Sr. Director, YSM Exec. & Internal Communications

14-Nov-2022

Yale School of Medicine – Office of Communications

77682BR

University Job Title

Senior Director, Communications Strategy and Tech

Bargaining Unit

None – Not included in the union (Yale Union Group)

Compensation Grade

Administration & Operations

Compensation Grade Profile

Senior Leader (M7)

Wage Ranges

Click here to see our Wage Ranges

Work Location

Central Campus

Worksite Address

50 Division Street New Haven, CT 06511

Work Week

Standard (M-F equal number of hours per day)

Searchable Job Family

Communications/Editing/Teaching

Total # of hours to be worked:

37.5

Position Focus:

Yale School of Medicine is seeking an experienced and innovative Senior Director for Executive and Internal Communications to join the leadership team within the Office of Communications. Serving as the intentional voice of the school, the Office of Communications works to elevate the school’s reputation, support revenue generation, and be a metrics-driven leader in academic medicine communications. Reporting to the YSM Associate Dean of Communications, the Senior Director will support the executive communications needs of the Dean of the School of Medicine, including senior leadership messaging, talking points, presentation development, and crisis communications. The senior director will further develop and implement a comprehensive internal communications plan for the medical school that addresses key stakeholders, including faculty, students, and staff. This position will oversee the creation, development, and management of a content strategy to optimize engagement with an internal communications platform, including a school-wide intranet that encompasses the work of departmental communications officers, comprehensively represents the school’s administrative functions, and amplifies the school’s strategic goals and priorities by informing and inspiring the medical school community. Oversees the development of an overarching executive communications strategy that provides the dean and other senior leaders with ongoing, relevant strategic messaging that engages the community in leadership’s vision and strengthens their commitment to the school’s values. Strategically evolves and executes on YSM’s internal communications vision. Acts as a strategic partner to the Associate Dean and other leaders to develop an internal communications strategy that informs, connects, and engages all members of the YSM community. Writes and edits internal messages from leadership related to senior administrative appointments, crisis response, schoolwide policy and initiatives, and other topics; drafts talking points, messages, presentations, scripts, and other materials for internal, alumni, and donor audiences. Utilizes and develops communications channels to inform and motivate faculty, students, and staff. Ensures that internal communications are consistent across the School of Medicine and with external messaging. Collaborates and works closely with departmental communications officers to develop and empower a strong, school-wide internal communications team. Defines goals and metrics for the successful execution of the strategy and uses data to evaluate content impact and push for continuous improvement. Participates in crisis response in collaboration with leadership and the university’s Office of Public Affairs and Communications.

Please note that the duties below are generic in nature and may not reflect the accurate duties for the job. Please refer to this Position Focus for the most accurate description of the job and its duties.

Essential Duties

1. In conjunction with the Associate Dean for Communications, create and execute strategy for Yale School of Medicine’s Office of Communications, collaborating with university, school, and office leaders to conceive initiatives, marshal resources, coordinate staff, and manage change and messaging to successfully position the school at the forefront of academic medical communications. 2. In partnership with Yale Medicine’s Chief Communications Officer, lead efforts to connect new and existing patients with Yale Medicine services, creating connections between providers, patients, and technology used to manage the clinical enterprise, including the development and implementation of a patient experience strategy through YaleMedicine.org to create an industry-leading interface to provide relevant and useful information to site visitors while leading efforts to utilize established and new technology to reduce barriers to online appointment bookings. 3. Lead the school’s communications technology programs to design and implement best-in-class platforms, prioritizing usability and efficiency while balancing cost and time to market. Partner with other university leaders to coordinate and, when possible, leverage and integrate existing tools into the school’s technology stack. Provide leadership across the university and peer institutions for next-generation technology and communications practices, making available advances from YSM to help improve communications across academia. Provide overall direction and leadership for fulltime staff of eight and an offshore engineering team of 17. 4. In conjunction with the Associate Dean for Communications, manage financial and business operations for the Office of Communications, developing and managing the office’s $8M budget. Lead contract negotiations for products and services. Coordinating with university and school business leaders, drive efficiencies through process and systems improvement. 5. At the school and university leadership level, bring strategy, technology, and operations expertise to broad and diverse committees, working groups, and initiatives. Providing expert guidance, further the school’s missions by advocating novel technology advances and communications best practices.

Required Education and Experience

1. Bachelor’s Degree in business administration, technology, or related sciences or arts field and minimum ten years of related work and management experience. 2. Experience leading a team in executing strategy initiatives. 3. Experience planning strategy initiatives with demonstrated expertise in creating sound plans that benefit the organization’s initiatives and boost productivity.

Required Skill/Ability 1:

Outstanding written and oral communications skills; demonstrated ability guiding and advising executive leadership on communications. Must submit three writing samples with application.

Required Skill/Ability 2:

Exceptional judgment, reliability, and discretion. Ability to thrive in a role that requires the establishment of consensus across many offices. Demonstrated ability building productive relationships through interaction with faculty and staff.

Required Skill/Ability 3:

Demonstrated organizational ability in planning, directing, and assembling teams, and working wisely in a fast-paced environment.

Required Skill/Ability 4:

Demonstrated understanding of how to cultivate thought leadership on behalf of a major organization.

Required Skill/Ability 5:

Familiarity with an audience-centered approach to content and the data analytics such an approach requires.

Preferred Education, Experience and Skills:

Master’s degree. Familiarity with the academic culture and the processes and policies of an educational institution. Communications experience in an academic institution. Experience writing for a variety of audiences. Experience in crisis communications.

Weekend Hours Required?

Occasional

Evening Hours Required?

Occasional

Background Check Requirements

All candidates for employment will be subject to pre-employment background screening for this position, which may include motor vehicle, DOT certification, drug testing and credit checks based on the position description and job requirements. All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of the background check. For additional information on the background check requirements and process visit “Learn about background checks” under the Applicant Support Resources section of Careers on the It’s Your Yale website.

COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement

Thank you for your interest in employment at Yale University. Please also note that the university has a COVID-19 vaccination and booster requirement for all students, staff & faculty which is described in the COVID-19 Vaccine Program. As you search our open positions, you will see that all postings list their on-site addresses which gives more detail on the on-campus work location of the role.

Posting Disclaimer

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the essential functions that will be required of the position and should not be construed as a declaration of specific duties and responsibilities of the particular position. Employees will be assigned specific job-related duties through their hiring departments.

EEO Statement:

University policy is committed to affirmative action under law in employment of women, minority group members, individuals with disabilities, and protected veterans. Additionally, in accordance with Yale’s Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment, and as delineated by federal and Connecticut law, Yale does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment against any individual on account of that individual’s sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, disability, status as a special disabled veteran, veteran of the Vietnam era or other covered veteran.

Inquiries concerning Yale’s Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment may be referred to the Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility (OIEA).

W.L. Harkness Hall, 3rd Floor, Room 303

100 Wall Street, New Haven CT 06511

203-432-0849

[email protected]

Note

Yale University is a tobacco-free campus