Communication Officer

This is a provisional classification. Formal classification procedures will be initiated by the Compensation & Job Evaluation Unit in approximately six months.

About Dalhousie UniversityDalhousie University is Atlantic Canada’s leading research-intensive university and a driver of the region’s intellectual, social and economic development. Located in the heart of Halifax, Nova Scotia, with an Agricultural Campus in Truro/Bible Hill, Dalhousie is a truly national and international university, with more than half of our 19,000 students coming from outside of the province. Our 6,000 faculty and staff foster a vibrant, purpose-driven community, that celebrated 200 years of academic excellence in 2018.

Job SummaryThe Enterprise Application Services (EAS) department in ITS provides services to support and improve university administration by implementing, upgrading and maintaining a variety of administrative systems and information technology platforms. Reporting to the Director, Web Team, the Online Communications Officer will oversee improvements to ITS’s content sites and digital/social presence and provide authoring support for online content authors using Dalhousie University’s content management system, Adobe Experience Manager, (AEM) & intranet, SharePoint.

Key Responsibilities

• Work closely with ITS Directors and other staff, and consult site users to improve site architectures and content strategies for the main public & internal ITS sites as well as other sites that ITS manages or for which ITS is a partner.

• Conduct regular reviews of existing departmental public facing pages and intranet to identify and prioritize content needs, ensuring alignment with Dalhousie brand guidelines and ITS services.

• Provide editorial leadership for content on all ITS websites and intranet sites. Offer recommendations and editorial oversight for ITS online publications, using the strategies and architectures developed.

• Deliver online communications guidance and counsel to stakeholders in relation to web content and website development. Report on and assist with improving stakeholders’ authoring and user experience, and work closely with technical staff in planning and implementing such changes.

• Create, implement and deliver training initiatives and materials directed toward ITS web authors and the university community in web writing best practices, and on using AEM and SharePoint.

• Serve as project manager for additional special projects and initiatives related to online and digital development as they arise.

Note QualificationsUndergraduate degree in Communications, Marketing or related field, plus approximately five years related experience (or equivalent combination of training and experience). Must have demonstrated experience developing integrated content, and content planning for web products as well as in delivering training and developing training materials. Expertise in writing effectively for diverse audiences within a variety of online formats is required. Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with the proven ability to work individually and within a team in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment. Must be skilled in photo-manipulation applications, HTML and content management systems (ideally AEM and SharePoint). Project management and high-level client service experience in a post-secondary or interactive development environment preferred.

Job Competencies Additional InformationDalhousie University supports a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Our total compensation package includes a defined benefit pension plan, health and dental plans, a health spending account, an employee and family assistance program and a tuition assistance program.

Application ConsiderationApplications from university employees and external candidates are given concurrent consideration. Among short-listed candidates, university employees will be given special consideration.

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

Diversity StatementDalhousie University is committed to fostering a collegial culture grounded in diversity and inclusiveness. The university encourages applications from Aboriginal people, persons with a disability, racially visible persons, women, persons of minority sexual orientations and gender identities, and all candidates who would contribute to the diversity of our community. For more information, please visit www.dal.ca/hiringfordiversity.