Part-Time Communications Coordinator

Department: Block Museum

Salary/Grade: NEX/15

Target hiring range for this position will be between $26.27-28.22per hour. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Job Summary:

The Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University is an engine that drives questioning, experimentation, and collaboration across fields of study, with visual arts at the center.

We do this by activating art's power as a form of insight, research, and knowledge creation that makes human experience visible and material.

Fueled by diverse perspectives and ways of knowing, we create shared encounters with art and with one another to deepen understandings of the world and our place within it.

The museum seeks a content-savvy Communication Coordinator to support the work of the Associate Director of Marketing, Communications, and Digital Strategy to amplify the museum's narratives and support the activation of The Block's unique identity.

Reporting to the Associate Director, the Block Communication Coordinator will have a crucial role in fueling, strengthening, and sharing The Block's particular model of a campus art museum.

Fuel: Drive attendance in person and online; Expand audiences, deepen engagement; Elevate resources which help us connect and communicate our work

Share: Build reputation locally and nationally; Drive awareness of our program and impact; Elevate out work, and that of our students, faculty and partners

Strengthen: Create and distribute platforms for our work; Expand capacity to reach audiences through documentation and dissemination; Align with Northwestern goals and messaging

The Communication Coordinator will partner in generating content, outreach, and resources that foreground the Block's interdisciplinary teaching, learning and research mission; engage multiple audiences including Northwestern students, staff, faculty; and advance the museum's role as catalyst for new ideas, and a convener across disciplines and communities. The incumbent will be a strong writer and digital native with an editorial eye, an extraordinary attention to detail, and an understanding of institutional storytelling across properties. The candidate has the ability to work with a variety of stakeholders to secure assets and generate rich content across channels and media

The Block Museum of Art prioritizes diversity, equity and inclusion in program, exhibitions, partnerships, and working practice, by centering the voices and experiences of those who have been historically excluded from or underrepresented in higher education and museum practice. These values are equally central to the museum's communication strategy. Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, access, and inclusion is required.

Please note: Able to occasionally shift hours to work one or two monthly evening or weekend engagement programs.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Administrative Support: Assists with communication department contract management, bill payment, and administrative needs. Provides tracking and workflow project management support for marketing campaigns. Maintains departmental digital files and retrieval. Participates in museum-wide meetings and trainings as assigned. Supports the museum's work in diversity, equity, access and inclusion (DEAI) and actively ensures that DEAI principles are upheld in all work with fellow staff and with visitors.

• Newsletter Outreach & Campaign Management: Support weekly electronic newsletters drafts for an outreach list of over 40,000 recipients. With AD of Communications and Office of the Director contribute to weekly messages and automated communications for different audience segments. Responsible for the upkeep, segmentation and organization of digital contact list. Generate ideas for list building, list sharing, and list integration across platforms. Protect brand voice and brand guidelines in content sharing (Experience with Mailchimp or other ESP, CRM preferred, Canva or simple graphic design needed)

• Museum Website and App: Serve as museum's main web point of contact. Maintain and update frequent content changes on the museum's Cascade website, Wordpress blog and Bloomberg digital platform including text, embed and graphics. Oversee content-based improvements in web function and usability, and work toward SEO improvements, for museum's digital ecosystem. (Cascade, Eventbrite, Plan-it-Purple, Google Analytics, Basic HTML, UX Planning)

• Social Media Management: Own the content workflows across Block Museum social channels. Measure and grow museum social engagement. Develop and plan organic social content appropriate to museum goals and institutional brand. Support AD with complimentary paid social strategy. Serve as first point of contact for response and audience conversation across social channels. (Sprinklr, Meta Business Suite, Canva)

• Documentation & Asset Management: Plan documentation with vendors or personally document and edit with museum equipment when needed. Organize, archive, and share all museum audio, video, PDF, and photo documentation on collective platforms for cross-departmental access (OneDrive, MDAM, Vimeo, Issuu)

• Blog & Content Production: Serve as the museum's in house journalist generating weekly blog posts that document the work of the museum or serve as primary source for dissemination of museum research. Story focus areas include: Educational Impact, Interdisciplinary Connections, New Art Histories; Museum Teaching & Learning, Student Experience, and Staff Expertise, among others. Create or secure needed interviews, video, image, audio, or interactive assets needed for storytelling (Wordpress)

• Other: Assist the Associate Director of Communications with other duties as assigned. Able to occasionally shift hours to work one or two monthly evening or weekend engagement programs.

Miscellaneous

Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• BA/BS in Journalism, Content Marketing, Media Arts Communications, Museum Studies, or Arts Administration, or equivalent work experience

• 1-3 years of relevant experience, including internships, work study, or volunteer activities.

• Excellent written and verbal communications skills, with journalistic experience writing for blogs, web and media

• Growth mindset and curiosity in relation to learning new tools and skills, especially in digital realm.

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

• Adaptability

• Works effectively in an environment in which the parameters may change daily; adjusts behavior to meet the needs of different people and situations.

• Business Acumen

• Possesses business savvy and demonstrates the ability to foster and lead cost-efficient initiatives without sacrificing quality or core values.

• Collaboration

• Facilitates open and effective communication, cooperation and teamwork within and outside of one's own team; respects the needs and contributions of others.

• Communication

• Communicates effectively one-to-one, in small groups and in public speaking contexts; writes precise, well-organized emails, letters and proposals while using appropriate vocabulary and grammar.

• Efficiency/Dependability

• Effectively performs duties and responsibilities; displays attention to detail; supports organizational policies; anticipates demands/pressures of assignments and adjusts accordingly.

• Ethics and Integrity

• Follows through on commitments; incorporates honesty, respect and fairness in daily actions; demands trustworthiness from others; demonstrates courage and objectivity.

• Initiative

• Exhibits energy and desire to achieve; sets ambitious goals and acts decisively; takes action that no one has requested to improve or enhance job results and avoid problems.

• Innovation/Creativity

• Explores alternatives to existing products and services; identifies opportunities to improve procedures and practices; shows imagination.

• Grant Administration

• Manages grant application process; prepares and monitors budget; administers pre and post-award.

• Judgment

• Demonstrates logic, rationality and objectivity; shows common sense; uses all available information to make educated decisions.

• Multi-Tasking

• Demonstrates ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously.

• Organization

• Plans, organizes and schedules in an efficient, productive manner; anticipates contingencies and pays attention to detail; targets projects or initiatives that require special attention and focuses on key tasks when faced with limited time and/or resources

• Planning

• Devises and implements clearly defined strategies to achieve business objectives.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously and independently

• Strong organizational skills, with ability to see projects from implementation to execution

• Enthusiastic collaborator who works well independently or on team projects

• Detail-oriented, editorial-eye with the ability to work well under pressure and meet deadlines

• Excellent written and verbal communications skills, with journalistic experience writing for blogs, web and media

• Facility with web platforms, digital tools and technology based problem-solving. Knowledge of Google Analytics, Meta Business Suite and MarTech platforms a plus

• Experience in digital or creative design. Familiarity with the Adobe Creative Suite and Social Media Management tools

• Strong project management, budget, communication, collaborative, and organizational abilities.

• Experience in museums, cultural organizations, higher-education, or impact-focused non-profit

• Self-directed with the ability to take initiative and anticipate actions needed.

• Seeks projects that initiate changes in the organization; informs team members of upcoming changes; creates clear time frames and involves those who will be affected by changes in the planning and implementation process.

• Works effectively in an environment in which the parameters may change daily; adjusts behavior to meet the needs of different people and situations.

Benefits:

At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness:

Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities, and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.

We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development:

Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.

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