Senior Communications Specialist

The Stanford Center on Early Childhood (SCEC) seeks a full time Senior Communications Specialist to join our team. The Senior Communications Specialist will develop communication materials for the RAPID Survey Project, managing and planning the entire communications pipeline for the project.
The Stanford Center on Early Childhood brings new tools and pathways for impact to the places where early childhood development happens-early learning environments, healthcare, and community-based family support programs and services. The Stanford Center on Early Childhood is an initiative of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning.
ABOUT US
The Stanford University Graduate School of Education (GSE) is a top-ranked school of education, known for its prestigious faculty, rigorous graduate degree programs, and its impact on the quality of education across the world. The GSE is committed to developing leaders in education research, practice and policy. Our community includes over 60 faculty, 400 students, 200 staff, 14,000 alumni and countless people from the local and global communities we work with and impact. The work environment is dynamic, deadline-driven, fast-paced, and energetic.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Senior Communications Specialist will work closely as a member of the RAPID Survey team to develop, plan, and refine a communications strategy and pipeline for the RAPID Survey Project. The RAPID Survey Project is a program of ongoing surveys including 1) Place-based surveys (in cities, counties, states) to understand the experiences of families with children ages 0-5 and child care providers locally; 2) A national survey of households with children ages 0-5 to assess the needs, health promoting behaviors, and well-being of children and their families; and 3) A national survey of child care providers and other adults who care for children ages 0-5 to assess their work conditions, financial circumstance, and well-being. The goal of RAPID is to collect and disseminate actionable data from families with young children and child care providers, to inform policies and programs that help each young child and the adults who care for them thrive.
The Senior Communications Specialist will manage all communications needs and strategy for the RAPID Survey Project, including acting as the communications resource expert; developing, writing, and publishing fact sheets, blogs, social media content, and other written materials explaining and highlighting key research findings; integrating feedback and input from multiple stakeholders and advisors into communication products; coordinating work with vendors including graphic and web designers and communications and media consultants; developing and conducting communications trainings with RAPID team members as well as other members of the Stanford Center on Early Childhood team; and refining and systematizing the communications workflow for the RAPID team, ensuring timely and relevant dissemination of key data. The Senior Communications Specialist will also be responsible for curating and disseminating newsletters for RAPID audiences. Additionally, the Senior Communications Specialist will establish and maintain contacts within relevant media organizations to promote broad uptake of RAPID materials and information.
The successful candidate for this role will have experience communicating about scientific data as well as writing for and communicating with a wide range of audiences. This is a highly collaborative role and relies on close coordination between the RAPID Communications Specialist and senior leadership, as well as the RAPID research team. The person in this role will also work closely with the SCEC Communications Specialist as well as the GSE Communications Team, ensuring that Stanford brand guidelines are followed as relevant and that there is a consistent communication strategy across groups.
The RAPID team is dispersed nationally. This position is eligible for remote hire, and may require a small amount of travel, i.e. to convenings and events.
Your primary responsibilities will include:
•Develop communication deliverables in an area of expertise for a unit or a complex program.
•Incorporate and integrate input from multiple stakeholders to develop complex communications for various content delivery channels.
•Develop and design complex materials according to defined requirements using software applications and mediums.
•Work with vendors to obtain information to evaluate quality, process, and costs to support vendor selection.
•Maintain knowledge by attending webinars, conferences, networking etc. to remain at the forefront of current industry standards, trends and technology.
•Contribute to the development of communication strategy for the unit or program
•Analyze data and curate illustrations, photos, and pictures for assignments.
•Work in collaboration with Institutional Communicators on media relations content and other areas.
•Establish and maintain contacts with key sources (media, news services, community organizations and other targeted audiences) to identify story themes and newsworthy events to promote and disseminate information.
•Assist the Project Director in evaluating workflow and make recommendations.
•Develop guidelines for and conduct trainings on communications topics.
To be successful in this position, you will bring:
•Bachelor's degree and five years of relevant experience or combination of education and relevant experience.
•Excellent written and oral communication skills.
•Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with internal communications groups across campus.
•Demonstrated excellent interpersonal skills
•Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex materials and communicate information in a manner easily understood.
•Experience with project management and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
•Demonstrated ability to perform detailed work with high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
Preferred Education & Experience:
•Experience with scientific or data-informed writing
•Bilingual fluency in English and Spanish
•Proven success in writing for publication in print, web, and other platforms.
•Excellent writing, interpersonal, and oral communication skills with proven ability to present, write, edit, and organize thoughts in a clear, concise, and well-organized manner.
•Ability to change voice and writing style to fit a particular audience and purpose.
•Firm understanding of web technologies and applications, including social networking, social media tools, and current communication trends.
•Ability to interact effectively with a diverse array of people, including senior leaders.
Specific duties and responsibilities may vary depending on department or program needs without changing the general nature and scope of the job or level of responsibility. Employees may also perform other duties as assigned.
The expected pay range for this position is $82,000 to $122,000 per annum.Stanford University provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of what the university reasonably expects to pay for a position. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal equity, geographic location and external market pay for comparable jobs.
At Stanford University, base pay represents only one aspect of the comprehensive rewards package. The Cardinal at Work website (https://cardinalatwork.stanford.edu/benefits-rewards) provides detailed information on Stanford's extensive range of benefits and rewards offered to employees. Specifics about the rewards package for this position may be discussed during the hiring process.
Why Stanford is for You: Imagine a world without search engines or social platforms. Consider lives saved through first-ever organ transplants and research to cure illnesses. Stanford University has revolutionized the way we live and enrich the world. Supporting this mission is our diverse and dedicated 17,000 staff. We seek talent driven to impact the future of our legacy. Our culture and unique perks empower you with:
•Freedom to grow. We offer career development programs, tuition reimbursement, or audit a course. Join a TedTalk, film screening, or listen to a renowned author or global leader speak.
•A caring culture. We provide superb retirement plans, generous time-off, and family care resources.
•A healthier you. Climb our rock wall, or choose from hundreds of health or fitness classes at our world-class exercise facilities. We also provide excellent health care benefits.
•Discovery and fun. Stroll through historic sculptures, trails, and museums.
•Enviable resources. Enjoy free commuter programs, ridesharing incentives, discounts and more!
How to Apply:We invite you to apply for this position by clicking on the "Apply for Job" button. To be considered, you must submit a cover letter, résumé, and two writing samples along with your online application.
•Finalist must successfully complete a background check prior to working at Stanford University.
•This is a fixed-term position with an end date of one year and is renewable based on performance and funding
•Candidates must be eligible to work in the US. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
The job duties listed are typical examples of work performed by positions in this job classification and are not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory for all duties, tasks, and responsibilities. Specific duties and responsibilities may vary depending on department or program needs without changing the general nature and scope of the job or level of responsibility. Employees may also perform other duties as assigned.
Consistent with obligations under the law, the University will provide reasonable accommodation to any employee with any disability who requires accommodation to perform the essential functions of his or her job.
Stanford is an equal opportunity employment opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or another other characteristic protected by law.