ncIMPACT Communications Manager

Position Summary

School of Government Services, Inc. assists faculty and staff at the UNC School of Government in carrying out its important mission: to improve the lives of North Carolinians by engaging in practical scholarship that helps public officials and citizens understand and improve state and local government. It is a nonprofit corporation and an official associated entity of the School of Government at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

 As the largest university-based local government training, advisory, and research organization in the United States, the UNC School of Government offers up to 200 courses, webinars, and specialized conferences for more than 12,000 public officials each year. The activities of School of Government Services include assisting the School with or carrying out research, consulting, advising, trainings and educational workshops and seminars, and other services and projects.

The ncIMPACT Initiative (ncIMPACT) is a statewide initiative launched by the UNC School of Government in 2017 to help local communities use data and evidence to improve conditions and inform decision making. Over the next 10 years, ncIMPACT will touch tens of thousands of lives across North Carolina, some in every one of the state’s 100 counties. Our fingerprint will be found in the expanded capacities, and program and policy innovations, of civic leaders who will use new strategies and tools to better meet their community needs.

The Communications Manager is responsible for developing and implementing a marketing strategy around ncIMPACT programs at the School of Government. The position works with School faculty and senior staff, as well as Strategic Communications team members, to create marketing initiatives such as targeted email and social media campaigns for new program offerings; to create and manage editorial calendars; write/edit blog posts or impact-related stories for the web and/or newsletters; develop presentations for external audiences; coordinate design and/or editorial projects, such as funder and project reports, with in-house production staff; and report on success of communications tactics using analytics. This is a full-time, permanent position located at the School of Government in Chapel Hill.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

 The essential functions include, but are not limited to the following:

• (60%) Develop, communicate, execute, and measure ncIMPACT’s marketing strategy.
• (25%) Create and edit content including e-mails, newsletters, graphics, web copy, reports, and other marketing materials on behalf of the School of Government. Coordinate marketing campaigns with relevant faculty/staff, social media account managers, content creators, and graphic designers.
• (15%) Participate in team meetings, support the design and implementation of strategic, evaluation, and fundraising plans, and liaise with School and University communications personnel on various projects.         

 Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)

• Four-year degree in marketing or a related field and a minimum of two years of professional experience.

• Excellent writer and editor; ability to communicate complex program information with substantial impact to targeted audiences. Ability to plan and convey messages that enhance and promote the mission and objectives of the organization.

• Experience in drafting communications as they relate to academic products in a variety of print and online marketing delivery systems. Ability to contribute ideas, recommendations, and solutions to reach project goals. Ability to manage complex projects independently and strategically, project timelines, editorial calendars, and resources and lead others to achieve project milestones and objectives.

• Ability to establish and maintain working relationships with internal and external clients; ability to provide complex and strategic information and advice to clients; ability to interact with key people at all levels of the organization.

• Understanding of communication software as well as use of other applicable technology and equipment to assist with crafting and delivering effective messages. Candidate should demonstrate the ability to remain current with technical developments and trends as they relate to the fields of communications, public relations, publishing, marketing, and web-based communications.

• Understanding of communication, design, and visual art concepts and practices when composing marketing content for print and online outlets.

• Ability to develop and implement data strategies. Ability to collect, analyze, and deliver data (such as contacts, web statistics, marketing results, and customer relationship data) with sensitivity and urgency.

• Ability to apply technical knowledge of overall concepts for generating, analyzing, and presenting data and serve as a resource to others in this regard. This position requires a strong background in the principles and practices of product and institutional marketing as well as knowledge of effective techniques for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data through a variety of methods.

• It also requires excellent written/oral communication skills and organizational skills, strong attention to detail and accuracy, and a demonstrated ability to balance long-term and short-term projects while working well in a collaborative, team-oriented environment.