Digital Content Specialist

Department: MED-Office of Communications
Salary/Grade: EXS/7

Job Summary:

The Office of Communications tells the story of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Northwestern Medicine and its multiple departments, institutes and centers to the world through the creation, implementation, and assessment of effective integrated marketing communications.

The Digital Content Specialist is an effective science communicator who develops a wide range of digital marketing content to enhance reputation, generate awareness and drive engagement with marketing and communications efforts. Reporting to the Director of Content Development, this role will focus on the creation and sharing of editorial and marketing content across all of Feinberg's digital channels, with an emphasis on digital media.

Written content will cover a diverse set of formats and applications - from long-form interviews and articles with faculty that explore high-impact scientific research, to promotional social media posts that generate interest among prospective faculty, students and staff recruiting. The role also provides support for the creation of other marketing materials, including digital signage, photography, newsletters, and brochures.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Create original digital content (articles, audio, video, images) to support Feinberg's reputation marketing across all publications and channels: seek story ideas, conduct interviews and write original feature and news stories for electronic communications media channels;
• Connect with medical school and clinical leadership, faculty and staff to identify potential storylines, events, news, and papers, and manage editorial calendar, tracking stories in progress.
• Arrange photos, audio, and video for stories as necessary.
• Produce and lay out stories in CMS.
• Collaborate with Office of Global Marketing and Communications and other University and clinical partners to cross-promote stories
• Serve as a project manager for written, editorial, and multimedia marketing projects, including admissions newsletters, recruitment brochures, and digital signage. May coordinate work of photographers, designers and others involved in marketing projects.
• Write, edit and proofread copy for magazines, newsletters, print materials, websites, podcasts, social media, and all marketing communications materials; input and format email newsletters using content marketing tools.
• Researches distribution and marketing best practices for higher education recruiting and scientific research promotion, and makes recommendations to optimize impact of marketing strategies over time.

This content is leveraged broadly by development teams, admissions teams, clinical affiliate marketing teams, web and social media teams.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in the journalism, marketing, humanities, or a related field.; OR appropriate combination of education and experience.
• Excellent skills in writing and editing; experience working across digital channels to support an integrated and adaptive strategy.
• Expertise in content management systems and/or social media platforms; deep understand of user behavior, storytelling opportunities unique to each platform, and strategies for driving engagement.
• Knowledge of layouts, graphic fundamentals, web, video standards and photography.

Minimum Competencies:

• Excellent writing and editing skills.
• Demonstrated ability to research and write about technical matters for a general population.
• Demonstrated advanced communication and presentation skills.
• Must have organizational skills and the demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and projects simultaneously.
• Must be self-directed and able to work in a team-based environment with minimal supervision.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Advanced degree in an appropriate field.

Preferred Competencies:

• Knowledge of higher education, medical science and/or healthcare preferred.
• Experience with multimedia storytelling (videography, digital video production and social media publishing platforms) preferred.

Posted by: Nicole Mladic, Executive Director of Communications