Jobs UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BOULDER

The Crown Institute’s research focuses on practices, programs, and policies that foster wellness among children and youth, families and caregivers, educators, and mental health and health providers. Scholars in multiple fields work together and in partnership with families, teachers, young people, and community members.

This position will focus on ways to make our communications and branding decision-making faster and more strategic, guide our team’s time to the highest-impact opportunities, and more seamlessly work with external communication contributors. This position will play a foundational role in building the bridge from our current communications structure to this more advanced function, in collaboration with the Institute’s Director and Deputy Director.

This position also will develop initiatives to forge interdisciplinary collaborations with the breadth of scholars, researchers and students at the University. This position will develop partnerships with the Crown Institute and the University community to illuminate research insights about effective and pro-social communications and identify areas of promising shared scholarly and creative work, education, and outreach.

To accomplish these outcomes, your responsibilities include:

Create strategic and planning tools

• Develop the foundational tools that an advanced communications team requires to both inspire creativity and make fast, strategic decisions about communications opportunities
• These tools likely include: a foundational brand strategy that establishes the Institute’s audiences, positioning and brand hierarchies; core messaging; and a 2-year communication strategy that defines goals, tactics and expected results

Real-time integration of emerging strategy

• Craft the above tools alongside the strategic planning underway for the Institute’s website and social media strategies, in collaboration with the Institute’s external digital and social media strategists
• Support our website re-design with strategic curation of content and assets, and limited copywriting where needed

Establish internal practices around tools

• Design standard practices that ensure these tools are used and iterated upon as needed. The practices likely include editorial planning, production schedules, and reports on results, and will need to integrate with the Institute’s internal culture and existing processes where possible

Build institutional understanding about strategic communications

• Work with Crown’s leadership, staff, faculty and University partners to clarify the possibilities and limitations of strategic communications in the context of Crown’s work

Link our current structure to this more evolved communications function

• Ensure that these tools, practices and institutional understanding are reflective of and build upon the day-to-day operations of the current communications team, as they continue with the current start-up communications work as described above
• Guide the Crown Institute leadership examine and plan for resource demands of an advanced communications function, and create a road map for implementation

Accelerate our interdisciplinary collaboration with communications, information, and media faculty on shared scholarly and creative work, education, and outreach.

• Identify relevant areas of scholarship at the University, in partnership with faculty at the College of Media, Communication and Information as well as other University entities (e.g., movement communications and social change; communications, social identity, wellbeing and belonging; the future of social media and the wellbeing of young people).
• Co-design (with Institute leadership, University faculty and students) methods of collaboration to distill relevant insights in these areas and apply them to Crown’s communication strategies and promising education and outreach activities.

• This position will support a hybrid work modality including both remote and on- campus work hours.

The salary for this position is $115,000 for a 9-month appointment.

Terminal degree in relevant discipline and at least 20 years of professional experience in communications, brand marketing and cross-sector social change, including:

• Executive leadership and board engagement
• Strategic planning at the enterprise and functional level
• Brand management across multiple contexts (organizations, initiatives, collaborations, issue advocacy), from strategy to planning to implementation
• Cross-sector partnerships and collaboration around strategic communication initiatives
• Thought leadership in leveraging communications for social impact and positive change

Alignment with Crown’s vision and mission:

• Broad understanding of the importance of mental health, education, community engagement, and academic research environments.
• Evidence of commitment to the Crown Institute core values.

Organizational skills:

Excellent organizational and planning skills.

• Proactive planning with the ability to anticipate needs and see potential problems before they arise.
• High attention to detail, including the ability to communicate implications of discrete tasks to larger strategic issues and concerns.

Time management skills:

• Capacity to prioritize tasks and set timelines and be responsive and flexible to emerging needs and priorities.
• Ability to thrive in a lively work environment that requires coordination of multiple activities and the judgment and flexibility to reprioritize to accommodate urgent needs.
• Flexibility and the willingness to work with communications team members, Institute leadership, study teams, students and University faculty to evolve and advance tools and practices that are reflective of team culture and organizational dynamics.

Leadership, interpersonal, and communication skills:

• Strong leadership skills with the ability to thrive autonomously, seek support and direction, and work collaboratively as part of a team.
• Ability to embody and model a high degree of professionalism and integrity in relationships and to handle critical and confidential issues.
• Excellent communication skills and capacity to connect with poise.
• Ability to encourage and support the expression of diverse viewpoints. Ability to engage in candid and constructive dialogue on difficult topics.

Commitment to innovation:

• Excellent judgment and analytical skills to identify problems and develop solutions effectively and proactively.
• Skilled at identifying areas within the organization where efficiency and effectiveness can be improved as they relate to the intersection of the Institute’s strategic objectives and communications.
• Ability to display initiative and introduce innovations to accelerate progress toward strategic vision and mission.

Commitment to Inclusive Excellence:

• A dedication to creating and supporting campus environments where everyone matters and all can thrive.
• Skilled at actively welcoming and encouraging participation of all members of
• Institute teams and communities.
• Understand and value the importance of honoring and integrating multiple perspectives.