Job Abstract

The Communications Officer will serve as a strategic communications partner to the Department of Neurosurgery, working closely with the department chair and other leadership team members to develop and produce content promoting their research, education, and clinical programs and services to internal and external audiences. Reporting to both the Senior Director of Finance & Administration for the Department of Neurosurgery and the Senior Director of Yale School of Medicine (YSM) Executive and Internal Communications, this individual will play an integral role in increasing the visibility of Yale’s nationally ranked and top-rated neurosurgery programs and in informing and inspiring faculty, staff, trainees, and students. More specifically, the role will lead the creation, implementation, and execution of a dynamic communications strategy for the Department of Neurosurgery, developing, writing, and managing the distribution of a variety of communications for both external and internal audiences, including the Neurosurgery website, digital and social media platforms, intranet pages, department emails and newsletters, and other materials. On an ongoing basis, the role will also measure and evaluate the strategic impact of all communication efforts and adjust/fine-tune planning as needed. Additionally, the Communications Officer will play an active role in YSM’s community of communicators, contributing to ongoing discussions, sharing ideas and best practices, and assisting in community-wide planning, process improvement, and asset management. Significant demonstrated ability with, or very strong interest in science and medicine content. Knowledge in developing, disseminating, and maintaining web content, and in gathering and extracting from analytics to inform content decisions. 1. Manages relationships with external media sources. Pursues media coverage creatively and aggressively. Responds to inquiries from national and international news media, student media, the University community and the general public. 2. Enhances the overall quality of media relations for key stakeholders by preparing them for media interviews. Manages relationships with key campus stakeholders with a high degree of professionalism, judgment and understanding of stakeholder goals. 3. Creates compelling story ideas and narratives; produces content for both external and internal channels; writes copy and social media posts and manages content. 4. Plans social media strategies for key University communications and programs. Monitors University social media assets for negative comments or misinformation. 5. Supports short- and long-term communication planning with insights into audiences, channels and culture; coordinates with other communications professionals to achieve institutional goals; leads the communications process within developed standards and protocols. 6. Supports effective response strategies, often in crisis situations requiring 24/7 attention and intense media/public scrutiny, and articulates the University’s position via personal interviews or written responses. 7. Produces multimedia content and manages the work of graphic and web designers, student interns, printers, video producers and photographers. 8. Manages communication plans for all stakeholders by understanding the significance of campus initiatives and/or academic work; creates compelling stories and messages to translate the significance through language that is clear and accessible for public awareness. 9. Develops and maintains regular contact with media representatives in multiple disciplines. 10. Maintains the Yale brand and graphic identity standards; supports and maintains standard operating procedures; contributes to digital asset management. 11. May perform other duties as assigned. Bachelor’s degree in English, Journalism, Communications or related field and five years of experience in public relations, journalism, television, corporate communications or agency work or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Demonstrated experience in developing communications for a range of media and working with creative professionals in design, photography or video.