.
• Leads an integrated approach to content production, working with faculty, researchers, senior staff, students and alumni to identify inspiring stories for publication in digital and traditional channels faculty wide.
• Creates and directs the production of a full range of communications content.
• Develops and leads strategies to fully integrate content across digital and social channels to ensure maximum reach and consumer engagement in support of Marcom strategic priorities.
• Directs the development and sustainment of a cross functional content calendar and assigns work to communications team.

Media Relations

• Provides ongoing reporting to the dean and senior leadership on issues affecting the school’s reputation and media activities and proposes strategies for management.
• Develops and directs the execution of proactive media relations campaigns that ensure steady positive coverage in major local, national and international media outlets and reinforce institutional priorities and reputational strengths.
• Manages the creation and distribution of news releases and other press materials to ensure timely and appropriate exposure of school activities, events and research.
• Acts as lead point person for managing public relations issues and crises, providing strategic council to the Dean and senior leadership and liaising with UBC Public Affairs where necessary.
• Maintains close contact with faculty members and researchers to ensure continuous coverage of school thought leadership and strengthen the school’s reputation as a global leader for business research.
• Manages reactive media relations requests and ensures prompt and thorough follow-through by Communications Specialists.
• Works closely with the Dean’s office, program offices, business units, and alumni and donor relations to identify milestones and newsworthy initiatives and attain media coverage for strategic priorities.
• Builds and maintains relationships with leading international and national media outlets and business journalists.
• Identifies opportunities for the strategic use of public relations agencies to enhance media relations activities around key initiatives and in global markets.

Administration

• Establishes and manages annual communication/social media budget for the marketing and communications department.
• Negotiates, reviews and approves vendor estimates, and monitors project budgets.
• Performs other duties as required.

Consequence of Error/Judgement

The Associate Director, Communications and Media Relations must exhibit sound judgement and be able to work independently. Consequences of errors could be detrimental to the public image of the UBC Sauder School of Business and could impact both rankings, qualified applications to the programs, and school funding. Errors in judgement could have long-term financial and non-financial consequences. Information provided by this position is used in making managerial and policy decisions at a strategic level. The role deals extensively with the Dean's office, faculty, senior managers, UBC's central public affairs group, as well as the media and business community. Lack of diplomacy, foresight or sound judgment could have a serious negative impact on the reputation of the school, its senior administrators, faculty and employees.

Supervision Received

Works with minimal supervision under directives from the Assistant Dean, Marketing & Communications.

Supervision Given

Manages a team of professional and student employees and supervises external contractors. Responsible for hiring, training, performance management and termination.

Provides strategic council to the UBC Sauder Dean and senior leadership.

Minimum Qualifications

Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Minimum six years of related experience, or communication services, 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

• Demonstrated ability to successfully represent a high-profile organization with media, including the management of issues and reputational advancement.
• Experience in the higher education sector is preferred, or experience with large public or non-profit organizations.
• Demonstrated ability to build reputational strength around institutional key messaging through communications and marketing strategies.
• Experience managing a team and providing ongoing supervision and performance evaluation.
• Experience developing communications and storytelling strategies harnessing digital and social media.
• Demonstrated ability in the collaboration and leadership of communication strategies in the support of marketing KPI’s and OKR’s.
• Demonstrated ability as an editor and directing a content ecosystem, including a diverse range of content creators and processes.
• Experience working in a large complex organization, working with multiple stakeholders and diverse business goals.